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                                IPL NEWS

Online ticket sale for IPL qualifiers begin.

              The online ticket sales of the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) Qualifier 2 and the final to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 24 and 26 respectively began on Saturday on the official website of the cash-rich Twenty20 league.

              The ticket sales began at 11 a.m. on Saturday at www.iplt20.com.

              The minimum price of the tickets is Rs. 300, the IPL said in a release.

              Information pertaining to the box-office ticket sales of the two games will be announced soon. The details regarding the online and box-office ticket sales of the Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator to be played at the Ferozeshah Kotla Ground in New Delhi on May 21 and 22 respectively will also be announced soon.

              The team ranked first at the end of the league stage will play the team ranked second in Qualifier 1 at the Ferozeshah Kotla Ground in New Delhi on May 21. The winner of this game will qualify for the final.

              The team ranked third at the end of the league stage will play the team ranked fourth in the Eliminator at the Kotla on May 22. The winner of the Eliminator will play the loser of Qualifier 1 in the third playoff (Qualifier 2) at the Eden Gardens here on May 24.

The final between the winners of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2 will be played at the Eden Gardens here on May 26.




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PV Sindhu wins Malaysia Open Grand Prix

Badminton News

Shuttler PV Sindhu wins Malaysia Open Grand Prix

PV Sindhu

KUALA LUMPUR: 

                 PV Sindhu reaffirmed her status as the rising star of Indian badminton as she lifted her maiden Grand Prix Gold title in Malaysia after getting the better of Juan Gu of Singapore in a gruelling final on Saturday.

                The top-seeded Indian took an hour and 11 minutes to prevail over her fifth seeded opponent, 21-17 17-21 21-19.

                What turned out to be a close match, the in-form Sindhu played the smash winners better than Gu.

                The World No.13 Indian shuttler hit as many as 17 smash winners compared to just nine by the Singaporean girl.

                Sindhu opened up a 5-0 lead in the first game but the World No. 27 came back brilliantly to make it 7-7.

                The Singaporean then won a couple of more points to climb to a 10-7 lead.

                But the tall Indian teenager showed her class as she went on to clinch six consecutive points to make it 13-10 before surging ahead and forcing her rival into submission to claim the game 21-17.

                In the second game, however, Gu launched a tough fight against the Indian. It was a neck-and-neck battle till 15-15 before Gu notched up three straight points to take a lead and wrap it up at 21-17.

                The third and deciding game started on an even footing and the two were tied at 5-5. But Gu upped the ante, even as Sindhu seemed went haywire for a while. Gu went on to take a massive 13-7 lead and it seemed all over for the Indian.

                But with Gu leading 15-10, Sindhu fought back to pocket four points on the trot and reduce the gap to 14-15.

                Thereafter the match tilted from one end to another with the scores levelled at 18-18 at one stage.

                Sindhu managed to bag two more points and pushed herself when it mattered most to close the issue at 21-19.



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Viswanathan Anand finishes third

Chess News

Viswanathan Anand draws with Boris Gelfand, finishes third

RUSSIA: 

             World champion Viswanathan Anand played out a draw with Boris Gelfand of Israel in the ninth and final round to finish third in the Alekhine memorial chess tournament.

             Playing the black side of a Semi-Slav, Anand got nothing to push for as Gelfand played solidly for one of his best performance ever. The Israeli ended as joint first along with Levon Aronian of Armenia who defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagraev of France in his final game.

             In other games of the day, Nikita Vituigov of Russia mishandled a promising position and drew with Ding Liren of China while another Russian, Peter Svidler, shared a point with Laurent Fressinet of France.

             World number three Vladimir Kramnik was still pressing for a victory against Michael Adams of Englands and though the result will not have much implication for the winners, Adams can finish joint third if he pulls off a draw.

            Both Gelfand and Aronian ended on 5.5 points and Anand is sole third as of now with five points in all. After a shocking first-round loss, it was a good comeback by Anand who started winning only in the fifth round of the tournament. For the records, the Indian ace won two, lost one and drew the remaining seven games.

            Anand went for a similar variation he had employed against Vachier-Lagraev in one of the earlier rounds and did not face problems as Gelfand was also content with a peaceful result.

            The Israel pressed for some time but could not make any progress with Anand going for piece trading in a heap. The players soon arrived at a drawn endgame where the draw was agreed to after 40 moves.

            Vachier-Lagraev ran completely out of luck in the last round too. Having lost the penultimate game to Nikita Vituigov, the French Grandmaster has lost his lead and ran into a spirited Aronian, who handled the intricacies of a Grunfeld in masterly fashion.

            It was a long theoretical duel wherein Aronian manoeuvred his forces well to reach a better endgame, calculated precisely and won an exchange after which the victory was imminent.

Results round 9: 

1. Boris Gelfand (Isr, 5.5) drew with V Anand (Ind, 5); 
2. Levon Aronian (Arm, 5.5) beat Maxime Vachier-Lagraev (Fra, 4.5); 
3. Peter Svidler (Rus, 3) drew with Laurent Fressinet (Fra, 4.5); 
4. Nikita Vituigov (Rus, 4.5) drew with Ding Liren (Chn, 3.5); 
5. Michael Adams (Eng, 4.5) playing Vladimir Kramnik (Rus, 3.5).

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News about Gambhir

News

Gambhir clears air about verbal duel with Dravid

A file photo of Gautam Gambhir.

                     Kolkata Knight Riders Captain Gautam Gambhir on Saturday sought to downplay his verbal duel with Rajasthan Royals counterpart Rahul Dravid in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match, insisting that he never exchanged harsh words with the legendary batsman.

                    This was the second time that Gambhir found himself involved in an on-field spat after a run-in with Virat Kohli in a previous IPL match.

                    On Friday night in the fifth over of the KKR innings, the incident started with Manvender Bisla and Shane Watson exchanging a few words after the Australia sought to intimidate the Indian with the ball on his follow through.

                    Dravid stepped in to try and calm Bisla but the stumper asked him to cool off Watson first. Gambhir, who was batting at the other end, joined the heated discussion even as Dravid walked past the two with a smile on his face.

                    In the next over, when Gambhir was stumped by Dinesh Yagnik off Watson, the batsman again appeared to be exchanging some words with Dravid before walking off.

                    However, Gambhir sought to clear the air saying he did not disrespect Dravid during the incident.

                   “Guys, u have got it all wrong. No harsh words exchanged between me n Rahul bhai. He was n will always be a respected teammate. No fuss plz,” he wrote on his twitter page.

                    Gambhir actually ridiculed the way last night’s incident was hyped.

                   “Guess we are always obsessed wid some drama or spice.

                    Sorry none existed between me and rahul. Always respect him,” read his second tweet.

                    Before Gambhir, Australian spin legend Shane Warne, who led the Rajasthan Royals to the IPL title in 2008, took a jibe at the Indian opener on the same site.

                    “Question cricket followers - is Ghambir in the top 3 annoying cricketers on the planet ???,” Warne wrote on his twitter page.

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Shah Rukh Khan regrets.....

NEWS

Shah Rukh Khan regrets getting into brawl with Wankhede security guard

A file photo of Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan.

                  Kolkata Knight Riders’ owner Shah Rukh Khan has admitted that he should not have got into a fight with the Wankhede stadium security guard during last season’s Indian Premier League (IPL) that led to Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) imposing a five-year ban on him.

                  “In retrospect, I should not have behaved like that. On the other hand, it’s not something that I really think about. It’s quite cool,” said Shah Rukh.

                     Asked what he would do on May 7 when KKR take on Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium, Shah Rukh said, “I don’t want to sound politically incorrect but what will they do if I enter? Shoot me?”

                     Shah Rukh also joked that he might resort to wearing masks to deceive the authorities.

                     “I don’t know...otherwise it has to be the masks, I’ll have to wear them with a false moustache and stuff like that.

                     But I am not going to take any chances. I will wait outside the Wankhede and cheer for my boys.

                    “As long as my team is allowed inside the Wankhede Stadium, it’s fine. We will win the match. I don’t need to be there to win the match,” he said during a late night programme at the team hotel.

                     Shah Rukh, in fact entered the KKR dressing room during the break in a clear violation of the protocol.

                    “It’s my face...people stop me from going to lot of places in stadiums nowadays. In our team, Brett Lee looks the most well-behaved, so I’ll wear his mask and enter the dressing room.

                     “I just wanted to tell Gambhir well done at halftime. I am sorry, it’s my mistake. I forget the rules sometimes. I will try not to do it again, so that I’m not banned from here,” an apologetic Shah Rukh added.

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Sri Lankan News

                                                                      NEWS

Ajantha Mendis omitted from Sri Lankan squad for Champions Trophy

Sri Lankan cricketer Angelo Mathews.

                      Sri Lanka on Thursday named a 15-member squad for the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in England next month with the selectors continuing to snub spinner Ajantha Mendis.

                      Besides Mendis, batsman Upul Tharanga also failed to find a place in the squad for the June 6-23 tournament.

                     Angelo Mathews, who captained Pune Warriors in the ongoing IPL before dropping himself,  will lead the Sri Lankan squad with Dinesh Chandimal being named his deputy.

                     Mendis continued to be sidelined as he was also not named in the Sri Lankan squad against Bangladesh in the home ODI series in March.

                     Former skipper Mahela Jayawardene, who is captaining Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing IPL, also returns after missing the ODIs against Bangladesh due to a finger injury.

                     Four others playing in the IPL — Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lasith Malinga and Sachithra Senanayake — figure in the squad.

The squad:

1. Angelo Mathews (captain), 
2. Dinesh Chandimal (vice captain), 
3. Tillakaratne Dilshan, 
4. Kusal Janith Perera, 
5. Kumar Sangakkara, 
6. Mahela Jayawardena, 
7. Lahiru Thirimanne, 
8. Jeevan Mendis, 
9. Thisara Perera, 
10. Lasith Malinga, 
11. Rangana Herath, 
12. Nuwan Kulasekera, 
13. Shaminda Eranga, 
14. Sachithra Senanayake and 
15. Chanaka Welagedera.

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ATP chairman Brad Drewett dies at 54

News

ATP chairman Brad Drewett dies at 54

Brad Drewett died at his home in Sydney, Australia, after a battle with motor neurone 

disease.

              Brad Drewett, a former tour player who led the ATP as executive chairman and helped increase prize money at Grand Slam tournaments, died on Friday after a short battle with motor neurone disease. He was 54.

             The ATP said in a statement the Australian died at his home in Sydney.

             Mr. Drewett was a top-40 singles and top-20 doubles player before he retired in 1990. He was hired in 2006 to lead operations in the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific regions. He led the ATP since January 2012.

              International Tennis Federation President Francesco Ricci Bitti called Mr. Drewett “a valued friend and colleague.”

             “We were very happy to support him during his various roles at the ATP, most recently as chairman,” he said. “His knowledge, experience and enthusiasm will be a great loss to the whole sport.”

              Players Rafael Nadal and Mardy Fish were among those expressing condolences.

             “A very sad day for the world of sports and tennis in particular,” Nadal, an 11-time major champion, wrote on Facebook. “Our president Brad has passed away. Rest in peace.”

               David Haggerty, the head of American tennis, described Mr. Drewett as “a strong leader, true gentleman and a great friend.”

               Mr. Drewett announced in January he had motor amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disease affects voluntary muscle activity, including speaking, walking, breathing and swallowing. It usually causes progressive disability.

               Mr. Drewett’s speech was noticeably slurred when he attended a news conference on the opening day of the Australian Open to announce a new sponsor. He had planned to step down once a successor was found.

               Mr. Drewett also developed and managed a number of successful businesses in the sport and fitness industry. He had worked as a commentator for two Australian television broadcasters.

               Australian media said Saturday that Mr. Drewett is survived by his wife Joanne and four children- Jack, Ally, Joe and Tom. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

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Team selection on Saturday

Team for Champions Trophy on Saturday

                The final Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, to be held in June in England and Wales, will be picked by the national selectors here on May 4, the BCCI announced on Monday.

                The five-man selection panel headed by Sandeep Patil will prune the list of 30 probables already selected to half its size for the June 6-23 tournament.

                The selectors had dropped Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh when they picked the probables on April 6, but have the option to choose players from outside the list. India and South Africa are scheduled to kick off the contest on June 6 in a Group B match.

                India will take on the West Indies at the Kennington Oval in London on June 11 and then conclude the four-team group engagement on June 15 against -rival Pakistan at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

The list of probables:

1. Murali Vijay, 
2. Shikhar Dhawan, 
3. Gautam Gambhir, 
4. Unmukt Chand, 
5. Virat Kohli, 
6. Yuvraj Singh, 
7. Suresh Raina, 
8. Rohit Sharma, 
9. Manoj Tiwary, 
10. Ajinkya Rahane, 
11. A. Rayudu, 
12. Kedar Jadhav, 
13. M.S. Dhoni, 
14. Wriddhiman Saha, 
15. Dinesh Karthik, 
16. R. Ashwin, 
17. Amit Mishra, 
18. Ravindra Jadeja, 
19. Jalaj Saxena, 
20. Parveez Rasool, 
21. Ishant Sharma, 
22. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 
23. Ashoke Dinda, 
24. Umesh Yadav, 
25. Mohammed Shami, 
26. Irfan Pathan, 
27. Vinay Kumar, 
28. Praveen Kumar, 
29. I.C. Pandey and 
30. Siddharth Kaul.

SACHIN TENDULKAR'S INTERVIEW.

SACHIN TENDULKAR

Interview:

Q: How do you look at yourself, a senior or a colleague to your teammates?

                        I am a senior, yes, but I am their colleague. It’s always about the team. I would always want to be a good person. Senior only to share my experience, that’s my job, my duty towards the team and the juniors. I also like to feel young with them.

Q: Over the years, how much has the atmosphere of the dressing room changed? Has anything particular caught your attention, good or not-so-good?

                        Not much. It is normal as always; nothing much to change actually. Players like to fool around, that continues. The age group is different but it is a young and healthy dressing room now, young men with a lovely sense of humour. These light moments are important to keep the spirits high, you understand the nature of the individuals and it has a positive impact on what you do on the field.

Q: How have you dealt with the retirement/dropping of senior players from the Indian team?

                         Obviously you miss them after having played with them for such a long time. To not have them in the dressing room is a phase where the new generation is taking over. Luckily the new-generation guys have been part of the one-day squad, so I know them. We have spent time with each other before they have become part of the Test squad. They are not new to me. You will always miss the great players, Anil [Kumble], Sourav [Ganguly], Rahul [Dravid], [V.V.S.] Laxman. I miss them.

Q: How have the team meetings changed over the years? Do younger players contribute more or less in team meetings?

                          Not changed much. Seniors speak, youngsters also speak. That’s the way it should be. Normally the coach and the captain will speak and then whoever wants to suggest something is free to speak. Some youngster can come up with a point which may have been missed.

Q: Being a senior, do you offer suggestions only when sought or do you feel free to walk up to the captain?

                           I always walk up to the captain or the bowler. I am just giving them more options. The final decision is theirs. I give options from what I feel can be done.

Q: How has batting evolved in the last decade or so?

                          The stroke-play has improved. The Twenty20 format has changed the players’ approach. People are prepared to take more chances, prepared to play different shots when pushed into a corner. That is the effect of the T20 format. It has given you the space to practise different shots. Those can be loose at times but fruitful too.

Q: Would it not impact technique?

                          Technique is paramount. It is technique combined with adjustment that takes you forward.

Q: Don’t you think the future of Test cricket needs to be protected because of the focus on the shorter forms of the game?

                          Tell me, can you force someone to like something? It has to come from within. Somebody who wants to play Test cricket will not get satisfaction playing the shorter forms of the game. To me, Test cricket will always remain the ultimate format. Without doubt, it is the most challenging format of the game.

Q: India won the last series against Australia convincingly. But given the fact that this Australian side is going through a transition, how much do you read into this margin?

                           I think only [Ricky] Ponting and [Michael] Hussey were missing from the squad we played against in Australia. Otherwise it was the same. Somewhere, you have a player or two not available sometimes; somewhere you miss certain world-class players. But without any doubt, Ponting and Hussey are world-class players. The Australian team certainly missed them but I wouldn’t like to take away any credit from our bowlers. Our batsmen posted big totals and that helped and allowed the bowlers to give their best.

Q: Which ‘new faces’ impressed you in the series?

                            [Cheteshwar] Pujara and Virat [Kohli]. I will say these two are the guys who have done really well. Shikhar [Dhawan] has played with me for a while. [Murali] Vijay has shown tremendous promise. These guys will serve long. I don’t know why people talk loosely about how they will perform in the future. Why worry about that? Why not celebrate their present and stop worrying about what could happen some months down the line. We should stick to this performance and celebrate!

Q: Do you approve of the spinner-friendly pitches that India insists on preparing for a home series?

                             International cricket is all about playing fast bowling and also about playing spin bowling as well. If you play well on faster wickets or seaming wickets, then it is important to play similarly well on spinner-friendly wickets. It is a matter of skills.

Q: Sensing that your reflexes are not what they used to be, what kind of fine-tuning do you do at the ‘nets’?

                             I try to be as normal as possible at practice sessions, whether there is a match or not. I know the requirements of my body.

Q: Does it hurt when former stars criticise you instead of walking up to you and guiding you?

                             I don’t read articles. If somebody wants to tell me a few things about my batting, correct any flaws, and genuinely help me improve, he can just pick up the phone; we are in the same hotel, same ground, just come and tell me.

Q: Today, what is one aspect of your cricket that you want to work on?

                             I always like to work on my batting. Not one particular aspect but focus on certain areas, train to play on certain surfaces and face particular bowling. That’s how I prepare myself. The preparation part is a fantastic process, the part when you are focused and wanting to improve is important.

Q: When was the last time you cared to watch a Test match and ODI not featuring India?

                             Rare actually. Only if we are scheduled to play a certain team I watch for a while. The last time, before we played against Australia in Australia, I watched their game against New Zealand. Not much but I watched a couple of sessions.

Q: Why does India not perform consistently overseas?

                             We have done well overseas. You see the records. Only England and Australia were tough. We almost beat Australia in Australia, beat New Zealand in New Zealand, England in England, West Indies in West Indies. You can see that we have done well overseas, barring those two tours (England 2011 and Australia 2011-12). We beat South Africa in Durban (2010) and beat Australia in Perth (2008) where everyone thought we will be thrashed in three days. We need to change this wrong perception that we don’t fare well away from home.

Q: Looking at life after cricket, besides spending time with family, what is the first desire which you would love to fulfill?

                              I have not thought about it. I have spent so much time away from family. I have been playing cricket since I was 13. I would like to spend time with them.

Q: What is that one moment which you relish the most in your career?

                               Nothing can come close to winning the World Cup. Taking the victory lap in Mumbai is the ultimate moment.

Q: What is your most important knock?

                              The Chennai hundred (103 not out) against England in 2009 after 26/11. That was the most important knock. It is very close to my heart because of the circumstances (Mumbai terror attack).

Q: Your biggest regret?

                                No regrets. I prefer not to look back.

Q: The one innings that you wish you had played for the country?

                                Every time I get out when there is an opportunity for me to perform, do something special, I feel I could have done better, that is the innings I look forward to play.

Q: How does your teenaged son [Arjun] react to a father who is still active on the field? [It is rare for a teenager to watch his father in action in any sport].

                               Earlier he didn’t know much because I hardly discussed cricket with him. He would get upset when I was not at home. Later when he started travelling with me, saw the response of various people, how they treated me, cheered me when I walked on to the field to bat, it changed everything for him. From there on he came to understand why I had to leave home so often. That understanding made all the difference.

Q: How much have you changed as a person?

                                I am the same Sachin, still involved with the game as I was at 16. I will remain completely involved as long as I am playing.

Q: How do you manage to stay calm and composed, on and off the field?

                                I have learnt it from my family. They absorb all the pressures that come to me from cricket and otherwise. All other things that happen around cricket are absorbed by them so that I could focus on the game. As and when I travel, there are so many commitments. With time you get used to dealing with them. Have to balance time between work, public and family. I try and do that. I am able to do that balancing act.

Q: Do you get angry?

                                Not really. It is not my nature. Disappointed, yes, but angry, no!

Q: You enjoy your interaction with fans, you have a lot of time for them…

                                 It comes from my heart. Not that I plan it. I do it from my heart because fans make you what you are.

Q: What are the lessons of life that you would like to share?

                                 It is important to be a nice person. It is the easiest thing to do but most difficult to maintain. Being nice is the test of a true character. You can be a nice person and the rest falls in place. Your passion for sport or your profession is important, that drive has to be there to help you push harder, find a reason to work harder. It is important to dream and chase your dream. To chase your dream and turn it into reality, you have to be disciplined. There are just no short cuts in sport and life.

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