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Tendulkar undergoes hand surgery Baltimore, Apr 30: Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar successfully got his left hand surgery here on Wednesday. He was treated at Sinai Hospital by orthopaedic surgeons Dror Paley and Steven Friedman, the noted specialists in hand surgeries. The doctors conducted the surgery as a part of an hour-long operation. Now, Tendulkar will undergo physical rehabilitation starting Thursday. The world's number one batsman got his ring finger injured while catching the ball during a match in November. The X-rays showed that Tendulkar suffered a torn ligament and tendon to his finger which affected the finger joint. Though in severe pain, the master blaster played all through the recently concluded World Cup held in South Africa, and emerged as man of the tournament scoring a record 673 runs. Tendulkar is scheduled to return home on Thursday. The 30-year-old is the No. 1 batsman in the world with 21,000 runs in Tests and one-day internationals in an illustrious career spanning over 14 years. Tainted athletes found guilty (Go To Top) New Delhi, Apr 30: Twentyone of the 22 athletes who tested positive for banned drugs during the Hyderabad National Games last year were on Wednesday found guilty by the anti- doping committee of the Indian Olympic Association. IOA president Suresh Kalmadi declared that the erring athletes would be disqualified from the competition and their medals would be taken back. He said IOA will also request the respective sports federations to take strict action against the guilty. Indo-Pak thaw will boost Asian cricket, says PCB chief (Go To Top) Karachi, Apr 28: Pakistan Cricket Board chief Tauqir Zia says that improvement in Indo-Pak ties will be a big boost for Asian cricket. Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, he said that cricket can serve as a big confidence-building measure between the two countries. Zia said that there was no chance of an Afro-Asian bloc being floated in world cricket unless Asian cricket was strengthened with the resumption of cricket ties between Pakistan and India. "Yes, this will be discussed next week in Dubai at the Asian Cricket Foundation (AFC) meeting for having an Afro-Asian Cup tournament later this year but I don't think it is feasible until Asian cricket is normalised," Tauqir said. Pakistan, South Africa and Zimbabwe were aware of the ground realities and if there was discussion on forming an Afro-Asian bloc or having an Afro-Asian tournament they would decide accordingly. "But I want to make it clear we have no intention of undermining the International Cricket Council (ICC), rather we would like to see the world cricket body strengthened," he said. BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya is reported to be keen on floating an Afro-Asian bloc in world cricket by hosting an Afro-Asian Cup later this year in South Africa details of which he has already discussed with the chief of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) Percy Sonn. Tauqir said that he was going to Dubai with some hopes of a breakthrough in cricket relations with India where the top cricket bosses of the two countries will meet to discuss Asian cricket affairs. Tauqir Zia will meet Jagmohan Dalmiya at the AFC moot on May 3 in which cricket relations between the two countries will be discussed. Pakistan last week said it would not participate in the scheduled Asia Cup later this year in Dhaka unless India first agrees to tour Pakistan. The Indian government severed its cricketing ties with Pakistan over Kashmir issue in May 2000 and has not permitted its team to play Pakistan in any bilateral series. Consider Jadeja for Ranji: HC to BCCI (Go To Top) New Delhi, Apr 24: The Delhi High Court has directed the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) to consider all- rounder Ajay Jadeja for selection in Ranji Trophy matches. The direction came in view of an arbitrator's award in his favour. Earlier, the arbitrator Justice AK Mehra had given a ruling in Jadeja's favour on the five-year ban imposed on him by the BCCI in the wake of the match-fixing controversy. The award is to become final and binding on April 27. The order came during the hearing of a petition moved by the cricketer seeking direction to the cricket board following the arbitrator's award which came three months ago. The court sought a reply from the BCCI within two weeks on Jadeja's petition even as the matter would come up for hearing on May 19. Sachin turns 30 (Go To Top) New Delhi, Apr 24: With cricket followed as a religion in India, it was a day of celebration when the country's cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar turned 30 on Thursday. Ever since he took on Pakistan as a 16-year old in 1989, Sachin has been a constant source of cheer and inspiration for a nation hungry for quality cricket. Fourteen years later, Sachin still shines, brighter than any other star on the cricketing firmament. With 65 international centuries, Sachin has gradually established himself as a role model for thousands of cricket fans across the globe. "(I would) like to wish Sachin Tendulkar a very happy birthday. Today he is turning 30. We congratulate him on his fabulous performance in the World Cup as well. He helped us reach the finals (of the world cup)," said Sachin Rana, a trainee at New Delhi's National Cricket Academy. Sachin, who was born on April 24, 1973 in Mumbai played his early cricket in the famous Shivaji Park and is still emulated by the children in the city. Tendulkar first hit the headlines as a schoolboy when he scored 326 not out and put on a partnership of 664 with Vinod Kambli, who also went on to don the Indian colours. At the age of 15, Tendulkar again entered the record books by scoring an unbeaten 100 on debut for Bombay in a match against Gujarat. In the 105 Tests played by him, Sachin has scored 8,811 runs at an average of 57.58 with 31 centuries under his belt. Indian team back from Dhaka (Go To Top) Kolkata, Apr 22: The Indian cricket team returned home Tuesday after finishing as joint winners of the TVS Cup triangular one-day series in Dhaka. The Indians had to share the trophy with South Africa as the final was abandoned due to rains, both on Sunday and Monday. Skipper Sourav Ganguly refused to answer reporters' questions. "What can I say? The final wasn't even played." Ganguly's wife Dona and father Chandi Ganguly were among the family members who came to the NSC Bose International airport to receive him. A handful of cheering fans were also present at the airport. Ganguly, accompanied by Parthiv Patel, Virender Sehwag and Mohammad Kaif later left for Siliguri to attend a felicitation programme. Others were supposed to leave for their respective destinations later. India, Proteas declared joint winners (Go To Top) Dhaka, Apr. 21: Both India and South Africa were on Monday declared joint winners of the triangular one-day series here as rain made play impossible for the second day. The final was to be played on Sunday but was postponed until Monday due to heavy rain. Play got under way on time but after 17 overs the teams were forced off with India, who won the toss, on 46 for three. Bangladesh, the other team in the series, lost all their four group matches earlier in the tournament. In the last game before the final, South Africa beat India on Friday by five wickets. Sehwag on Time's cover page (Go To Top) New Delhi, Apr 20: India's new batting sensation Virender Sehwag has achieved the rare feat of finding a berth on the cover page of the Time magazine. Sehwag's picture appears on the annual edition of 'Asian Heroes', which include 28 other outstanding personalities from Asia. The Time is the most popular US-based weekly magazine and it's a matter of great honour for the individuals finding a place on its cover page. The second annual edition of 'Asian Heroes' described Sehwag as India's latest cricket sensation who is not just an icon "but an inspiration because of his modest background." Sehwag, who has acquired the sobriquet "the destroyer", has proved his mantle with his batting figures saying it all. He has scored 2247 runs from 72 ODIs at an average of 35.10. He has five hundreds and 11 half centuries to his credit. Besides, in the longer version of the game his average is 41.52 with 872 Test runs from 14 matches with three centuries. Other Asian Heroes featured in the latest issue includes Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jehangir and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. South Africa win by five wickets (Go To Top) Dhaka, Apr 18: South Africa defeated India by five wickets in the pre-final match of the tri-series here at Bangabandhu Stadium on Friday. Batting first, Sourav Ganguly's men made 215 all out in 49.1 overs, the captain himself top-scoring with 61. In reply, the Proteans scored 216 for five in 48.4 overs. N McKenzie hit 80 and Boucher remained not out on 44. Harbhajan Singh took three wickets. McKenzie was declared the man of the match. Four-wkt victory for Sehwag team (Go To Top) Dhaka, Apr 16: Virender Sehwag justified his elevation as captain when India registered a four-wicket victory in the tri- nation tournament by beating Bangladesh here on Wednesday. Needing to score 208 for victory, India reached the target in 42.5 overs. Earlier, the Bangladeshi batsmen put up a highly improved performance to score a respectable 207 in 49.4 overs. Despite India not fielding two of their regular bowlers, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, Bangladesh struggled to get any partnerships going. Ajit Agarkar was the pick of the Indian bowlers with three for 36, while Sarandeep Singh grabbed two for 34. Stand-in captain Virender Sehwag also got into the act by picking up the wicket of Akram Khan Victory for India in Dhaka (Go To Top) Dhaka, Apr 11: India defeated Bangladesh on Friday by a massive 200 runs in the opening match of the TVS Cup tri-series being played here. Replying to a target of 277, the hosts were bowled out for a miserable 76 runs in just 27.3 overs. Zaheer Khan picked up four wickets and Ajit Agarkar three. Electing to bat, India were all out for 276, with man-of-the match Yuvraj Singh making his maiden century in one-day internationals. He remained unbeaten on 102. New-look Indian cricket squad leaves for Dhaka (Go To Top) Kolkata, Apr 9: A new-look Indian cricket squad left for Dhaka on Wednesday, for the triangular one-day series begining on Friday. The team, without several big names, flew out from the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport here by a Bangladesh national carrier. Hosts Bangladesh and South Africa are the other two teams in the nine-day event. Four uncapped players have been included in the 15-member squad for the tournament after injuries forced India's master batsman Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid to miss the triangular series. Left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra, awaiting knee surgery, was left out while senior bowlers Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble opted out citing personal reasons. Uncapped Gautam Gambhir and Abhijit Kale, both batsmen, medium- pacer Avishkar Salvi, leg-spinner Amit Mishra and recalled off- spinner Sarandeep Singh are the new caps. While Sourav Ganguly remains the captain, former batsman and national selector Ashok Malhotra has been appointed interim coach for the opening encounter against the hosts. John Wright, whose contract as coach was extended by the Indian cricket board, is expected to join the team in the second match against South Africa. Team physio Andrew Leipus did not go with the team as his wife had met with an accident in Johannesburg. Team: Saurav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Parthiv Patel, Sanjay Bangar, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Amit Mishra, Avishkar Salvi, Sarandeep Singh and Abhijit Kale. ICC bid to make India play cricket with Pak - bilaterally (Go To Top) Dubai, Apr 8: The International Cricket Council is trying to re-establish Indo-Pak cricket ties in the role of a mediator. The decision not to play (on the Indian government's side) being political, ICC's efforts are directed towards convincing the authorities on the need to delink sports from realpolitik, its chief Malcolm Speed said at the Sharjah stadium on Monday, reports the News. New Delhi's stand is based on the alleged Pakistan-inspired cross-border terrorism but the two teams recently played against each other at the World Cup in South Africa, the tournament being a multi-nation event. The encounter was the first since June 2000. The situation, according to Speed, is also directly affecting the world body's future tours programme (FTP). India had also pulled out of a Test tour of Pakistan under the FTP earlier this month. He added the ICC had also supported the idea of having high profile world figures intervene and try to persuade the Indian government to allow resumption of cricket ties with Pakistan. About the ICC holding the pay-outs to the Test nations from the World Cup earnings, he said the issue about money being withheld by sponsors and advertisers and subsequent damage or compensation claims were being worked out with the BCCI. IOA names 22 athletes in doping scandal (Go To Top) New Delhi, Apr 8: Twenty-two athletes, including 13 medal winners, failed dope tests in December, the country's Olympic committee announced on Tuesday. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) General Secretary Randhir Singh said the guilty athletes will be given a chance for a retest. "22 A-samples were found positive. Our rules are very clear that the athlete has to be given the opportunity as per the code laid down by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency). The federation was informed by the Director Technical and with the code numbers and mentioning that these codes, these athletes have been found positive. And 22 of these athletes and their respective federations have been informed and they were asked if they would like to make an appeal and have their second dope test done, either here or internationally," Singh told reporters in the Capital. Nine tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone. Bronze medal-winning rower Lakshman Singh has been banned after his urine samples confirmed the presence of nandrolone, a rowing official said. Singh said other names would be announced only after the individual federations gave their responses to the IOA. These will be considered at its April 23 meeting. Singh said players will be educated about the harmful effects of doping. The announcement is the latest in a series of doping incidents. Tewnty-two year-old Rani, who won the 1,500 metres and took a 5,000 metres bronze in the Busan Asian Games last year, was given back her medals after the Indian lab test reports freed her from the charges of doping. Rani's case was second doping scandal for India, after weightlifters Krishnan Madaswamy and Sateesha Rai were stripped of their medals at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002, spoiling a superb overall showing by the team. India beat NZ 4-1 in Davis
Cup tie (Go
To Top) Kolkata, Apr 6: India beat New Zealand 4-1 on Sunday to qualify for the Davis Cup World Group play-off. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi played vintage tennis to overwhelm Alistair Hunt and Mark Nielsen and put the hosts ahead 2-1 in the Asia-Oceania group I second round tie. While Paes and Bhupathi won 6-3 6-2 6-2 in 100 minutes, Bopanna took 13 minutes less to beat Shortall 6-3 6-2 6-4 in the first reverse singles on the South Club lawns, reducing the fifth match into a dead rubber. Davis Cup wizard Paes then exhibited his awesome form once again, to steamroll a clueless Robert Cheyne 6-1 6-0 in the second reverse singles to register his 65th victory in the tournament. Paes had earlier scripted an authoritative straight set win over Mark Nielsen on Friday, before Bopanna went down to Alistair Hunt in a gruelling five setter on Saturday. Paes gives India a winning start (Go To Top) Kolkata, Apr 4: India took a 1-0 lead over New Zealand in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group-1 second round tie on Friday as Leander Paes defeated Mark Nielsen in the opening singles in Kolkata. Paes crushed Nielsen in straight sets by 6-1 7-6 6-2. Paes and Nielsen had faced each other in Wellington last year when India defeated New Zealand 4-1. The Indian team for the Cup consists of Paes, Bhupathi, Bopanna, Harsh Mankad, Vishal Uppal and non-playing captain Ramesh Krishnan. The members of the Kiwi side are Nielsen, Hunt, James Shortall and Robert Cheyne. The second singles match between 22-year-old Rohan Bopanna and Alistair Hunt of New Zealand was postponed to Saturday due to water-logging in the court. The match will be a litmus test for Bopanna, who faces the task of establishing himself as a capable successor to Paes. Alistair Hunt will later pair with Mark Nielson for Saturday's doubles clash with the three-time doubles Grand Slam winners Mahesh Bhupati and Paes. This is the second time Paes and Bhupathi will be playing together after the split in March last year. The duo had played together for India at the Busan Asian Games and won the doubles gold. Paes won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open last month partnering tennis legend Martina Navratilova. Kallis pulls out of Bangladesh tour (Go To Top) Johannesburg, Apr 3: An illness in the family has forced South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis to pull out of the upcoming two-Test tour of Bangladesh. "Our thoughts are with Jacques at this difficult time and we wish him well. Should his circumstances allow it and he wishes to join the team later in the tour, he will be welcome," Gerald Majola, CEO, United Cricket Board of South Africa, was quoted as saying by News24. A replacement for Kallis has not yet been named. Besides the two Tests, South Africa will also take part in a triangular series, involving the hosts and India. Squad: Graeme Smith (captain), Paul Adams, Mark Boucher, Alan Dawson, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Neil McKenzie, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Jacques Rudolph, Charl Willoughby. Tour itinerary: Apr 11: Bangladesh v India Apr 13: South Africa v India Apr 14: Bangladesh v South Africa Apr 16: Bangladesh v India Apr 17: Bangladesh v South Africa Apr 18: South Africa v India Apr 20: Final Apr 21: Reserve Day Apr 24-28: 1st Test May 1-5: 2nd Test. Four New Faces in Indian Squad for Dhaka Cricket Tourney (Go To Top) Mumbai, Apr 2: Young and upcoming pace bowler Avishkar Salvi and Delhi attacking opener Gautam Gambhir are among the four new faces included in the 15-member cricket squad for the Dhaka triangular one-day series, it was announced here on Wednesday. The tournament is scheduled to be held from April 11 to 20. Amit Mishra and Abhijit Kale are the other two new faces who have found berth in the national squad. Announcing this here, BCCI secretary SK Nair said the youngsters were selected after assessing their recent performances in domestic cricket. Meanwhile, dashing opener Virender Sehwag has been appointed the vice-captain in place of Rahul Dravid, who is nursing a finger injury. Besides, 'Mr Cool' would be tying the marital knot sometime in May. The national selectors preferred to go for youngsters with many of the senior players opting out of the tour. Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and paceman Ashish Nehra had also made themselves unvailable for the tour due to injuries. Similarly, Javagal Srinath was keen to take rest while leg spinner Anil Kumble skipped the trip due to "personal reasons". The new team is as follows: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Avishkar Salvi, Amit Mishra, Sanjay Bangar, Abhijit Kale and Zaheer Khan. Humid Weather in India's Favour: Paes (Go To Top) Kolkata, Apr2: The national tennis hero, Leander Paes, is in Kolkata to participate in the Asia Oceania Group 1 Davis Cup tie with New Zealand. He practised at South Club tennis court here. Indian captain Ramesh Krishnan was a bit restrained in his remarks, saying that the weather will not be so much of a factor as most of the Davis Cup ties in the venue have been held around this part of the year. But Paes was forthright in admitting that humidity and grass courts would be major factors. He also said "New Zealand are a good side , they have got a lot of fire power. We know exactly what to expect from them. Last time when we met them, we beat them 4-1 and we want to continue the same trend. Grass is our favourite surface and playing at home is a big, big advantage in any Davis cup tie. And moreover, heat here is going to be a big factor and will be crucial in any five-set clash. They are not habituated to such humid weather. We would do our best to capitalise on the home advantage." Kalam to felicitate Indian cricket team (Go To Top) Mumbai, Apr 2: The Indian World Cup cricket team will be felicitated by President APJ Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan on April 7 for its outstanding performance in the mega event. "All the players of the 15-member World Cup sqaud will gather in New Delhi for the special occasion," cricket board secretary SK Nair told reporters here on Wednesday. Asian Snooker Championship Put Off Indefinitely (Go To Top) Kolkata, Apr 2: The 20th Asian Snooker Championship, which was scheduled to be held here from April 18 to 26, has been postponed indefinitely, it was announced on Wednesday. The outbreak of the 'killer pneumonia' and the ongoing Iraq war were cited as the reasons for delaying the sporting event. The Indian Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) took the decision after receiving a mail from the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports in this regard. The mail reportedly mentioned the names of China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia and Philippines which wanted the nine-day tournament to be delayed due to the outbreak of the disease. The ongoing Iraq crisis was also a reason for the deferment of the game. -ANI |
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