Day 4: Harbhajan slams second ton of match, India take upperhand

Published>Mon, Nov 15 10 01:23 PM

Feisty off-spinner Harbhajan Singh became the first number eight batsman in Test cricket to slam back-to-back centuries in a match as India took a sizeable lead against New Zealand on the fourth morning of the second Test here on Monday.

Harbhajan slammed 111 off 116 balls and his record 105-run partnership for the 10th wicket with S Sreesanth helped the hosts take a first innings lead of 122 before Daniel Vettori castled the number 11 bat to put the brakes on India's innings at 472.

Vettori, who bowled nearly 50 overs, finished with impressive figures of five for 135, while Tim Southee took three for 119.

At lunch, the visitors were trailing by 85 runs. In their second essay, New Zealand were 37 for no loss, with Tim McIntosh and Brendon McCullum batting on 18 and 15, respectively.

Resuming at an overnight 434 for nine, the duo of Harbhajan, who was unbeaten on 85 at stumps on the third day, and Sreesanth racked up 36 runs in quick time that saw the off-spinner getting to the coveted landmark.

The landmark was touched when Harbhajan tucked off his hips a Tim Southee delivery, in the seventh over of the day.

His team-mates in the dressing room spontaneously stood up and the crowd clapped and whistled for the man Rahul Dravid described as the "new Gary Sobers".

Harbhajan leaped in joy, looked skywards and waved to the crowd to acknowledged the cheers. The spinner also thanked his partner who defied the visitors for 115 minutes, which saw him take some blows on the body.

Harbhajan started from where he had left off on Sunday, slamming Vettori for a six straight down the ground.

After reaching his century, he smashed Southee over wide long-on for his seventh six of the innings and second of the day.

The 100-run partnership was up in just 110 minutes and off 149 balls. Harbhajan's hurricane knock contained seven sixes and an equal number of boundaries.

The Kiwi reply has been steady so far with first innings centurion McIntosh and McCullum batting with ease.

After Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth failed to provide a breakthrough, Mahendra Singh Dhoni introduced the spinners but the New Zealand openers negotiated them well.

What could be a major cause for concern to India is Sressanth's recurrent problem with no balls. The pacer overstepped thrice during his short five-over spell.

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Suns threaten three-point record to ground Lakers

Mon, Nov 15 10 01:17 PM

The Phoenix Suns made 22 three-pointers, the second highest in an NBA game, to beat two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers 121-116 on Sunday.

Jason Richardson scored a game-high 35 points and knocked down seven threes as the Suns (5-4) fell just short of the NBA record of 23 three-pointers set by the Orlando Magic in 2009.

"I didn't know what the record was. I know we made a lot of them," Richardson told reporters. "I didn't know we were close to the record or anything like that."

Steve Nash scored 12 of his 21 points in the final five minutes and added 13 assists. The All-Star point guard found Hedo Turkoglu for a final clinching shot from long distance with 34 seconds left to push the Suns' lead to six.

The Lakers (8-2) lost their second straight game after starting the year 8-0, despite a strong offensive performance.

Spanish forward Pau Gasol had 28 points and 17 rebounds, while Kobe Bryant fell one board shy of a triple-double with 25 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds.

Lamar Odom put up 22 points and 11 rebounds but received a critical technical foul with 53 seconds left and the Lakers trailing by two.

"I don't think the NBA wants those type of things to happen, it changes the context of the ball game," Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson said.

"(The NBA rules) say we expect normal reaction. That was normal reaction so we expect a better judgment in that situation."

Even without the technical free throw, the Lakers could not stop the offensive onslaught from the Suns who shot 51 percent from the field and were 22-for-40 behind the three-point line for the game.

In a tight contest, Phoenix took the lead for good in the third where they led by as much as 13 before the Lakers chipped away at the deficit.

Lakers reserve point guard Steve Blake sat out of the game with a stomach ailment.

Source: Published>

Oz cricketers turn to ex-'Top Gun' pilots to build up Ashes teamwork

Published>Mon, Nov 15 10 01:07 PM

Sydney, Nov 15 (ANI):Australia's Test cricketers have turned to former "Top Gun" fighter pilots to help build teamwork as they plot Ashes redemption.

The Herald has learnt that Cricket Australia has employed corporate team builders Afterburner, run by former RAAF pilots, to help improve the team's sometimes fragile dynamic.

Players were put through a series of exercises at the team's midyear camp in Coolum and again on the recent tour of India.

One initiative adopted by Ricky Ponting's team - using the model all fighter pilots follow - is a five-minute debrief after play each day "without recriminations".

This means any player, regardless of pecking order in the side, can express his feelings about that day's developments and issues within the side. The Herald has also learnt:

CA public affairs manager Peter Young said: "They did a really impressive session at Coolum, and by chance they were in India.'

"It's not a leadership program. They emphasized the importance of pre-missions, clarity across the whole team, and they emphasized the importance of team debriefing right at the end of the mission when it's still really clear in everyone's minds. There is a clarity debrief on exactly what the team expectations are and all the individuals within the team. Then afterwards, they do a very straight, no recriminations, full debrief on how it all went. The Australian team has used it and is quite enthusiastic about the power of the process," he added.

A spokesman from Afterburner said categories included "task distractions", where players were briefed on how to eliminate distractions from achieving their main goals, "debrief", giving everyone, regardless of pecking order in the side, a say, and "flawless execution". (ANI)

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Khade qualifies for 50m freestyle finals

Mon, Nov 15 10 10:23 AM

Guangzhou, Nov 15 (PTI) Virdhawal Khade was the lone Indian swimmer who made an impression by making the cut for the 50m freestyle finals while the rest fell by the wayside in the qualifying stages of their respective events in the Asian Games here today. Khade was third in his heat with a timing of 22.98secs, which was the fifth best among the eight who eventually made the finals scheduled this evening. The 19-year-old is 0.54 seconds behind China''s Wu Zhi Lu, who qualified with the best timing -- 22.44secs -- among those in fray. Khade is a national champion in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle events. However, the rest of the Indians in action disappointed. Arjun Jayaprakash, who was also competing in the 50m freestyle event, clocked 24.34secs to finish third in his heat but way below the eventual qualifying time. In 100m breaststroke, Sandeep Sejwal was the only Indian in contention and he managed a timing of 1:03.67secs to finish third in his heat which was not good enough for the finals. Similar was the story of Havaldar Rohit Rajendra and Rehan Poncha in the 200m backstroke. Rohit managed to complete his heat in 2:12.79secs to be sixth in the standings and a good 10.25secs behind the eventual winner of his qualifying group. Rehan finished seventh in his heat with a timing of 2:18.56secs.

Source: Published>

Indian shooters out of medal race in 50m rifle prone

Mon, Nov 15 10 10:07 AM

S S Ramaswamy Guangzhou, Nov 14 (PTI) Swirling wind conditions on an overcast day upset India''s hopes for a medal in the men''s 50m rifle prone event in the Asian Games as the country''s shooting trio, including Gagan Narang, failed to advance to the finals at the Aoti shooting range here today. Narang, who secured two silver medals in the 10m air rifle event on the opening day including the team honours, was second-best among Indians by finishing a lowly 24th with 587 points. But this is not the 27-year-old Commonwealth Games hero''s main event at the distance and he would have a shot at the 50m three position competition to be held on November 18. Hariom Singh, who has already secured an Olympic berth in the same event at the Munich World Championship in August, was 13th from 54 shooters in the qualification stage by shooting 590 marks but this was way behind the 598 he fired at Munich and well behind the 594-595 he has been doing in the practice rounds. Third Indian entrant Surinder Singh Rathod was 27th with a tally of 586. India''s foreign coach Stanislaus Lapidus said while the performance was not up to the mark, the weather conditions too affected the Indians. "In one word I would describe the performance as bad. But The Indian shooters are not used to these kind of winds which changed direction every 2-3 seconds. In India, at Pune or Delhi when they train the wind comes from only one direction, from the left or from the right, consistently," said Lapidus. Lapidus also emphasised again that after the high experience in the Commonwealth Games last month, the performance was bound to dip as none can sustain the high levels for long. He also pointed out that Narang was using a new rifle and had not practiced much since the CWG. "Gagan Narang is using a new rifle here. He is shooting with it only here. He has had no practice after the Commonwealth Games. The Indians are not experienced to these wind conditions. I am worried about the women (who were to take part in the 50m prone later in the day)," he said. He pointed out that the conditions did not matter much in the 10m events, though at the range here the back-lighting was creating some problems, but in 50m events it was imperative to give the shooters experience of the range conditions in future. "To prepare well for competitions in future the shooters either need to train at the same range where they will be held or in similar range conditions," he said about the lessons to be learned from today''s display. .

Source: Published>

Asian Games: India finish fifth in 50m rifle prone

Published>Mon, Nov 15 10 09:57 AM

Guangzhou, Nov 15 (IANS) Indian shooters finished a disappointing fifth in the men's team event of the 50 metre rifle prone at the Asian Games here Monday.

The trio of Gagan Narang (587), Hariom Singh (590) and Surendra Singh Rathod (586) shot a total of 1763 here at the Aoti Shooting Range. None of the Indian shooters qualified for the final individual round.

The gold went to South Korea with a total of 1785 points while hosts China bagged the silver with 1774. Kazakhstan won the bronze with 1771 points.

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Scott cruises to third Singapore Open title

Published>Mon, Nov 15 10 09:23 AM

Australia's Adam Scott cruised to a three-shot victory at the $6 million Singapore Open on Monday, capping a fine fourth-round 68 with a birdie to become the first three-times winner of the event.

The Australian, a winner here in 2005 and 2006, returned to the Sentosa Golf Club early on Monday to finish the weather-hit co-sanctioned tournament on 17-under-par.

Denmark's Anders Hansen finished second after a 68 while U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell (70) was tied for third with Sweden's Rikard Karlberg (67) on 13-under-par.

Last year's winner Ian Poulter started the day three shots off the lead but ended the round two-over-par and finished tied for sixth.

Scott said nerves almost got to him in the closing stages but a birdie on the 15th settled him.

"I haven't been putting my best lately and the demons starting creeping in a little bit on the back nine," Scott said.

"But fortunately I squashed them and made a good putt on 15. That gave me a little buffer and calmed me down for the last three."

Scott held a three-shot lead when the fourth round was suspended due to darkness a day earlier. Play had been suspended for five-and-a-half hours on Sunday due to thunderstorms and lightning.

Coming back to finish 10 holes on Monday was not ideal, Scott said, but he made the best of it.

"It was a bit of a grind this morning," said Scott, who returned to the Serapong course at 0730 local time.

"It's not an easy back nine to come out and play and I didn't make it look that easy either, so I'm just happy to be done.

"I'm very happy to be a winner here again."

McDowell, battling Martin Kaymer for the Race to Dubai title, took a chunk out of the German's lead but it could have been even better but for a three-putt par on the last.

Kaymer finished tied for 10th. (Editing by Alastair Himmer; to query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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India''s soft tennis challenge ends in Asiad

Mon, Nov 15 10 09:07 AM

Guangzhou, Nov 15 (PTI) Indian challenge in soft tennis came to an end after both the mixed doubles pairs failed to cross the first hurdle, losing to higher-ranked opponents in the Asian Games here today. Mixed doubles pair of Jitender Mehlda and Monica Murali Menon became a first round casualty after losing the opening round 5-0 to Mai Sasaki and Hidenori Shinohara of Japan. The Asian Giants took just 16 minutes to brush aside the Indian pair 5-3, 4-0, 5-3, 4-1, 4-1 here. Another Indian combo of Mohammed Nasir and Srivastav Taruka also lost their first round battle, suffering a 5-1 defeat to Chinese combo of Yang Jiao and Sisi Qui. Up against the Chinese, the Indian pair tried to put up a fight but Yang and Sisi were too strong as they wrapped up a 6-4, 4-2, 4-0, 2-4, 5-3, 4-1 win over Nasir and Taruka here in a 25-minute match.

Source: Published>

Vettel takes title, Alonso fumes at error

Published>Mon, Nov 15 10 08:37 AM

Germany's Sebastian Vettel sobbed with joy at becoming Formula One's youngest champion and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso shook his fist as his title hopes disappeared into the desert on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Red Bull driver led from pole to chequered flag under the Yas Marina floodlights to chalk up his fifth win of the season.

Alonso, the pre-race favourite for a third title, struggled home seventh after his team made the wrong call on strategy and left him following Renault's Russian rookie Vitaly Petrov for 40 agonising laps.

Vettel, adding the drivers' crown to the constructors' championship his team won the previous weekend in Brazil, finished with 256 points to Alonso's 252 after winning in Abu Dhabi for the second year in a row.

"We have only led this championship once and when it mattered. I am speechless," said the youngster.

He had started the day 15 points behind Alonso, with much of the build-up dominated by speculation about whether he would allow Australian team mate Mark Webber to pass for the title.

In the end, Webber finished eighth and was third overall.

"Thank you boys, unbelievable," gasped Vettel over the team radio, the tears flowing behind the visor after he took the chequered flag.

Team principal Christian Horner and owner Dietrich Mateschitz, bursting with pride, spared him no emotion.

"You are the world champion. Enjoy it. You are the man," Horner bellowed from the pit wall.

"I love you," answered Vettel.

PETROV UNPASSABLE

Alonso, wished good luck by King Juan Carlos on the starting grid, paid the price for an early pitstop that dropped him to 13th.

"Afterwards it was really clear it was a mistake," said Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali, without saying who had made the call.

"What I feel inside is a lot of pain...for sure it was the worst race of the year for us and that's why it hits you very hard in the head."

Vettel, asked jokingly whether he might be Petrov's main sponsor next year, thanked the Russian, whose future in the sport remains uncertain.

Webber had been the first of the contenders to pit, triggering Alonso's fateful decision to follow him in to keep him covered, and he also became bogged down in traffic.

"He's down really, to be honest with you," Webber's father Alan told Reuters, watching from a distance as team members partied away.

"He fired the arrow and he was aiming for the target way up there and he missed the target and that's taking a long time to come back down to earth."

HAMILTON SECOND

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, the previous youngest champion who had to win in Abu Dhabi to have any hope of a second title, finished second on the night with team mate and outgoing world champion Jenson Button third.

While Vettel celebrated, seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher's comeback season ended with a smash on the opening lap when his Mercedes spun and was speared by Force India's Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi.

The great, who last stood on the podium as a Ferrari driver in 2006 and is the only other driver to have won the title for Germany, was fortunate to escape serious injury as the car ploughed into the stationary Mercedes and rode up over the airbox just behind Schumacher's head.

The safety car was then deployed for four laps.

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Laxman indulges after receiving Sachin-like reception

Published>Mon, Nov 15 10 06:39 AM

Everything seemed to have fallen perfectly in place for Hyderabad. Local boy Gagan Narang had shot down a silver medal at Guangzhou on Saturday and the special sporting weekend now awaited a perfect climax.

All over the world when Sachin Tendulkar is the unbeaten overnight batsmen, foot falls at stadium increase. But that wasn't the only reason why 30,000 turned up for the third day's play. With Test cricket returning to the city after 22 years, VVS Laxman was playing his first game at home in India whites. Hyderabad thought this Sunday outing could never go wrong.

If not Tendulkar, Laxman would certainly make their day.

Telugu superstar Venkatesh with hanger-ons, local bureaucrats with excited children, influential politicians with lackeys, students with tri colours and girls with painted faces occupied the corporate boxes,

CM enclosure, pavilion seats and janta stands. Test cricket's newest venue ? Rajiv Gandhi international stadium ? was a buzz and no one was complaining about the long queues, frisking or the security forced cellphone-less existence.

Much before lunch, the biryani stand echoed the sound of a long metal spoon scraping the base of a giant tin degchi. And the young man at the pizza stall said that the garlic bread was selling with hot cakes. "Roughly 2,000 pizza base are over," answers a busy voice after sale queries.

Hyderabad got the first shock when Tendulkar fell too early. And once again the fans had a unique way of explaining his innings of 13. "Just 87 short of his 50th hundred," they said. All was not lost as Laxman walked in to an ovation that he would have never seen or heard anywhere.

In other words, he got a Tendulkar-like cheer.

While anticipating a Tendulkar or Laxman hundred, the locals had discounted the Kiwis. The packed stands inspired them to bowl and field out of their skins. Laxman was middling the ball just from start

but the tight bowling meant boundaries were few. The crowd was getting restless as they started applauding even his singles. Not for long can Laxman's wrists be shackled. Finally, those in the roofless stands braving harsh sun and rains later were not regretting their long trip to the city's outskirts.

Since Laxman had got out early in the two ODIs they had played here, Hyderabad for the first time were getting a ring-side view of those wristy strokes that they had so often seen on television. Tight off-side fields were made redundant as balls from across the stumps were dispatched to the leg-side fence. Balls from middle stumps got magically turned to the fine leg.

Just as the crowd warming up, a Chris Martin ball hit Laxman's pads and the umpire raised his finger. "It was going over the stumps," was the consensus.

Harbhajan Singh, though, ensured that the fans went home without much regret. They went hoarse for every hoick, slog and swat that Harbhajan connected. Hyderabad came to see a classic double bill but they got an action-packed thriller.

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Your jobs will change, the key is to adapt to the game

Published>Mon, Nov 15 10 04:17 AM

Lost in the din of the jubilant celebrations of the Aussie brown-wash and Sachin Tendulkar's fabulous batting form was one little fact?MS Dhoni stands at the cusp of becoming one of India's most successful captains of all times. He has already won the inaugural T20 World Cup; he also won the IPL and Champions League. With this series, Dhoni becomes the first Indian captain to have a 100% success rate against Australia. What he is doing brilliantly, consciously or unknowingly is a lesson for all B-school students who will be leaders one day.

We've been used to skippers who are very expressive and emotive. If Ganguly bit his nails and had a Salman Khan moment at Lords, last IPL we had the dubious pleasure of seeing Sachin Tendulkar swearing. In contrast, Dhoni has been refreshingly cool. He looks unflustered during crunch times and doesn't run to bowlers to change the field settings. He just lets the guys do their jobs, which seems a very sensible thing to do. In our lives, sites go down, servers malfunction, executives goof up, sales teams don't deliver and it's easy to vent out frustrations. The Dhoni approach would be just let the guy do his job?you hired him and chose him with that particular task?let him do it to the best, irrespective of the result.

Leadership is not just managing your juniors but also managing your bosses. MS Dhoni reports to the BCCI, the most powerful, most fickle and most demanding board in the world of cricket. If that was not enough, the team owner of Chennai Super Kings is N Srinivasan, and if even that was not enough, K Srikkanth chooses his team. For other captains, there were selective leaks about the Board's unhappiness with them?we've heard no such rumours about Dhoni. Whatever his style, he seems to be doing a great job and managing these bosses.

Dhoni had greatness thrust on him. Draw back to the time he was made captain for the T20 World Cup. India had just been hammered by England; the 3 big guns, Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly, had decided to skip the Cup for obvious reasons. With a rag-tag bunch of unknowns, he achieved the unthinkable. India prevailed beating archrivals Pakistan. The final over was bowled by one Joginder Singh and the rest is history. Dhoni has made it a habit of testing the untested.

The closest equivalent I can think of outside the sporting world is Barack Obama putting Chris Hughes in charge of his Internet campaign in the 2008 presidential elections.

Hughes was just 23 whose claim to fame was that he was the co-founder of Facebook. Again, the rest is history?Obama's Internet strategy was a game changer. Ask yourself?how many leaders will put so much responsibility on someone so young!

Dhoni has drawn out the best from his senior pros?he has the unenviable task of working with a galaxy of superstars such as Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag and Laxman, to name a few. Imagine telling a Dravid to bat lower down the order or tweaking Harbhajan Singh's field placing. Any leader who has worked with rock star programmer or creative director or art director will empathise with the situation Dhoni is in. These guys are the best in their jobs and one never knows how they will react to suggestions and criticism. The Indian team looks much more settled and comfortable under Dhoni. He seems to have achieved this by being open and transparent in all his dealings.

Dhoni's personal life is personal?not splashed about by the tabloids and Pg 3s like Yuvraj Singh's and Sreesanth's. His family maintains a low profile and so does he. His marriage was a low-key affair. Dhoni's handling of the press has also been exemplary. Every cricketing correspondent is an armchair expert who is ready to dole out advice, they are notorious for quickly placing you on the pedestal and equally quick to pull the rug from underneath you?so far, everybody seems to love Dhoni.

Dhoni made a sensational entry into international cricket?his flowing mane and swashbuckling batting style won him accolades even from Pervez Musharraf. He made a name for himself for his unorthodox style and aggressive batting. Gradually he modified his game, cutting out all the risky strokes and focusing on winning games. He has changed with the times. Very often, we meet with professionals stuck in the past?reliving their glory days. It could be creative directors stuck with their own styles that made them famous or software architects not adapting to newer languages and approaches. All of us would be wise to remember that cricket has changed, India has changed, our jobs will change and it would be best that we adapt our game, just as Dhoni has.

The author is COO, Contests2win.com

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Chelsea stunned 3-0 by inspired Sunderland

Published>Mon, Nov 15 10 12:19 AM

Chelsea suffered a shock defeat and their first home loss in the Premier League this season when Sunderland beat them 3-0 thanks to goals from Nedum Onuoha, Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck on Sunday.

Onuoha became the first opponent to score against Chelsea in the league at Stamford Bridge this season with a memorable goal just before halftime when he weaved past three Chelsea defenders and fired wide of goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Sunderland, beaten 7-2 at Chelsea last season, doubled their lead after 52 minutes when a brilliant move involving Welbeck and Jordan Henderson, called up to the England squad for the first time, found record signing Gyan who gave Cech no chance.

Welbeck added the third in the 87th minute after a rare mistake by Ashley Cole who overhit a backpass to Cech, completing one of the most unexpected scorelines of the season.

The upset left champions Chelsea, who were without first-choice centre-backs John Terry and Alex, top of the table on 28 points, two ahead of Arsenal who won 2-1 at Everton.

Manchester United, who fought back to draw 2-2 at Aston Villa on Saturday after trailing 2-0, are third on 25 points.

Sunderland moved up to sixth after ending a run of 11 successive defeats by Chelsea dating back to 2001.

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Arsenal move up to second after win at Everton

Published>Mon, Nov 15 10 12:15 AM

Goals from Bacary Sagna and Cesc Fabregas gave Arsenal a 2-1 win at Everton on Sunday to lift them above Manchester United into second place in the Premier League.

Fullback Sagna, with only his second goal for Arsenal in more than 140 matches, opened the scoring when he fired past Tim Howard at the near post after 36 minutes. Fabregas added the second goal three minutes into the second half.

Arsenal, who thrashed Everton 6-1 at Goodison Park on the opening day of last season, dominated for much of the game but had to hang on at the end after Tim Cahill scored for Everton in the dying minutes.

It was Everton's first defeat for eight League matches. They had plenty of chances of their own with Cahill missing a good opportunity with an early header and Jermaine Beckford thwarted after coming on as a 69th-minute substitute for Phil Neville.

Everton's late rally had Arsenal rocking but goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski also saved well from Steven Pienaar and Louis Saha to prevent the home side equalising.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger told the BBC: "It's always very difficult to come here and that is three very important points, based on great spirit, great resilience, more than style.

"These are very important ingredients to be successful. You need those qualities to win the title. The team deserves a lot of credit."

Everton boss David Moyes said: "Overall I can't have any complaints. One or two decisions could have gone the other way but it didn't go for us. I don't think either team were at their best but we never really got hold of the game and we weren't able to generate an atmosphere inside the ground which we normally do."

Chelsea, who were facing Sunderland at Stamford Bridge in a game that kicked off at 1610 GMT, lead the standings with 28 points, with Arsenal on 26 and United third on 25 following their 2-2 draw at Aston Villa on Saturday.

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Soderling gears up for O2 with Paris title

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 11:57 PM

Robin Soderling signalled his intentions for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals when he claimed his maiden Masters title with a clinical 6-1 7-6 defeat of local favourite Gael Monfils in Paris on Sunday.

Fourth seed Soderling was simply too good for Monfils and wrapped up a straightforward victory by taking the second-set tiebreak 7-1.

His blend of raw power and pace proved too much to handle for the Frenchman, who was condemned to his second successive final defeat in Bercy.

Backed by a 14,500 capacity crowd, Monfils never discovered the touch that helped him to knock out 16-times grand slam champion Roger Federer on Saturday.

Soderling showed no weaknesses throughout the 77-minute encounter on the fast indoor court as he picked up his sixth ATP title just before heading to London, where the ATP Finals will be played from Nov. 21 at the O2 Arena.

"I think I played very good last week, and this week, too, on a surface that's pretty similar to what it's gonna be in London," Soderling told reporters. "

"Of course winning matches against a lot of good players this week gives me a lot of confidence," added the 26-year-old, who will rise to fourth in the ATP rankings on Monday.

LEAP FORWARD

"Playing in any Masters, when you play the top players of the world, every match can be a grand slam final. I think you need to believe in yourself, and I think that can make a big change.

"I'm feeling really good right now, and I'm gonna have one or two days of rest and prepare for London."

Monfils handed Soderling a break in the fourth game when he fluffed a routine volley and the Swede followed up on serve to open a 4-1 lead.

He kept the pressure on Monfils and snatched the Frenchman's serve again with a superb crosscourt passing shot before bagging the opening set with a forehand winner after 26 minutes.

Soderling, whose career took a huge leap forward after he reached the French Open final for the first time last year, did not face a single break point in the one-sided contest.

Monfils tried to keep pace in the second set as Soderling's first serve percentage dropped but the Swede got his act together in the tiebreak and finished it off at the net, falling on his back in celebration.

"It was a very emotional week, I learnt a lot and I will continue to learn," Monfils told a courtside interviewer.

"I am very, very disappointed. I hope I will be in the final again next year."

Soderling, runner-up at the last two French Opens to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, offered some words of consolation.

"Congratulations to Gael, he beat Roger Federer and I know how difficult it is to beat him. I know how tough it is to lose two finals in a row, especially in Paris. Now I have two favourite tournaments, Roland Garros and here," said Soderling.

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HCA to honour Laxman, Ojha

Sun, Nov 14 10 11:27 PM

Hyderabad, Nov 14 (PTI) Hyderabad Cricket Association today said it would soon honour senior batsman VVS Laxman and spinner Pragyan Ojha on the occasion of hosting a Test match in the city after a gap of over two decades. Laxman and Ojha would be presented a cash reward of Rs five lakh and Rs three lakh respectively. HCA would also honour B Sandeep, who made his maiden century in the Ranji Trophy match against Jharkhand recently, by presenting him a cash award of Rs one lakh, the association said. The HCA also thanked the people in Hyderabad for their support by turning up in large numbers to witness the ongoing India-New Zealand Test match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket stadium here.

Source: Published>

East Bengal win Platinum Jubilee Cup beating Mohun Bagan

Sun, Nov 14 10 11:17 PM

Kolkata, Nov 14 (PTI) Federation Cup champions East Bengal today won the Platinum Jubilee Cup after a 6-5 win via tie-breaker against city rivals Mohun Bagan here. It was a sea-saw battle as the traditional rivals locked 3-3 in the regulation and extra time at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan here. The tournament was organised by Mohammedan Sporting Club to commemorate their first winning of the prestigious Calcutta Football League in 1934. This was East Bengal''s second victory over Mohun Bagan after their arch rivals beat them earlier in the Federation Cup semi-final. However, neither of the teams gave much importance to this invitation meet, evident from the fact that they did not field any of their foreign recruits today. East Bengal surged ahead by a left footer from Alvito D''Cunha off Sanju Pradhan into stoppage time of first half. But the green and maroon brigade leveled in the 53rd minute through Satish Kumar and took the lead through an Ashim Biswas header following a corner by Gauranga Dutta in the 66th minute. East Bengal restored parity in the 76th minute through Robin Singh''s header off a cross from substitute Biswajit Datta. The former TFA product and left winger Robin Singh gave his side the lead for the second time with his unusual right footer which beat veteran Bagan keeper Sangram Mukherjee in the 10th minute of the extra time. As East Bengal looked like emerging winners in the extra time, Mohun Bagan''s Harpreet Singh headed home from Snehashish Chakraborty''s free kick eight minutes from close forcing the tie-breaker. East Bengal coach James Trevor Morgan brought goalkeeper Jayanta Paul in place of Nashim Akhtar a few minutes before the end of extra time. Paul saved two penalty kicks of Souvik Chakraborty and Snehashish Chakraborty in the first two shots of Bagan before Gouranga Dutta shot wide. Sanju Pradhan, Robin Singh and Sushant Mathew scored for East Bengal. Sangram saved Ravinder Kumar''s shot while Biswajit Datta shot out. East Bengal left winger Robin Singh was adjudged man of the match.

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India rally to down Kazakstan in volleyball

Sun, Nov 14 10 11:07 PM

S S Ramaswamy Guangzhou, Nov 14 (PTI) Indian men began their campaign in the Asian Games volleyball with a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over Kazakstan in a preliminary round match at the Guangyao Gymnasium today. India, initially weak in defence, recovered to post a 24-26 25-23 25-18 25-21 win over the former Soviet bloc region in Group B league in one hour and 41 minutes. India''s other league matches are scheduled against South Korea tomorrow, Vietnam (November 16) and North Korea (November 18). The Indian team attacked solidly with impressive displays by Sanjay Baniwari, Naveen Manidurai and Vibin George. Kazakstan took advantage of the India''s defensive lapses in the first set when they attacked with zest, as Marat Imangaliyev and Dmitriy Gorbatkov pierced their blocks to take the set in 26 minutes. Kazakhstan continued to dominate the early stages of the second set before India started to assert themselves when George and Gurinder created confusion in the rival ranks. The Kazakhs lost their focus when Imangliyev received a yellow card for arguing with the referee for a rotation error. Spiker Vitaly Erdshtein tried to rally his team but the Indians had taken control to win the second set. The third set was captured by India in 26 minutes before the Kazakhs, with defeat staring, tried hard to stage a comeback in the fourth. George was in his elements and India kept surprising the rival defence with precise touches and timely blocks. The Kazakhs fought tirelessly but it was too late and India took the last set in 21 minutes to emerge triumphant. For India, Pradeep spiked effectively and got good support from Manidurai and Gurinder Singh. Setter Mohan Ukkarapandian was also in good touch while K Sivasubramanian received well.

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Sri Lankan boxer''s ''B'' sample confirmed positive

Sun, Nov 14 10 10:53 PM

Colombo, Nov 14 (PTI) The ''B'' sample of Sri Lankan boxer Manju Wanniarachchi who won gold at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last month has returned positive for a banned steroid, the island''s boxing federation said today. The ''B'' sample of Wanniarachchi''s urine tested positive for nandrolone, a performance enhancing steroid. "We are going to mount a legal challenge because we are not satisfied with the custody of the B sample and the documentation," boxing federation chief Rohan Abeywardena told PTI.

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Soderling beats Monfils to claim Paris Masters

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 10:37 PM

Robin Soderling signalled his intentions for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals when he claimed his maiden Masters title with a clinical 6-1 7-6 defeat of local favourite Gael Monfils in Paris on Sunday.

Fourth seed Soderling, twice a French Open runner-up, was simply too good for Monfils and wrapped up a straightforward victory by taking the second-set tiebreak 7-1.

His blend of raw power and pace proved too much to handle for the Frenchman, who was condemned to his second successive final defeat in Bercy.

Backed by a 14,500 capacity crowd, Monfils never discovered the touch that helped him to knock out 16-times grand slam champion Roger Federer on Saturday.

Soderling showed no weaknesses throughout the 77-minute encounter on the fast indoor court as he picked up his sixth ATP title.

Monfils handed Soderling a break in the fourth game when he fluffed a routine volley and the Swede followed up on serve to open a 4-1 lead.

He kept the pressure on Monfils and snatched the Frenchman's serve again with a superb crosscourt passing shot before bagging the opening set with a forehand winner after 26 minutes.

Soderling, whose career took a huge leap forward after he reached the French Open final last year, did not face a single break point in the one-sided contest.

Monfils, however, resisted well in the second set as Soderling's first serve percentage dropped, but the Swede timely got his act together in the tiebreak to finish it off at the net, falling on his back in celebration.

He now heads to London, where the ATP Finals will be played from Nov. 21 at the O2 Arena.

Source: Web Search

No points from Abu Dhabi, Force India finishes 7th

Sun, Nov 14 10 10:23 PM

Abu Dhabi, Nov 14 (PTI) Adrian Sutil finished 13th while team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi retired after his car crashed with Michael Schumacher''s mercedes as Force India failed to collect a single point from season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and end the Formula One championships at seventh here today. Sutil, who started 14th at the grid, finished one-place above as he ended the eventful race 58.3 seconds adrift of the winner and 2010 F1 champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, who collected 256 points, four more than Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari. Liuzzi, on the other hand, had to retire after his car crashed into Schumacher''s at lap two after the former seven-time champion German''s mercedes came into his way. Schumacher''s car was spun around by his teammate Nico Rosberg and while he was trying to maneuver it back around, Liuzzi crashed over the top of him, spreading debris across the Yas Marina Circuit track. Liuzzi''s Force India car landed inches away from Schumacher''s head. Both Liuzzi and Schumacher appeared to be unhurt in the collision. Force India finished the season at seventh in the constructors standings with 68 points. Red Bull finished on top with 498 points. With no point from the race today, Sutil failed to realise his aim of finishing in top 10 as he ended the championships at 11th on 47 points. Liuzzi, on the other hand, finished 15th in the drivers overall position with 21 points.

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Formula One's youngest world champions

Sun, Nov 14 10 09:57 PM

REUTERS - Red Bull's German driver Sebastian Vettel

became Formula One's youngest world champion in Abu Dhabi on

Sunday aged 23 years and 135 days.

The following details the sport's youngest champions:

2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Germany) RedBull 23 years and 135

days

2008 - Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 23 and 301 days

2005 - Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 24 and 59 days

1972 - Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil) Lotus 25 and 274 days

1994 - Michael Schumacher (Germany) Benetton 25 and 315 days

1975 - Niki Lauda (Austria) Ferrari 26 and 198 days

1997 - Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) Williams 26 and 201 days

1963 - Jim Clark (Britain) Lotus 27 and 189 days

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PROFILE - Vettel is a champion in a hurry

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 09:37 PM

From the very first moment he arrived in Formula One as a curly-haired teenager, new world champion Sebastian Vettel was a young man in a hurry.

The 23-year-old Red Bull Driver, who became the youngest winner of the drivers' championship with victory in Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, has set records from day one.

Within seconds of his debut in Friday practice at the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix, he had been fined for speeding in the pit lane.

The youngest driver to take part in a practice session, in quick succession he became the youngest to score a point, youngest to secure pole position and youngest to win a grand prix.

Born in the same year that Red Bull sold their first can of energy drink, the race ace with the look of a tousled schoolboy and cheeky grin has always seemed a marketing match made in heaven for the newly crowned Formula One constructors' champions.

Irreverent, with a penchant for British humour and the Beatles, there has never been any doubt that Vettel is Austrian-owned Red Bull's blue-eyed boy.

Helmut Marko, the former grand prix racer who is a close advisor to Red Bull's billionaire owner Dietrich Mateschitz, has championed his cause from an early age and was on the podium, showered in champagne, as Vettel celebrated the biggest win of his life on Sunday.

BIGGEST PRIZE

Vettel, only the second man to win the title for Germany after Michael Schumacher, has also saved the best for last, for the moment when it truly mattered.

This season he has taken 10 pole positions and won five races and yet remains the only one of the four title contenders who had not led the championship before Sunday, when he clinched victory in Abu Dhabi for the second year in a row.

In taking the biggest prize of all, he dashed the dreams of team mate Mark Webber but that will not have troubled him any more than the Australian was able to trouble the leaders as his season fizzled out in disappointment.

The two Red Bull men have spent the season skirmishing, and collided embarrassingly in Turkey in May.

Dubbed 'Baby Schumi', a tag he has long disliked and rejected, by the German media early in his precocious rise through the sport's feeder series, Vettel is far from the stereotypical German.

An avid fan of British television comedy from Monty Python to Little Britain, the carpenter's son from Heppenheim masks his deadly serious intent with a playful spirit.

He has given all his cars female names, this season progressing from 'Luscious Liz' to 'Randy Mandy' after previously racing 'Julie', 'Kate' and taking 'Kate's Dirty Sister' to overall second place last year.

In Abu Dhabi last year, he teased world champion Jenson Button after winning the season-ending race by questioning the startled Briton about his marriage plans, despite repeated denials.

Replacing David Coulthard at Red Bull in 2009 after taking his first win with sister team Toro Rosso, he was asked how many interviews the Scot had sat through during his 15-year Formula One career.

"My guess is that it is probably three times the amount of women he had, something around 30,000?," he hazarded mischievously.

Vettel's boyhood heroes, he told the official formula1.com website earlier this year, were always the 'Three Michaels' -- Michael Schumacher, Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson.

"I wanted to become Michael Jackson when I was young," added the blond racing driver. "It was painful to realise that I didn't have the voice."

Source: Web Search

Olympian Costantina to be event ambassador of Half Marathon

Sun, Nov 14 10 09:23 PM

New Delhi, Nov 14 (PTI) Beijing Olympics Marathon champion Costantina Dita will be the event ambassador for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, to be held on November 21 in the capital. Constantina will meet and interact with the participants, the media as well as the sponsors and partners of the event, besides being an integral part of the Race Day Celebrations, a release from the organisers said. Constantina has performed in the marathon at a world class level for nearly a decade with at least 22 major event finishes. She has a marathon personal best 2:21:30 accomplished at the 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. The highlight of her career came at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games marathon where she went on to claim the Olympic gold by 22 seconds. The 38-year-old marathoner will join a long list of sporting icons and legends who have been brought down by promoters Procam International to India. In 2008, the Delhi Half Marathon had athletics legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Sir Richard Hadlee as the Event Ambassadors, while in 2009 Catherine Freeman and Allan Border did the honours.

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Asian Games billiards: Advani wins gold, Alok settles for silver

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 09:07 PM

Guangzhou, Nov 14 (IANS) India opened their account in the cue sports with defending champion Pankaj Advani winning the gold in the men's English billiards singles while Alok Kumar had to be content with a bronze in the 8-ball pool singles after losing his semifinal contest to Po-Cheng Kuo of Chinese Taipei 5-7 at the Asian Games here Sunday.

Advani retained his title, beating Myanmar's OO Nay Thway Oo 33-100, 100-61, 12-101, 101-4, 100-45 in a thrilling contest at the Asian Games Town Gymnasium.

Later, Alok, who had defeated Ricky Yang of Indonesia 7-4 in the morning for the place in the semis, went down to Po-Cheng Kuo 5-7 in the last four stage.

Advani had to battle it out with Thway Oo to retain the title he won at the Doha Games four years ago. The Bangalorean lost the opening and third frames before regaining his touch to put it across the Maynmarian 33-100, 100-61, 12-101, 101-4, 100-45.

Advai, who earlier in the day defeated another Myanmarese OO Kyaw Oo for a spot in the final, started slowly in the summit, but bounced back to win the title.

He had earlier expressed reservations about the shortened format and said 'there is no room for mistakes and the format comes across like T10 cricket where anything can happen'. And he did just that in the remaining two frames.

'I took a break when I was 1-2 down and heard that we have won another silver. And If I lose it will be the third one. I told myself 'No, not again'. I decided to hang in there. I was sure that everything will work out well,' the world champion said.

'After the break, everything worked well for me. He had two-three chances at 2-2 to close the match which he did not take. I got one opportunity in the final frame and I made the most of it.'

'There are times when you need to take that extra risk. I took calculated risks and it paid off in the end.'

Advani said he made a heavy weather of the contest which he should have won hands down.

'I have seen that whenever I think that I should win easily, I run into trouble. I was looking at the crowd and thinking they would be lauhging at us for missing easy shots.'

Sumit Talwar lost to Irsal Afrinneza Nasution of Indoensia 4-7 in the qutarfinal of the men's 8-ball pool singles.

At the Doha Asian Games, India had won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals.

Source: Web Search

Vettel becomes Formula One's youngest champion

Sun, Nov 14 10 08:57 PM

Germany's Sebastian Vettel became Formula One's youngest world champion on Sunday by winning the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was overall runner-up after finishing seventh.

Source: Published>

Advani opens gold account, Alok creates history

Sun, Nov 14 10 08:37 PM

S S Ramaswamy Guangzhou, Nov 14 (PTI) Star cueist Pankaj Advani provided the first gold for India in the 16th Asian Games by clinching the title in billiards singles while Alok Kumar claimed a bronze in 8-ball pool event and the shooters accounted for a silver and bronze on the second day of competitions here today. Defending champion Advani kept his reputation intact with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Myanmar''s Oo Nay Thway in the billiards final as India pushed their medals tally to one gold, three silver and two bronze to retain their fifth position on the table. Hosts China continued to rule the roost and maintained the top position on the medals table with a tally of 37-14-12 while South Korea (13-10-12) and Japan (8-20-15) were in the second and third spots respectively. The shooters were again in the spotlight with Heena Siddhu, Annu Raj Singh and Sania Rai claiming the silver in the women''s 10 m air pistol team event and Vijay Kumar bagging the bronze in the men''s 10 m air pistol at the Aoti shooting range. Alok became the first Indian to win an Asian Games medal in pool events by bagging a bronze though he lost his semifinal contest 5-7 against Kuo Po-Cheng of Chinese Taipei. Under rules of the event, both the losing semifinalists are awarded a bronze each instead of playing a third-place play-off. India''s men''s tennis team also assured itself of a bronze medal by securing a place in the semi-finals against top seed Chinese Taipei but the performance in other disciplines such as weightlifting, judo, swimming, cycling and triathlon left much to be desired on a day of mixed fortunes. The day clearly belonged to the 25-year-old Advani who showed nerves of steel under severe pressure to clinch the first gold medal for India when he came twice from behind to edge out Myanmar''s Oo Nay Thway 3-2 and retain his title after a bitterly fought billiards singles final. Advani was down 1-2 after losing the first and third frames, but fought back in dogged fashion to clinch the fourth to take the match into a nerve-wracking final frame. A beaming Advani, who has won the world professional and IBSF titles in the past, said this was the biggest title of his career. "This feels great. This is Olympics for me as unfortunately we are not there in the Olympics. This time I made it a point to win the first gold for the country. It''s an absolutely emotional moment for me. I cant''t ask for more," he said. After Narang''s exploits on the opening day, the Indian women shooters Heena Sidhu, Annu Raj Singh and Sonia Rai had their moment of glory as they won the silver medal in the 10m Air Pistol team event. More PTI SSR MRM PDS (Editors: Pls pick suitably from the series slugged ASIAN-LDALL-IND from hereon).

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Spectator movement near sightscreens distracting home batsmen

Sun, Nov 14 10 08:07 PM

Hyderabad, Nov 14 (PTI) Spectators near the two sightscreens at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here have been creating problems for Indian batsmen during the ongoing second Test against New Zealand and local authorities are mulling to bar people from sitting there. There have been many instances in the last two days when people walked past the sightscreens on both ends of the stadium in the middle of an over, thus disturbing the concentration of the batsman. It happened quite a few times with Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman today and Suresh Raina too was disturbed by it at the start of his innings, when someone was constantly moving behind the sightscreen. Virender Sehwag, a few deliveries before being bowled by Daniel Vettori in the final session yesterday, too had a problem with the movement behind the sightscreen. Dravid, however, played it down, saying, "It happens a bit on Indian conditions. I don''t think about it when I am batting." The issue has been brought to the notice of Hyderabad Cricket Association vice-president Shivlal Yadav, who is also the vice-president of the Indian Cricket Board. Suggestions have been made that the area around the two sightscreens be barricaded so that nobody can enter that area. PTI AH PDS

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India beat Kazakhstan 3-1 in volleyball opening match

Sun, Nov 14 10 07:53 PM

Guangzhou, Nov 14 (PTI) India recovered from a game down to beat Kazakhstan 3-1 in their opening Group B match of the volleyball competition in the Asian Games here today. One of the strong teams in the competition, India beat Kazakhstan 24-26, 25-23, 25-18, 25-21 in a tough one hour 41 minute contest. The Indians were under pressure after the first game which they lost 24-26 and won the second game narrowly. The Kazakhs gave a tough fight in the third and fourth games also, though the Indians came out victorious. For India, Pradeep Guttikonda, Naveen Manidurai and Navjit Singh scored 13 points each to help win the match. India play South Korea in their next group match.

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Sania ready for singles, mixed doubles events in Asian Games

Sun, Nov 14 10 07:37 PM

S S Ramaswamy Guangzhou, Nov 14 (PTI) Indian tennis player Sania Mirza, who pulled out of the women''s team championship due to throat and ear infection and is under medication, will take part in the singles and mixed doubles individual events in the Asian Games here. According to a team official, Sania and Poojashree Venkatesh will be the two Indian singles entries for women and Somdev Devvarman and Karan Rastogi would play in the men''s singles. In mixed doubles, Sania, ranked 166th in singles in the world, will partner Vishnuwardhan. Sanam Singh would partner Somdev while Rastogi would combine forces with Vishnuvardhan in men''s doubles. In women''s doubles, the likely combination is Rushmi Chakravarthi with Poojashree and Nirupama Sanjeev with Tara Iyer. Sania, who started practicing since yesterday, was forced to watch from the sidelines as the 2006 silver medal winners India lost 3-0 to Indonesia in the first round of the team event. Disappointed at not being able to lead the Indian challenge, Sania told reporters at the Aoti Tennis Centre that it would not have been fair on her part in keeping out a fitter person. "I was disappointed but I felt it was not fair to keep out a fitter person and I play and then lose as I am still feeling very weak because of the medication that includes 1500 gms of anti-biotics daily for ten days and I have been taking it over the last seven days," she said. Sania said while the infection seems to have decreased but for a constant buzz in her ear, the weakness has not gone. "I have started practicing since yesterday and wanted to have a good session today," said the Hyderabad-born player, who has come here with her mother. Sania said the infection had started from her throat and spread to the ear and she still feels some pain under the ear. "I think I picked it up while playing in Luxemburg. I had gone to two doctors at home and am taking medication." Sania said, in her absence, Poojashree handled the pressure well in the team championship. "Poojashree really played well. In the Asian Games, the competition is quite stiff. I had good support last time in Doha from Shikha (Uberoi) and we did not need to use our doubles teams till the finals as we went through with 2-0 margin," she said. Sania, who had a career-high ranking of 29 a few years ago before injuries upset her progress, said she loved to have played in three individual events which is not permissible as per the rules. "I wanted to play in three events, but the rules do not permit me to do so." PTI SSR SHN

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We have to bowl and field well to win: Dravid

Sun, Nov 14 10 07:23 PM

Hyderabad, Nov 14 (PTI) Despite enjoying a healthy lead, Rahul Dravid today warned his team-mates not to be complacent and said they would have to bowl and field well in the fourth innings if the home side fancy any chances of winning the second cricket Test against New Zealand here. "We were looking for a lead of about 100. But there is a lot of time left in the game and the wicket is still looking very good, so we will have to bowl and field really well," Dravid said after India finished at a strong 436 for nine in reply to New Zealand''s 350 on the third day at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Praising Harbhajan Singh for his effort of 85 off 82 deliveries to propel India to a strong position, Dravid said, "His was a fantastic innings, even in the last Test he played brilliantly to save the game for us and, today also, because of his innings we enjoy the edge. His partnership with Sreesanth bailed us out." The off-spinner was involved in an unbroken 69-run partnership for the last wicket with Sreesanth. On the lighter vein, Dravid described Harbhajan as the "new Gary Sobers", when pointed out that the offie has scored almost as many runs as Virender Sehwag in the series so far. "Harbhajan is definitely not a bunny with the bat, he was hitting it really sweetly," he added. Dravid also praised Sreesanth for his resolve, saying "credit to Sreesanth, he hung in there and played 50 balls. That''s his credit". Asked about his dismissal after doing all the hard work earlier in the day, Dravid said, "It''s disappointing to get after settling down, after doing all the hard work. As team we are doing pretty well, though some of us may not have gone on to make a big score, we have (almost) achieved the target (of taking a 100-run lead)," said Dravid who scored 45 runs before being trapped by Tim Southee. "At times you do take time to get used to the conditions. You feel good after four or five singles and get ready for the day," he said. On the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar who is just one short of notching up his 50th Test hundred, Dravid said, "He got quickly but on most day, you expect him to execute that shot." Dravid was impressed with Daniel Vettori''s bowling and New Zealand fielding. "Vettori bowled really well, he is a top class bowler. New Zealands ground fielding was outstanding. They saved a lot of runs when I was batting with Laxman," said Dravid. PTI AH PDS

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F1 season set for Abu Dhabi finale

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 07:07 PM

Abu Dhabi, Nov 14(ANI): The 2010 Formula One season is set for a finale in Abu Dhabi where a four-way title battle- between Fernando Alonso, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton- will be decided on Sunday.

Alonso leads the championship with 246 points, followed by Webber with 238 points, Vettel with 231 points and Hamilton on 222 points.

Vettel fired the opening shot by seizing pole position on a tricky Yas Marina Circuit on Saturday, the BBC reports.

The German had the quickest lap of 1:39.394 seconds, while Hamilton, who has an outside chance at a second title, was second quickest with a time of 1:39.425 seconds.

Alonso was third as he logged a time of 1:39.792 seconds, while his closest contender Webber had a disappointing fifth finish with a time of 1:39.925 seconds.

Vettel had won the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009, heading a Red Bull 1-2 with Webber.

Alonso had finished 14th in his final race for Renault and Hamilton had retired with brake failure mid-race.

Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton and Webber can win the title in the final race, making for the closest finish to a season in F1 history. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Indians fail to qualify for quarters in track cycling sprint

Sun, Nov 14 10 06:53 PM

Guangzhou, Nov 14 (PTI) Indian cyclists Okram Bikram Singh and Hylem Prince failed to qualify for the men''s sprint quarterfinals after losing their repechage events in the Asian Games here today. Bikram lost to South Korean Son Gyeongsu who came up with a fastest speed of 64.794 km/hr in the three lap race. Prince was also beaten by Chinese Taipei''s Hsiao Shih-Hsin who who had a fastest speed of 60.980 km/hr. Earlier in the heats, Bikram had lost to Varposhti Hassanal of Iran while Prince was beaten by Feng Yong of China which led the Indian duo to compete in the repechage.

Source: Published>

Asian Games handball: India lose to Qatar in their second match

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 06:37 PM

Guangzhou, Nov 14 (IANS) India went down 28-37 to Qatar in a men's preliminary Group A match of the handball event at the Asian Games here Sunday.

India's second loss in as many games has pushed them down to fifth place in the group stage. The team lost to China 21-41 Saturday.

It needed a special effort from India to win the match from being 8-17 down in the first half. But that never happened as the men in blue jerseys could score only 10 more goals in the second half in comparison to Qatar's 20.

India play Saudi Arabia in the next group tie Tuesday.

Source: Web Search

Morkel and Botha put South Africa in control

Sun, Nov 14 10 06:17 PM

Morne Morkel and Johan Botha tore through Pakistan's batting order as the designated hosts collapsed to 248 all out on the third day of the first test at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

After off-spinner Botha dismantled the middle order by picking up three quick wickets, paceman Morkel made sure South Africa took a firm control of the match as he grabbed five for 54 to give the visitors a first innings lead of 132.

The hosts lost their last five wickets for the addition of just 28 runs and face an uphill task to save the test.

The South African made a confident start to their second innings as Graeme Smith (20 not out) and Alviro Petersen (26) put on 47 runs for the first wicket to extend their overall lead to 179 at tea.

Petersen was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman with the last ball before tea.

Earlier, Azhar Ali was the only Pakistan batsman to defy South Africa for any length of time as he ground his way to 56 off 172 balls.

He was eventually dismissed when he fended a Morkel short ball to Hashim Amla at short leg as Pakistan's innings fell away in the face of some disconcerting bounce that Morkel extracted off a lifeless pitch.

Paceman Dale Steyn sparked the collapse after lunch when he had Adnan Akmal (10) caught behind before Morkel took centre stage.

The tall bowler had Rehman (one) caught at third slip before he dismissed Ali.

Morkel then ended the innings in the space of five balls when he had both Wahab Riaz (five) and Saeed Ajmal (two) caught by keeper Mark Boucher.

Off-spinner Botha ended the innings with figures of three for 61 as he found both bounce and turn to trouble the batsmen.

Reporting by Jason Humphries in Durban, editing by Pritha Sarkar; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Kalmadi congratulates Advani for winning gold

Sun, Nov 14 10 06:07 PM

Guangzhou, Nov 14 (PTI) Indian Olympic Association chief Suresh Kalmadi today congratulated Pankaj Advani for winning gold in English Billiards singles in the Asian Games here. Advani fetched India''s first gold in the Games and retained the gold he won in 2006 in Doha and Kalmadi was there at the venue watching the whole event. After the game, Kalmadi personally congratulated Advani for his feat.

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Aussie stars will have to risk all to regain Ashes: Roebuck

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 05:53 PM

Sydney, Nov 14(ANI): Noted cricket commentator Peter Roebuck reckons that the Australia's cricketers will have to play 'open and attacking' cricket for a successful Ashes campaign against England.

In his syndicated column for the Sydney Morning Herald, Roebuck writes that the Ricky Ponting-led Australian team needs to embrace the adventurous spirit.

"Nothing condemns a side more certainly than negativity. At present an anxious mood has formed around the team and it needs to be dispersed. It is the inevitable result of the struggle endured by a handful of players worried about their places," Roebuck wrote.

"Cricketers under the pump become introspective, fearful of error. Before long, the entire team is ill at ease and poorly placed to resist a more outgoing opponent," he adds.

He further said that Australia's primary task in the next fortnight is to replace a fretful contingent.

"It's a question of intent, not style. Hussey needs to get out there and score a century or else accept that it is over. North has to subdue the Poms or else realize that someone else deserves an opportunity. Hauritz needs to bowl as he prefers and may the devil take the hindmost," Roebuck writes.

"In short, these players have to risk it all on the roll of a die. Only then can England be beaten. Inhibition, not hesitation, is fatal. If they are not up to the task of going toe-to-toe with the fourth-ranked team, they will not last long," he added.

The first of the five Ashes Tests from November 25 to 29 will be followed by Tests in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

The tour also has two Twenty20 clashes and a seven-match ODI series. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

India 436/9 in first innings on day three

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 05:47 PM

Hyderabad, Nov 14 (IANS) India were 436 for nine in their first innings at stumps on the third day of the second cricket Test against New Zealand here Sunday.

Harbhajan Singh was batting on 85 and S. Sreesanth on 14, with India taking a lead of 86 runs.

Daniel Vettoi (4-123) and Tim Southee (3-95) were the pick of New Zealand bowlers.

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India suffer second loss in Asian Games handball

Sun, Nov 14 10 05:23 PM

Guangzhou, Nov 14 (PTI) India suffered their second consecutive loss, going down 28-37 against Qatar in a Group A match of the Asian Games'' handball competition here today. With the loss today, India are now in a difficult position to qualify for the semifinals. They had lost to China 21-41 in their opening match yesterday. India lost the plot in the first session as they were trailing 8-17 at the breather. They came back strongly in the second session by scoring an equal number of goals (20) with their rivals. For India, Irungbam Nayachandra Singh scored the maximum number of goals with nine while Binu Vasu scored five. India take on Saudi Arabia in their third group match on Tuesday.

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Andy Carroll paid thousands in compensation to woman he attacked

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 04:53 PM

London, Nov 14 (ANI): Football star Andy Carroll paid 11,000 pounds in fees and compensation in an out-of-court settlement with the woman he viciously attacked outside a nightclub.

The Newcastle United striker left Samantha Morrison with permanent facial injuries after he hit her across the face as she celebrated her birthday.

He hit the 19-year-old so hard she needed eight stitches, reports the Mirror.

Carroll ran off leaving his victim screaming and covered in blood.

He was later arrested and cautioned by police.

However, Samantha was so outraged he had got off lightly she launched a civil action against Carroll, who paid 11,000 pounds in fees and compensation in an out-of-court settlement.

"The money means nothing. He should have been jailed. I've been left a wreck I get scared when people get too close to me now. I fear they will hit me. My life has changed," Samantha said. (ANI)

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Advani clinches first gold for India in billiards

Sun, Nov 14 10 04:07 PM

S S Ramaswamy Guangzhou, Nov 14 (PTI) Ace cueist Pankaj Advani showed nerves of steel under severe pressure to clinch the first gold medal for India in the Asian Games today when he came twice from behind to edge out Myanmar''s Oo Nay Thway 3-2 and retain his title after a bitterly fought billiards singles final here. The 25-year-old Advani was down 1-2 after losing the first and third frames, but fought back in dogged fashion to clinch the fourth to take the match into a nerve-wracking final frame, at the Asian Games Town Gymnasium, near the athletes village. A visibly happy Advani, who has won the world professional and IBSF titles in the past, said this was the biggest title of his career. "This feels great. This is Olympics for me as unfortunately we are not there in the Olympics. This time I made it a point to win the first gold for the country. It''s an absolutely emotional moment for me. I cant''t ask for more," said the Bangalore-based Advani at the media conference. Advani took early lead in the deciding frame against his rival, who had knocked out former world billiards professional champion Geet Sethi in the opening round, to lead 64-17 before his Myanmar opponent staged a grand fight-back to reduce the lead to a mere 19 points. But a simple missed red pot by the opponent provided the Indian champion the ideal chance to get back into the gold medal hunt which he did with a superb unbeaten break of 36, finishing off the match with a red pot to the top right pocket to bring a roar of appreciation from the mainly Indian supporters assembled at the venue. Advani won the match 33-100, 100-61, 12-101, 101-4, 100-45 to clinch his second straight gold at the Asiad after having won the 2006 gold medal too in the same event at Doha in Qatar. .

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Pakistan 248 all out v South Africa (380) - innings

Sun, Nov 14 10 03:57 PM

Pakistan were bowled out for 248 in their first innings an hour before tea on the third day of the first test in Dubai on Sunday.

Scores

South Africa 380 (G. Smith 100, A. Petersen 67, H. Amla 80, J. Kallis 73) v Pakistan 248 (M. Hafeez 60, A. Ali 56; M. Morkel 5-54)

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Asian Games tennis: Somdev, Sanam take India to team semis

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 03:37 PM

Guangzhou, Nov 14 (IANS) Somdev Devvarman and Sanam Singh won their singles matches against Thailand to take India to the semifinal of the men's team event with a 2-1 victory at the Asian Games here Sunday.

Sanam dispatched 546th-ranked Kittiphong Wachiramanowong 6-1, 6-4 in the first rubber and then Somdev, world no.106 and Commonwealth gold medallist, sealed the issue for India after carving out a fighting 7-5, 7-5 victory over 464th-ranked Danai Udomchoke.

Vishnu Vardhan and Karan Rastogi, however, lost to Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 in the doubles match. India, seeded fourth, next play top seeds Chinese Taipei.

Sanam gave India a roaring start as he raced away with the match against the 20-year-old Wachiramanowong in a mere 68 minutes. After being outplayed in the first set, the young Thai gave Sanam a good fight in the second, but the Indian succeeded in closing out the set and the match.

In the second rubber, the serve dominated the first set before Somdev broke 29-year-old Udomchoke in the 11th game to go up a set. The two exchanged early breaks in the second but Somdev clinched the decisive break in the 11th game to win the match after a one hour and 43 minute struggle.

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Botha puts Pakistan in a spin as South Africa turn screw

Sun, Nov 14 10 03:17 PM

Johan Botha dismantled Pakistan's middle order as the designated hosts limped to 214 for five at lunch on the third day of the first test against South Africa at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Off-spinner Botha sent down a spell that allowed him to pick up 3-30 off 11 overs as Pakistan suffered a middle-order wobble in which they lost three wickets for 26 runs.

Botha's efforts ensured that Pakistan reached the break still trailing the visitors by 166 runs on the first innings with the bowler heading to the interval with figures of 3-48 off 21 overs.

Pakistan had resumed on 144-2 and there was not much on offer for South Africa's seamers as they failed to extract any movement through the air or off the slow pitch at the start of play, but Botha troubled the batsman as he found both bounce and turn.

Younis Khan (35) and Azhad Ali gave Pakistan a solid start as they stretched their third-wicket stand to 65 before the former became Botha's first victim when the batsman chipped a delivery to short midwicket.

Younis's dismissal left Pakistan on 176-3 and Botha quickly accounted for Misbah-ul-Haq (9), caught at short leg, before Umar Akmal (4) slashed a delivery from the same bowler to point.

Ali continued to defy the bowlers as he brought up a patient half-century off 144 balls just before the break to be not out 50 as lunch was taken.

South Africa, who won the toss and opted to bat first, scored 380 in their first innings with skipper Graeme Smith leading the way with his 22nd test century.

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Pak World Cup squad subject to ICC clearance

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 02:57 PM

Lahore, Nov 14 (ANI): The announcement of Pakistan's probables in 2011 World Cup will be subject to clearance by the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.

The PCB sent the names of 40 to 45 cricketers to the ICC, which will give back the names of at least 30 cricketers, Geo News reported.

The ICC had given the PCB a 30-day deadline- which ended on Saturday - at its last board meeting to implement a series of anti-corruption measures, working in conjunction with the Pakistan Task Team (PTT).

The new code of conduct was explained to the side in a detailed, interactive session given by the board's legal advisor Taffazul Rizvi before it left for the UAE.

At some point in the near future, the PCB's own anti-corruption code of conduct will come into implementation and will be applicable to its domestic as well as international cricket.

The next teleconference is expected to be held on November 21, after which the PTT will eventually report to the ICC board on the measures taken by Pakistan to tackle corruption. (ANI)

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Stuart Appleby wins Australian Masters

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 02:37 PM

Melbourne, Nov 14(ANI): Australian golfer Stuart Appleby has won the Australian Masters by one shot with the help of a near flawless final-round charge at Melbourne's Victoria Golf Club on Sunday.

Appleby had started the day seven shots behind overnight leader Adam Bland.

However, the 39-year-old shot six-under-par final round 65 to finish 10-under par total of 274, while Bland faltered with five bogeys and three birdies to shoot 73 to finish at nine-under par total of 275, Fox Sports reports.

It was Appleby's first win on home soil since the 2001 Australian Open, but came only three months after his last US PGA Tour win.

Australian Daniel Gaunt was third at eight-under par total of 276.

Defending champion Tiger Woods also shot a final-round 65 to finish fourth, and end a calendar year without a victory for the first time in his career.

Woods, who began the final round 10 shots off the lead, finished with a seven-under-par total of 277.

It is his best finish since returning to golf in April after his self-imposed exile following the exposure of his multiple extra-marital affairs. (ANI)

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Krejza should be recalled for Ashes: Mark Waugh

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 02:27 PM

Sydney, Nov. 14 (ANI): Former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh has said that the National Selection Panel (NSP) should recall off-spinner Jason Krejzad for the Ashes.

The spinner's spot remains the most contentious as selectors prepare to unveil the Australian side tomorrow for the first Test.

Incumbent spinner Nathan Hauritz is not in the best of form, having returned figures of 0-74 in Victoria's first innings of 378 during the week.

He, however, remains the favourite to get the nod should the Australians opt for a specialist spinner on what is expected to be a lively Gabba wicket.

Waugh has called for reactivation of the Tasmanian tweaker's career.

"Australia's first-choice spinner is a close call. If I'm picking a spinner to win me a Test and take five-for, then I still think Jason Krejza is the best option," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Waugh, as saying.

The 27-year-old, who has captured 13 Test wickets, including 12 in a match against India, has fallen behind Tigers teammate Xavier Doherty in the pecking order at state level.

Former Australian spinner Stuart MacGill believes that Marcus North's part-timers are good enough to give him the spinning role, while Waugh's Fox Sports cricket commentary colleagues Brendon Julian and Damien Fleming reckon Hauritz should be retained. (ANI)

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Salman Butt's lawyer opts out of spot-fixing case

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 02:07 PM

Lahore, Nov 14 (ANI): Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt's lawyer has withdrawn from the spot-fixing case, expressing doubt over 'getting justice' for his client.

"I don't think the suspended players will get justice, so I have withdrawn from the case," the Daily Times quoted Aftab Gul, as saying.

The case was due to be heard in Doha, Qatar from January 6-11 next year.

Earlier, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced in its media release that the "Chair of the ICC's Code of Conduct Commission, Mr Michael Beloff QC, formally appointed an independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal to determine the alleged breaches of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code by three Pakistan players - Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif."

"The three players were charged under Article 2 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code on 2 September 2010 and have been provisionally suspended since that date. Two players -Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir - had an appeal against that provisional suspension dismissed on 31 October 2010. All three players remain suspended from all cricketing activities," it added. (ANI)

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Pak NA Sports Committee chief resigns over govt's apathy towards cricket

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 01:53 PM

Islamabad, Nov 14 (ANI): The chairman of Pakistan's National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports has resigned in frustration over the dismal state of affairs in national cricket, and the government's apathy towards the implementation of recommendations made by the committee for the betterment of sports in the country.

"The state of cricket affairs is before everyone, it is in poor shape and yet nothing is being done to change the tide," the Daily Times quoted Iqbal Muhammad Ali, as saying in a news conference on Saturday.

"I am resigning because the government has not bothered to implement any of the recommendations by this committee for improvement and betterment of sports in the country," he added.

The National Assembly Sports Committee has frequently summoned officials from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to appear before it, most recently over the spot-fixing allegations against three key players, and has publicly called for PCB chairman Ijaz Butt to resign.

Iqbal said that his committee had written to President Asif Ali Zardari more than twice to remove Butt and his management team to improve the affairs of cricket, but the PCB patron-in-chief did not accept their suggestions.

"What the International Cricket Council (ICC) is saying today about the bad governance in the PCB, we have pointed it out many months back, but the President is unwilling to listen to us and take an action against Ijaz But," he said.

Iqbal also demanded the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the spot-fixing allegations as well as the episode of wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider's escape to London. (ANI)

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Clarke doubtful for Ashes opener following back injury

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 01:47 PM

Sydney, Nov 14(ANI): Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke is suffering from back soreness and is reportedly doubtful for the Gabba Test against England.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Clarke scored a century on day three for New South Wales, but revealed afterwards that he had suffered back soreness since day one of the match.

New South Wales captain Stuart Clark, however, insists that Clarke's injury is not that serious.

"He's sore from batting in the first innings for a long period of time after, as I was just joking with him, not getting many in India or batting that long. I think it's just stiffness from batting and being hunched over for long periods of time," Clark said.

"He was always going to bat today. It was just a matter of, if we were two or three down, then he wouldn't have been required. In the end we got to a stage where he needed to bat, so he went out and did it," he added.

Clark is confident that Clarke will be available for NSW's Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania, starting on Wednesday at the SCG.

"The selectors will meet and obviously the physio will re-assess Michael over the next couple of days. But at this stage I'd assume he's playing," Clarke said. (ANI)

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Sammy confident of West Indies giving off their best against Sri Lanka

Published>Sun, Nov 14 10 01:37 PM

Colombo, Nov 14(ANI): West Indies captain Darren Sammy is confident that his team can put in a solid performance as they seek their maiden Test victory in Sri Lanka in the three-match series starting in Galle on Monday.

Sri Lankans start the Test series as favourites as they have recently clinched their maiden ODI series victory in Australia, while West Indies have lost five Tests and drawn one in the island country.

"We want to win, to play well and bring the passion and pride back to the West Indies. We are a little bit inexperienced, but we have put in a good preparation work ahead of our coming here," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Sammy, as saying.

"I am very confident of all the players I have here, likewise all the players are confident of giving off their best for the West Indies," he added.

On the other hand, Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara said they were not taking the West Indies team lightly.

The hosts have an impressive record in Galle, having won nine of their 16 Tests at this venue. They have lost three matches and drawn four.

"We don't take any team lightly. We want to win the Test series. We expect nothing, but the best from the West Indies and for us to match them," Sangakkara said. (ANI)

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