Yuvi propels India A to win

Bangalore: Yuvraj Singh sent a strong message to the national selectors with a brutal 89-ball 123 to set up a 77-run win for India A against West Indies A in the first of the three-match unofficial ODI series at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here Sunday.

Playing in his first competitive game in four months, Yuvraj set the stage on fire with a captain's knock that was studded with eight fours and seven sixes. It was Yuvraj's explosive knock that took India A to a massive 312 for four in 42 overs after West Indies A decided to field.
The southpaw was well supported by Mandeep Singh (67) and Yusuf Pathan, who struck an unbeaten whirlwind 70 off 32 balls, hitting four fours and six sixes.

The West Indies A innings folded up for 235 runs in 39.1 overs after Narsingh Deonarine and Andre Russell struck an indentical 57 each. It was a clinical show by the India A pacers as Sumit Narwal and R Vinay Kumar picked up two wickets each along with the spin duo of Rahul Sharma and Pathan.
Earlier in the day, India A lost two wickets for 47 runs with both the openers Unmukt Chand (1) and Robin Uthappa (23) failing to make the most of the opportunity.

Yuvraj and Mandeep then added 100 runs for the third-wicket in what was a pure display of power hitting. Mandeep played the role of second fiddle perfectly while Yuvraj went after the West Indies A bowlers.
Mandeep, who hit seven fours and a six, was well set for a big score but was foxed by a tossed up delivery from Nikita Miller that castled him.
West Indies A might have hoped that wicket would slow down the flow of runs. But to their surprise, Yusuf also joined Yuvraj in power hitting that left the visitors without any hope.

Yuvraj's destructive innings was ended by a full toss delivery from leggie Nkrumah Bonner and Ronford Beaton took a skier at long on. But by then the writing was on the wall for West Indies A.
Yuvraj along with discarded seniors Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan have been handed lifelines by the selectors by including them in the India A side across the formats against the West Indies A.

Yuvraj hasn't been picked for the Tests and is the only one among the four to feature in the limited-overs games.
Earlier this year, he was dropped after the home series against England due to fitness issues.
Yuvraj and Zaheer had trained extensively at Brive La Gaillarde, a town in France, for six weeks to get back their fitness.

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CBI names Srinivasan in Jagan charge sheet

Hyderabad:  Indian cricket board chief N. Srinivasan has been named in one of the three chargesheets the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Tuesday filed in a special court here in the corruption case involving YSR Congress party chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy. In the chargesheet relating to India Cements, the CBI has also named Srinivasan, its managing director, as the accused number three. Srinivasan stepped aside a few months ago as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president recently following spot fixing scandal in Indian Premier League (IPL).

The CBI had questioned him twice last year about the investments his company made into Jaganmohan Reddy's firms. India Cements allegedly invested Rs.140 crore into Jagan's businesses in return for the benefits it received from the then government of Jagan's father, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who was killed in a helicopter crash in 2009.

The CBI filed the charge sheets in the special court, naming 25 accused and charging them under various sections of Indian Penal Code The charge sheets relate to India Cements, Penna Cements and Bharati Cements, the three companies which allegedly made quid pro quo investments in Jaganmohan Reddy's business. Jagan, as the MP from Kadapa is popularly known, figures as the accused number one in all three charge sheets while his financial advisor Vijay Sai Reddy is the number two accused. The investments were made into Bharati Cements and Jagati Publications owned by Jagan in return for the benefits India Cements received .

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Buoyant India take on Afghanistan in final

Kathmandu: Having notched up a morale-boosting semi-final victory against Maldives, defending champions Indian team will try to maintain their supremacy in the SAFF Football Championship when they take on a tough Afghanistan in the summit clash here on Wednesday.

On paper, Afghans are a superior side with a Fifa ranking of 139 to India's 145 as well as seven of their first XI footballers plying their trade in the lower tier leagues of the United States and Germany.

Medio Mustafa Azadzoy and defender Mustafa Hadid play in German league while forward Mohammed Yusuf has played in the US.

For Sunil Chhetri and his team, winning the SAFF Championship would be a thankless affair. India have won the trophy six times in the first nine editions having failed to reach the semis only once.

However, they have a solid Afghanistan team as an opposition, who were thrashed 0-4 in the final of the last edition held in New Delhi.

"We definitely want to take revenge on this India team as we felt that were hard done by the referee (Singaporean Sukhbir Singh) during the last edition. We are a far superior side than India, technically and physically," Afghanistan's assistant coach Ali Jawad Attaii declared through his interpreter — team captain Fakhruddin Amiri, who incidentally plays for I-League side Mumbai FC.

India will take a lot out of their win against Maldives in the semi-final, where there strategy worked out wonderfully. With Gourmangi Singh in splendid form at the heart of defence and young Arnab Mondal deriving a lot of confidence from that winning goal, India would go into the match in a fine frame of mind.

The return of captain Sunil Chhetri, who is now a couple of goals shy of being India's highest scorer in international circuit will be a shot in the arm for the Dutch coach, who has preferred playing with a single striker employing a 4-5-1 formation rather than the usual 4-4-2.

Robin Singh, whose body advantage did work in favour of Indian team in the semis, is expected to return to the dug-out.

While Izumi Arata, who was impressive during his 75-minute stay on the pitch against Maldives, looks a doubtful starter with a back injury, Jewel Raja Sheikh is expected to fill in that attacking hole.

Jeje Lalpeklhua will be starting on wide left while Francisco Fernandes will man the right wing. The senior-most player in the line-up (in terms of age) Mehtab Hossain put it aptly.

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Azarenka to back Nadal in US Open final

New York: Beaten US Open finalist Victoria Azarenka will be backing Rafael Nadal to defeat Novak Djokovic in the men's title showdown on Monday after being seduced by the beefcake Spaniard's biceps.

Azarenka was asked which player she would be supporting in Monday's blockbuster final, the 37th meeting between the world's two top-ranked men. "Rafa convinced me by practicing with his shirt off," said Azarenka, who on Sunday lost 7-5, 6-7 (6/8), 6-1 to Serena Williams in the women's championship match.

Williams opted not to select a favourite.
"It's tough to say anything against Nadal because he's been doing so well and he's lost like never this year," she joked of a player who's been defeated just three times in 62 matches since February.
"Djokovic, this is his fourth time in the final, and he has a good record against Rafael. It's going to be an interesting match."

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Serena wins fifth US Open title

New York: World number one Serena Williams captured her fifth US Open title, and second in a row, by outlasting second-ranked Victoria Azarenka 7-5, 6-7 (6/8), 6-1 to claim her 17th career Grand Slam crown.

The 31-year-old American became the oldest Open Era women's winner in US Open history, 293 days older than Margaret Court when she set the prior mark in 1973, and the third-oldest Grand Slam women's champion of the Open Era.
Williams won $3.6 million, including a $1 million bonus for her success in US open tuneup events. She is the first top-seeded champion since Justine Henin in 2007 and the first woman to defend the US Open crown since Kim Clijsters in 2010.

Williams won a rematch of last year's US Open final that gave her and Azarenka a combined total of six of the eight major titles from the past two years. Williams improved to 13-3 in their rivalry but two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka had won two of the previous three, most recently in last month's Cincinnati final.

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Cash galore for Sreejesh, Raghunath & Ramandeep-latest sports news in india

New Delhi: Hockey India (HI) on Wednesday announced cash award for three of its players who were a part of the Indian Men's hockey team that won silver medal at the ninth Asia Cup at Ipoh, Malaysia. 

HI will give Rs 1 lakh each to defender V R Raghunath for winning Most Outstanding Player of the tournament award, vice-captain and goalkeeper P R Sreejesh for Goalkeeper of the tournament award and debutant forward Ramandeep Singh for scoring a goal on debut for the national team.

Ramandeep scored his first international goal against Oman in their opening match of the tournament.

Congratulating the senior men's team for its achievement at the Asia Cup, Narinder Batra, the Secretary General HI said, "Out of four individual awards at the 9th Men's Asia Cup, Indian players have won two of them. It speaks highly about the performance of Indian team." 

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Red Bull appoint Ricciardo as Webber's successor- latest sports news in india

London: Australian Daniel Ricciardo was on Monday named as Mark Webber's successor alongside Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull in 2014. 

The 24-year-old Torro Rosso driver won the race for the coveted drive ahead of former world champion Kimi Raikkonen, with talks between the Finn and Red Bull ending last month.

Red Bull team chief Christian Horner announced Ricciardo's arrival next season in a statement. He said: "It's fantastic to confirm Daniel as the team's race driver for 2014.

"He's a very talented youngster, he's committed, he's got a great attitude and in the end it was a very logical choice for us to choose Daniel."

Horner added: "He's got all the attributes that are required to drive for our team: he's got a great natural ability, he's a good personality and a great guy to work with.

"Daniel knows what the team expects from him; he'll learn quickly and it's very much a medium to long term view that we're taking in developing him."

Ricciardo has been sponsored by Red Bull since 2008 and he started driving for Toro Rosso last year, claiming 21 Formula One points from 41 Grand Prix races.

The Australian is following the path Vettel took in 2009 when he switched from Italy's Toro Rosso to their British-based sister team Red Bull Racing.

Webber, 37, is leaving F1 to pursue a new career in sportscar racing.

Fabregas surprised by Ozil’s record Arsenal move

London: Cesc Fabregas believes his former club Arsenal have managed to prise away Real Madrid's second-best player with their dramatic deadline-day capture of Mesut Ozil.

Arsenal completed what is understood to be a club-record £42.5m swoop for Ozil on Monday evening as Arsène Wenger finally landed a marquee signing after what had become a frustrating summer on the transfer front.

Many of Ozil's former team-mates at Madrid have since expressed their surprise and disappointment that the Germany international was allowed to leave the Bernabéu, and Fábregas also admits he was taken aback by the news.

However, the Spain midfielder, who spent eight years at Arsenal before returning to Barcelona in 2011, also feels the Gunners have got themselves a top player.

He told the Spanish radio station Cadena Cope: "I was really surprised by Ozil's departure. He seemed to me the second-best player at Madrid, after Cristiano [Ronaldo]. He'll be great for Arsenal."

Fábregas was the subject of transfer interest from the Premier League this summer, with champions Manchester United hoping to bring him back to England.

United had two bids for Fábregas rebuffed by Barça, who maintained they had no intention of selling the 26-year-old, while the midfielder sought to end the speculation last month when he declared he wanted to remain at the Camp Nou.

Touching on that subject, Fábregas insists he could not have been tempted away from Barça, even if he had been offered the chance to double his wages or the promise of regular first-team football.

Fabregas has struggled to tie down a starting spot at the Catalan giants, but he said: "The tougher the challenge the better I like it and Barcelona was the biggest and most difficult, and I want to finish in a happy manner and if I can retire at Barça, then so much the better. The only thing in my head is triumphing at Barcelona.

"When I arrived at Barcelona I already knew there were other places where I could earn more or where I could have more minutes, but coming to Barça was my dream. It was my dream since I was small. I wouldn't go, not even for double the money." 

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Usain Bolt to retire after Rio Olympics-latest sports news in india

Brussels: Usain Bolt plans to retire after the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Bolt said on Wednesday he wants to win more gold in Rio, set another world record in the 200 meters next year, and perhaps win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

"So far, (it) is after the Olympics in Rio," Bolt said of his retirement plans. "I think if I am in great shape, I'll go there and do what I have to do. I think it will be a good time to retire, on top."

Winning another three golds in Moscow last month made him the most decorated athlete in world championship history with eight gold and two silvers. He has six gold medals from the Olympics.

"If I want to be among the greats of (Muhammad) Ali and Pele and all these guys I have to continue dominating until I retire," Bolt said ahead of his final race this season in the 100 at Friday's Van Damme Memorial.

Bolt won the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and at last year's London Games. He won the same triple at the 2009 worlds before repeating that feat in Moscow last month. At 27, Bolt has the experience to know that a lax season midway between Olympics can hurt him. In 2010, a soft entry into the year and subsequent injury cost him almost a full season.

"I kind of didn't do much in the offseason and then got injured and had to start from scratch. So this season, I will not make that mistake again," Bolt said.

Like 2010, next season has no major championships, but Bolt is forcing himself to think of new goals for 2014.

He already owns the 100 and 200 world records and shares the 4x100 with his Jamaican teammates. He acknowledges the 100 record of 9.58 seconds will be extremely tough to better, but he hopes to improve on the 19.19 he ran in the 200 in Berlin four years ago.

"I have learned, I have mastered the art of running the turn," Bolt said of the 200. "So if I can stay injury free and be in good shape, then it is possible for me to definitely go after the world record."

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Li Na reaches semifinals- latest sports news in india

New York: Fifth seed Li Na of China beat Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 6-7 (7-5), 6-2 to become the first Chinese player to reach US Open semi-finals.

"I always try to be the first one," said Li after the match Tuesday. "Of course, the first time in US Open semis, it's exciting. I am really proud of myself."

By advancing into the semifinals, Li refreshed her personal US Open record, reports Xinhua.

The world number six is enjoying one of the best seasons in her career, making quarter-finals in three of the four Grand Slams, the first time for the 31-year-old. She has also reached at least the semi-final stage for three straight WTA tournaments including in Toronto and Cincinnati.

"There were some ups and downs in my previous seasons, and this year I have more consistency," said Li.

Li, well known for her hot temper among Chinese fans, moved in Tuesday's match without losing a single set. She had previously played Makarova for three times, winning all of them.

Li held her serve to level the first set until 3-3, and managed to break in the seventh game thanks to a couple of unforced errors from Makarova. Neither player was able to break in the remainder of the set, ensuring Li takes the lead in the match.

Both players suffered from ups and downs in the second set. They finished with six breaks (three for each) to enter the tiebreaker. Li was leading 3-0 in the tiebreak, but the double fault disturbed her pace. Makarova took advantage to take the tiebreak 7-5.

The final set stood in favour of Li as the top Chinese singles player won four straight games after 2-2 to end the match.

"I was feeling so nervous, from the beginning of the match until the end of the match," said Li.

Li will next face world number one Serena Williams, who won 12 consecutive games to beat Spaniard Suarez Navarro 6-0, 6-0.

"If you only think about your opponent, of course, you already lose the match before you step onto the court," said Li.

In another women's singles quarterfinal, the second seed Victoria Azarenka needed three sets to beat Ana Ivanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (7-3), 6-4, 7-5 to Russian Mikhail Youzhny in a round of 16 match, which lasted 3 hours 58 minutes.

Hewitt, who outclassed sixth seed Juan Martin Del Potro in an even longer five-set thriller in the second round, was favoured to win again when the fifth set went to 5-5, but Youzhny broke the Australian before eventually winning on his second match point.

Youzhny will play world number one Novak Djokovic, who eliminated Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-0, 6-0.

Third seed Andy Murray came back from one set down to beat Denis Istomin 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, to set up a quarter-final against ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinka, who downed number five seed Thomas Berdych 3-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-2.

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Nadal, Federer on collision course

New York: Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal remained on course for a tantalising first ever collision at the US Open after demolishing their opposition at Flushing Meadows on Saturday.

The two great rivals have never played each other at the year's final grand slam but are drawn to meet each other in the quarter-finals next week, and they moved a step closer by winning their third-round ties in brilliant fashion. 

Federer, playing the feature night match at an buzzing Arthur Ashe Stadium, doled out a 6-3 6-0 6-2 hammering to Frenchman Adrian Mannarino but knows the focus is already on the possible meeting with Nadal.

"I have gone through that my entire career, people talking about our matches even before the tournament started," he said.

"We're used to it. We know how to handle it. Clearly I think we both hope it's going to happen this time for the first time in New York."

Earlier in the day, when the sun was at its hottest, Nadal turned on his own masterclass to brush aside Croatia's Ivan Dodig 6-4 6-3 6-3 and lead a trio of Spanish men into the fourth round.

French Open runner-up David Ferrer also moved through, beating Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-4, while a third Spaniard, Tommy Robredo, ended the Cinderella run of British qualifier Dan Evans.

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki and the 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova were among the high-profile casualties in a women's draw packed with surprises.

Four of the eight women already through to the fourth round are unseeded and three of the eight are Italian.

Camila Giorgi, who had to come through the qualifiers to reach the main draw, sent Wozniacki packing with a 4-6 6-4 6-3 win on Arthur Ashe Stadium while Flavia Pennetta knocked out the former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5 6-1. Roberta Vinci also won for Italy.

Nadal has been in great form in the past month, winning warm-up tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati. He has not dropped a single set in getting to the last 16 at Flushing Meadows and believes he is still improving.

"I played better today than in the previous matches. (That's) always a positive thing," he said.

Nadal's next opponent is Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber, who beat towering American John Isner 6-4 3-6 7-5 7-6 (5), while Federer's next assignment is Robredo, a 7-6 (6) 6-1 4-6 7-5 winner over Evans.

While Federer and Nadal cruised into the next round, a feisty Victoria Azarenka dropped her first set of the tournament before recovering to book her place in the last 16 of the women's draw.

A finalist last year and one of the favourites to win the title this season, the world number two and reigning Australian Open champion overcame a shaky start to beat Alize Cornet of France 6-7(2) 6-3 6-2.

The Belarussian was given a tough workout from Cornet and allowed her frustrations to boil over when the umpire ordered a point she had won be replayed.

"That was the most ridiculous thing there is," Azarenka growled.

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic had to dig deep to avoid joining the exit queue. The Serbian was on the brink of defeat in her match against American Christina McHale before recovering to win 4-6 7-5 6-4. She plays Azarenka next.

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Sehwag in his new avatar ready for a comeback

New Delhi: There was a new promise in explosive Delhi batsman Vireder Sehwag’s eyes when he faced the camera after 100 days of absence from the cricket field at the MRF pace Foundation in Chennai. After his exclusion from the Indian test team, this was Sehwag’s first face-off with the camera. He played his last match in the IPL 6 tournament on 19 May this year.

Having lost weight and gained muscle, the cricketer looks leaner and fitter as compared to what he was a few months ago. Back in shape, the new fitter avatar of the ace cricketer has the telling signs of his determination to make a fiery comeback in the Indian team and thrill his fans again.

Sehwag had mysteriously disappeared after being dropped from the Indian test team. For long he was neither seen practicing on the cricket pitch and nor in front of cameras.

Sources told this newspaper that all this while, the Delhi dasher has been busy sweating it out in the gym and focusing on hand-eye coordination. And helping him in this crucial time is none other than former Australian pace spearhead Glenn McGrath. Sehwag’s absence from the field was seen as an end to his glorious career. Several cricket experts had begun to suspect whether India’s most promising and dynamic batsman will ever be able to recreate his magic again. Especially with the entry of players like Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, Sehwag’s entry in the opening slot in Team India was doubted.

But as they say, form is temporary but class is permanent. the Delhi opener, who has given nightmares to the best of bowlers in world cricket appears set to prove all his critics wrong.

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Master’s 200th Test at home- latest sports news in india

Kolkata: India’s Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar will be playing his 200th Test match on home soil with the Indian cricket board trying to squeeze in a series against the West Indies ahead of the year-end tour of South Africa. 

The decision to invite West Indies for two Tests and five one-dayers was taken at BCCI’s working committee meeting on Sunday.

“We have sent a proposal to the West Indies Cricket Board in this regard. We are hopeful of working out the modalities for the series,” a top BCCI official said.

The series against West Indies will provide Tendulkar a chance to complete the historic milestone of playing 200 Tests in front of home fans.

Mumbai and Kolkata are the likely venues for the much-anticipated matches and the final decision will be taken by the BCCI’s tours and fixtures committee.

While the 200th Test will be just another milestone for the God of Cricket, many fear, that he may call it quits from the game after this series.

The champion batsman has so far played 198 Tests, scoring 15,837 runs at an average of 53.86. The top run-getter by quite a mile, Tendulkar has scored 51 hundreds in the five-day format.

Tendulkar, who has retired from ODIs and Twenty20s, played 463 50-over games scoring 18.426 runs at an average of 44.83. He struck 49 hundreds in the process.

The BCCI official said the working committee did not have any discussion on the South Africa series, which India need to finalise after rejecting the itinerary proposed by Cricket South Africa.

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Djokovic, Federer advance with ease-latest sports news in india

New York: Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer advanced with ease at the US Open but 2011 winner Samantha Stosur was ousted by US teen qualifier Victoria Duval.

Six-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic who captured his fourth Australian Open crown in January, launched his quest for a fourth consecutive US Open final by beating Lithuanian 112th-ranked Ricardas Berankis 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

"I managed to make a lot of breaks in the beginning of the match and take over control," Djokovic said. "That's what I wanted to do. I wanted to play every point like it's match point and I'm happy with the performance overall."

Djokovic fired 10 aces and 28 winners and needed only 82 minutes to put himself into a last-64 matchup against Germany's Benjamin Becker.

Djokovic, the 2011 US Open winner who lost to Andy Murray in last year's final and last month's Wimbledon final, improved to 12-1 in Arthur Ashe Stadium night matches, what he called "the most special night matches of any tournament anywhere in the world." Duval, a daughter of Haitian parents ranked 296th in the world, pulled the day's shocker with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Australian 11th seed Stosur in a tense struggle that lasted for two hours and 39 minutes.
"A lot of different emotions. Mostly happiness," the 17-year-old with the high-pitched voice said. "I played amazing today. The whole match was just really an incredible match and I'm happy I pulled through."

It was only the second Slam match for Duval, who lost to Kim Clijsters last year at New York, and her first meeting with a top-20 rival.
Stosur made 56 unforced errors, 21 more than Duval, on her way to a her 15th first-round Slam exit, the first since last year's Australian Open.

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Williams sisters start US Open in style- latest sports news in india

New York: A decade or so ago, Serena and Venus Williams ruled tennis together, swapping the No. 1 ranking and meeting in Grand Slam final after Grand Slam final.Serena, the younger of the pair, still holds a spot at the top of the game.Venus has not been there for quite some time. So there was a turn-back-the-clock feel to Day 1 at the 2013 U.S. Open, when both sisters were about as good as can be, dropping a combined four games in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Venus, now ranked 60th, beat 12th-seeded Kirsten Flipkens 6-1, 6-2

Monday afternoon, and then Serena reduced 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone to seeking comfort from a ball boy's hug during a 6-0, 6-1 runaway under the lights at night.
Asked which meant more on this day, her own victory or her sister's, Serena replied: "They're equal. I definitely was happy to see Venus win. I really was happy for her. I know she's been working hard. I know she had a tough opponent. For her to come through was just awesome. Obviously, I want to do well, too."
For years and years, a first-round victory by Venus at a major tournament would hardly merit a mention. She has won seven Grand Slam titles and was the runner-up another seven times (six against Serena).

And yet nowadays, at age 33, two years removed from being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that saps energy, hampered much of this season by a bad lower back, Venus entered this U.S. Open having won a total of three matches over the past five major tournaments. Plus, in Flipkens, she was facing a semifinalist at Wimbledon last month who beat Venus on a hard court this month.
Looking very much like the player she used to be, Venus smacked serves at up to 120 mph, returned superbly, and covered the court well enough to hit a handful of swinging volley winners.

"If Venus is there if she's fit, if she's focused she's a top-10 player," Flipkens said. "Everybody who knows a little bit of the game of tennis can see that. Today, she was like a top-10 player."

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Arjun reminds me of myself: Yuvraj Singh

New Delhi: While aspiring cricketers the world over crave to get some batting mantra from him, iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar prefers someone else to mentor his teenage son Arjun. And the tutor is none other than star all-rounder Yuvraj Singh.

During a promotional event in the Capital on Friday, the 2011 World Cup player of the tournament revealed that seeing Tendulkar Jr play in the nets reminded him of his younger days in Chandigarh. “About six months ago, Sachin told me that his son (Arjun) batted the same way as I did.

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Latest Sports News in india - Rahul Dravid mocks T20, stumps everyone

New Delhi: The T20 format, which ushered Indian cricket team to the pinnacle of glory under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has been ridiculed by one of its senior players.

Rahul Dravid, one of the four stalwarts of India’s famed quartet and Indian Premier League’s Rajasthan Royals player, stumped all when he raised a question over the fate of the T20, asking, “What is the interim period between two successive T20 world cups?”

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Won’t select my dream team ever, says Dhoni

New Delhi: Captain Cool doesn’t approve of selecting dream teams. Some former cricketers may have selected their best-ever Indian team recently, but captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni does not favour such a practice, saying “one should respect every individual who has played for the country“.

                                         

This comes from a man whom Kapil Dev named as the captain of his greatest Indian ODI team.

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Bolt wins 2nd gold, clinches 200m title-latest sports news in india,

Moscow: “The energy was great tonight,” said Usain Bolt after coasting to his third straight 200-meter world title on Saturday with the race basically wrapping up as soon as he entered the finishing straight.Jamaican team-mate Warren Weir never got close to Bolt’s world leading time of 19.66 seconds, but crossing .13 seconds later for silver still left him enough time to join Bolt in a reggae dance to Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.”
Curtis Mitchell of the United States took bronze in 20.24 seconds, but was never in the hunt for gold.
Now, Bolt will go for his fourth triple gold at a major championship when he joins the Jamaican team for the 4x100 relay on Sunday.
“It should be even better,” Bolt said.

The wealth of Jamaican sprinting is such that they might well sweep their American rivals in unprecedented fashion, after Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce clinched a similar 100-200 double and has her final relay also late on the closing day of the championships.
Opposition could hardly touch Bolt on Saturday, and once it was clear his right foot was OK after he dropped a starting block on it early in the week, everything was as good as gold.
Even his start was strong as he quickly gained a decisive edge. And then in the finishing straight, Bolt fully let loose his giant stride, the one that has dumbfounded rivals since he won three gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
His seventh world title leaves him one shy of American greats Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson, who lead the overall gold medal standings in the 30-year history of the event. On
Sunday, Bolt can pull alongside them.
And with 10 medals overall, Bolt can overtake Lewis at the top with two silvers compared to a silver and bronze for the American sprinter-long jumper.

Even though he is only 26, Bolt’s maturity showed Saturday as the wild hot-dogging of the Beijing Games gave way to a sense of near-seriousness. His Lightning Bolt stance came late and besides the dance steps, everything was contained.

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Nadal to meet Isner in final- latest sports news in india

Cincinnati: Rafael Nadal continued his perfect run on the North American hardcourts taming Czech Tomas Berdych 7-5, 7-6 (4) at the Western and Southern Open on Saturday to setup a final showdown with big-hitting American John Isner.Earlier, unseeded Isner had blasted his way into the final with a 6-7, (5) 7-6, (9) 6-3 marathon win over Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro. Rebounding nicely from a shock first round upset at Wimbledon, Nadal has been in sizzling form picking up his 58th career title last week in Montreal while extending his hardcourt winning streak to 14-0 with a run to the final in Cincinnati.
A win on Sunday in his first Cincinnati final would give the third ranked Spaniard his ninth title of the year and leave him the red-hot favourite heading into the US

Open which begins on August 26 in Flushing Meadows.
“It’s a very nice feeling,” said Nadal. “For me, this one is a tournament that I never was able to play very well. “I said last week, in Cincinnati I never felt that I was playing well and this year the situation is different.
“I am having the right feelings on court. I’m playing aggressive.” Nadal had the only break of a tight opening set to take the first set off the Czech in Cincinnati and grab a 1-0 lead. In the second, Berdych, battling to end a run of 13 straight losses to the Spaniard, broke to go up 4-2 only to watch Nadal break right back and go onto take the tiebreak (7-4) and the match.
A contest between the towering 6-foot, 10-inch (2.06m) Isner and the 6-foot, 6-inch (1.98m) Del Potro was always going to be a brui ing baseline battle and the match more than lived up to predictions as the two giants slugged it out for 2 hours and 47 minutes.
The semi-finals had a dramatically different look from what tennis fans might have hoped with the ATP Tour’s ‘big four;’ world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, number two Andy Murray, number three Nadal and five-time Cincinnati champion Roger Federer all featuring in the last eight.

Isner, who delivered the biggest shock of the quarter-finals toppling Djokovic, has traditionally saved his best for the home crowd with 13 of the his 15 career ATP Tour final appearances coming in the US and he proved once again to be a crowd pleaser pounding 23 aces past his opponent.
Since retiring in the second round at Wimbledon with a left knee injury Isner has been in sizzling hardcourt form putting together a 15-3 match record while picking up his seventh career title in Atlanta followed by a runnerup finish in Washington.
“I have been playing well, really in pretty much all facets of my game. There’s definitely some stuff I can always improve on, but I do think I’m playing well,” he said. In a tight opening set that failed to produce a break, it was Del Potro taking the initiative winning the tiebreak 7-5.

World No. 1 Serena Williams fought her way to a 7-5, 7-5 win over defending champion Li Na to reach the final of the Western and Southern Open on Saturday and close in on one of the few titles to elude her.
Meanwhile, India’s Rohan Bopanna and his French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin were knocked out of the ATP Cincinnati Masters tennis by Spanish duo Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez in the semi-finals. The
eighth-seeded Indo-French combination failed to get any
of the five break points
and went down 5-7, 2-6 to Spanish tandem on Saturday. The Spaniards are seeking their second Masters 1000 title, having won in Rome last year.
Agencies

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