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Kohli, Gauti slug it out in
nets
The secret of Ali’s success
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Sonowal pads up to bring BCCI under RTI Act
Mary still smarting
from defeat to Pinki
London diary
Real Madrid lift Super Cup, thanks to Ronaldo double
Sasikiran keeps India in hunt for podium finish
Davis Cup: Yuki returns to squad vs Serbia tie
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Kohli, Gauti slug it out in
nets
Virat Kohli rained the ball into the stands as he prepared at The Oval today for the final Test match against England. Kohli went particularly hard at the bowlers when he was batting in the middle of the three nets — the spinners were in operation there. It’s hazardous to read the patterns and reach a judgement on the basis of practice before a match, but the patterns are fascinating, nevertheless. Kohli has been the failure of the series — 108 runs from eight innings give him a depressing average of 13.50. He’s been turned into a bunny of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Experts say that he’d been going too hard at the swinging ball, and that his feet and bat have not been in ideal position when moving to hit the ball. If the patterns of the day are anything to go by, Kohli seems to be responding to this challenge. At nets, his backlift was at a more acute angle than before — pointing toward first rather than the second slip; his toes were aligned with the leg stump, and he seemed to have adopted a stance that placed him more side-on against the coming bowler. The result of the modifications, which is not necessarily an accurate barometer of the success or failure of his plan, was not very encouraging. While he did take up his bat straighter, it seemed that the arc of the bat-swing was across the line of the ball. In other words, in both defence and offence, Kohli seemed to be playing across, sort of hacking the ball from off towards leg side. He edged the ball several times, and often looked very ungainly. The quick bowlers attacked him outside off, and Kohli did not seem to be in peak condition — he was beaten often, trying to drive. When he took on the spinners, he started smashing the ball over the boundary, into the stands – it was a very short boundary, too. The Oval has practice tracks going right to the edge of the boundary, on both sides of the actual wicket, and thus the straight boundary was reduced by at least 15 metres. Opener Gautam Gambhir looked completely out of place in the two innings he played in Manchester. He sweated hard in the nets today, and again, several edges flew off his bat towards gully. Another Delhiite, paceman Ishant Sharma, attracted a close look, too. He bowled in the nets, though for not as long as the other pacers, namely Pankaj Singh, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Stuart Binny. The word is that Ishant has recovered and is likely to replace Pankaj Singh in the XI. Curiously, the nets session began, surprisingly, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Stuart Binny starting batting with Kohli – can’t really read too much into that, can we? Nor in the absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, too. The captain didn’t come to the nets today. “He’s resting today,” said Indian media manager Redhills Baba. “There’s nothing to worry about.” India’s woes
Broad may not need protective mask for fifth Test
England pacer Stuart Broad, who sustained a deep gash on the bridge of his nose after being hit by nasty bouncer from Varun Aaron, may not need any special protective mask in order to play the fifth Test as the wound is healing rapidly. According to a report in the ‘Mirror’, “It was feared he would need extra protection, but the swelling around his battered nose is reducing after he was a hit by a bouncer from Varun Aaron.” The daily also mentioned that a rival helmet company from the one Broad uses has already offered their services with a promise to provide him with a better quality helmet. His ‘Ayrtek’ helmet failed to stop the ball from getting between the peak and the grill. Now rival helmet maker ‘Masuri’ have offered Broad one of their Vision Series lids, designed to prevent his type of injury and used by several stars. Masuri MD Sam Miller said: “Masuri does not sponsor specific players. We believe that when it comes to something as important as head protection, players should be free to choose the best helmet.”
Agencies |
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The secret of Ali’s success
London, August 13 “After the first Test at Trent Bridge, where I went for quite a few runs, I sat down and analysed it and felt the need for change,” Ali said today. “Then Belly (Ian Bell) took me to one side on the practice day at Lord’s and said, ‘Look, this is what you’ve got to do to be consistent in the Test side, this is what Swanny did, bowl quicker and straighter, especially on a first-day pitch’.” “Then I went into the nets and Dharmasena was there and I asked him, as a former off-spinner, how could I bowl quicker without it being flat. I didn’t want to bowl one-day stuff. And he said to me, ‘Just grab your pocket as quickly as you can with your non-bowling arm.’ As soon as I bowled one ball I knew it would work. That, for some reason, allows me to bowl quicker and straighter without being flat.” He agreed that India probably thought that it would be easy to knock him for runs. “They felt I was an easy target, a guy they could get easy runs from, which has helped me quite a bit,” he said with a grin. “If they attack me, now I’m bowling well, I’ve got a chance. But they’re very good players of spin. I don’t know how I’m getting these wickets but I’m happy to. I feel like I’m on top and I feel I can get players out.” “I’ve always felt I could take wickets, but it was about being consistent and getting the captain to keep me on for longer periods of time. My mentality changed after that first Test against India,” he revealed. “At first I felt ‘they’re really good players of spin, what am I going to do?’ But then I told myself ‘as long as you’re bowling it doesn’t matter who’s batting’. Since I’ve had that mentality, so far, it’s been working.” He also said that he doesn’t need to bowl his doosra, for “I don’t need it at the moment”. Anderson crossed the line of respect: Mike Brearley
Former England captain Mike Brearley has said that James Anderson should be encouraged to harness his aggression but not at the expense of respect. Brearley said Anderson is not being a role model when he crosses the line of proper respect. “Earlier in the summer, when the kerfuffle with Ravindra Jadeja was first publicised, an England spokesman said the management back their key bowler to the hilt,” Brearley said. “I would agree about competitiveness a top sportsman needs it (to the hilt). Such an attitude is a form of respect to the opposition. ,” he said. “But what I find lacking in the ‘to the hilt’ support is toughness in the loyalty, a willingness to make and address a distinction between aggression on one hand and contempt on the other. By all means encourage Anderson (and others) to be aggressive; but surely one can, at the same time, confront the boorishness of some of his gestures and language,” he said.
— PTI |
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Sonowal pads up to bring BCCI under RTI Act
New Delhi, August 13 Clearly, Sonowal's latest statement is certainly to ruffle quite a few feathers. Against the backdrop of allegations of spot-fixing during IPL matches, Sonowal said the government was aware of several controversies surrounding the BCCI and they were investigating the matter. “Several controversies about BCCI regarding allotment of franchisees, match fixing, betting etc., reported in sections of print and electronic media, have come to the notice of the Government. Various agencies namely the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax and Service Tax Department have conducted inquiries into the allegations of the irregularities involving the BCCI,” he said. “In order to curb match-fixing and other unfair practices in sports, Ministry of Law has prepared a draft legislation has sought the views of the Sports Ministry,” he added. The Minister, however, made it clear that the government has no intention of taking over the BCCI since it’s an autonomous body. “BCCI is an autonomous body registered under the Societies Act. It is not feasible for the Government to take over and run the day to day activities of BCCI,” he said. Sonowal insisted that no compromise would be made on bringing about transparency. “The Government has taken measures to bring transparency, accountability and good governance in the functioning of the NSFs with a view to minimise the complaints of various nature such as misappropriation of funds, prevent doping, sexual harassment of women, age fraud etc,” Sonowal said. |
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Mary still smarting
from defeat to Pinki
New Delhi, August 13 London Olympics bronze medallist Mary Kom refused to acknowledge Pinki, the 24-year-old from Hisar, as an emerging talent and said she will answer her critics through her performance inside the ring. Asked
does she feel that finally she has some competition in India, the ‘Magnificient
Mary' replied, “I will not answer this question now. I would certainly
like to give an answer to this question but inside the boxing ring.”
“It's not easy to maintain top fitness after giving birth to three
children. But I am still fighting on. Right now, I am preparing for the
Asian Games trials. I will answer all those who are conspiring against
me,” she added. When asked about Pinki's success at the Glasgow,
Mary corrected a scribe. “It was a bronze (won by Pinki) and not the
silver.” Clearly, the growing animosity between the two boxers was
palpable as Mary Kom refused to entertain any more questions related to
Pinki. Mary Kom, who punched above her weight for all her life —
from the boxing ring to breaking the barriers and making a career in a
sport few women take up - was at her combative best, taking on the IOA
ad-hoc committee members for postponing the Asian Games trials without
even bothering to inform her. The trials were originally scheduled for August 9 in Patiala, but were put off in order to give rest to the pugilists in the CWG squad. She lashed out at the ad-hoc committee for disrespecting her achievements. "This is very unprofessional. I felt cheated for no fault of mine. This is merely an excuse as no CWG boxers I know have told the committee about postponing the trials. I feel cheated because no one even bothered to call me to inform about this postponement. I reached Patiala for the trials along with my family and that's when I came to know of the postponement," she alleged. Mary
Kom said the precedent set by the ad-hoc body is not good for aspiring
boxers. “Imagine, if this could happen to a five-time world champion
and India's first female Olympic medal winner in boxing, then think
about other youngsters who are planning to take up boxing as a
profession.” The only thing which brings a smile to her face is her
biopic. “I'm excited about the movie's release. Priyanka Chopra has
done a commanding job. Hope it makes boxing even more popular,” she
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Runs, wins turn Captain Cook from zero to hero
Rohit Mahajan Tribune News service
London, August 13 Even as the Indians practised at the other side of the ground, Cook had a long photo session, with a dreadlocked gentleman directing the proceedings from behind the camera. It was photoshoot for Investec, the sponsors of the Test series — no, Cook’s not going to be sacked, far from it. India-England Test begins
The Paul Getty Ground at Wormsley, Buckinghamshire, is hardly the most well-known cricket ground in the world, so it might surprise many to learn that England and India started a Test match there today. But don’t be alarmed – it’s the first and only Test match between the women’s teams from India and England. The male-centric nature of cricket has been a problem women’s cricket has been struggling with for decades. It’s no surprise, thus, that while the men’s teams of the two nations are playing in one of the best stadiums in the world, the women have been relegated to Wormsley. But Wormsley does have a feel of Oval about it. The ground was once owned by Sir Paul Getty, the multi-millionaire philanthropist. He was introduced to the sport by Mick Jagger, and Getty fell so much in love with cricket that he had a pitch built on it, modelled on The Oval itself! |
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Real Madrid lift Super Cup, thanks to Ronaldo double
Cardiff, August 13 It was a thoroughly deserved victory before a 33,500 crowd at the Cardiff City Stadium in the traditional curtain-raiser to the European club season. Europa League holders Sevilla battled well but were outclassed by the Champions League winners. Carlo Ancelotti's men dominated from start to finish with Ronaldo producing two sublime finishes to beat keeper Beto, his Portugal team mate, after 30 and 49 minutes while Sevilla were restricted to just two chances. The first opportunity for Sevilla came after 20 minutes when Vitolo forced Iker Casillas to make a block at the near post and the second arrived in the closing stages when Grzegorz Krychowiak prompted an acrobatic save from the experienced keeper. Real were superior in defence, midfield and attack with Ronaldo showing no sign of the knee injury that blighted his 2014 World Cup campaign in Brazil. After being presented with the Man of the Match trophy by his former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo told reporters: "It's the first official match of the season and I was not sure how I would feel.” Rooney is ManU captain
New Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has given England striker Wayne Rooney the role of team captain and made Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher his vice-captain. “It is a huge honour for me – and for my family – to be named captain of this great club,” Rooney said after Van Gaal's side beat Valencia 2-1.
Agencies |
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The Oval today for the final Test match against England. Kohli went particularly hard at the bowlers when he was batting in the middle of the three nets — the spinners were in operation there.
Moeen Ali has said that very useful advice from teammate Ian Bell and umpire Kumar Dharmasena, which came just before the second Test at Lord’s, contributed to his success in the series.
Ali has taken 19 wickets in the series and has emerged as a surprise package — India generally don’t give away so many wickets to the spinners, but Ali has benefitted from careless batting by them.
New Delhi, August 13
Misbah backs Ajmal to come clean on suspect action