'Machiavellianism' ably ridden by Neerajrawal, won the H P Mistry Memorial Cup, the chief event of Hyderabad Winter Races held here today.
	Winner was trained by Deshmukh.
	Trainers Prasad Raju scored a treble and A Sharma, M Srinivasa Reddy scored double while Jockies P Saikumr, I chisty and K Mukesh scored a double each.
	Two first favourites obliged in a card of nine events.

'Machiavellianism' wins the main Hyderabad race

PTI Automatic

Jaypee Punjab Warriors were today crowned the champions of the fourth edition of the Hockey India League as they thrashed Kalinga Lancers 6-1 in the summit clash here today.
     Armaan Qureshi (4th minute), Matt Gohdes (39th) and Satbir Singh (42nd) found the target for Punjab Warriors while captain Moritz Fuerste scored the consolation goal for Kalinga Lancers in the 24th minute.
     Delhi Waveriders finished third after defeating Ranchi Rays 2-0.

Punjab Warriors clinch HIL title

Delhi Waveriders got the better of defending champions Ranchi Rays 2-0 in the bronze medal play-off match to finish third in the Hockey India League here today.
     The Waveriders played an attacking game and put up a strong defence.
     The match started with the Waveriders pressing hard to score but the well prepared defenders from Ranchi Rays ensured that they do not convert any opportunities.
     The Waveriders had the higher ball possession during the first quarter of the match and also ensured higher circle penetrations. However, they couldn't capitalise on any chance.
     Ranchi Rays made a few good moves on the counter but all their attempts to score were foiled by Delhi Waveriders.
     The second quarter started with Waveriders continuing their attacking game. They were finally able to break the deadlock with a field goal from Mandeep Singh in the 18th minute, taking a crucial 2-0 lead.
     Delhi dominated the ball possession for most of the quarter thereafter, not ...

Delhi Waveriders finish third in HIL

China beat Japan 3-2 in the finals to win the Badminton Asia Team Championships in women's category at the Gachibowli indoor stadium here today.
     In the five-match tie comprising three singles and two doubles, Japan's Nozomi Okuhara gave a winning start to her team with a 17-21, 21-16, 21-15 win against China's Shixian Wang.
     It was a clash of equals as Wang is ranked seven, while Okuhara is ranked just below her at eight. Okuhara lost the first game, but bounced back to win the remaining two games.
     Japan's doubles pair of Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi continued their team's winning streak with a 21-12, 21-16 victory over China's Ying Luo and Qing Tian.
     China's Yu Sun, however, revived the fortunes of her team in the second singles match with a 22-20, 21-19 win against Japan's Sayaka Sato.
     In the second doubles match that followed, China's Yu Luo and Yuanting Tang trounced the duo of Naoko Fukuman and Kurumi Yonao 21-11, 21-10.
     China's Bingjiao He, who ..

China wins Badminton Team Championships in women's category

The Indian men's team today secured a  place in the semi-finals of the ongoing Badminton Asia Team Championships after a hard-fought 3-2 win against Malaysia in the quarterfinals at the Gachibowli indoor stadium here.
     With both teams having won two each in the five-match tie, it was HS Prannoy who confirmed a place in the semifinals for his side with a 21-12 22-20 win against Teck Zhi Soo in the final and decisive singles match.
     Prannoy, currently ranked 27, won the first game 21-12, but his low-ranked Malaysian rival came back in the second game.
     Prannoy, however, had the last laugh and his victory set off celebrations in the Indian camp.
     Earlier, India's captain Kidambi Srikanth, who remaind unbeaten in the group matches, came up with a delectable performance once again in the first singles match of the five-match tie.
     He had an easy 21-14, 21-15 win against Malaysia's Zulfadli Zulkiffli, who is ranked 38.
     The five-match tie comprises three singles and .

Indian men storm into semifinals of Asia Team Champions

Rahil Gangjee logged his first top-10 finish in an European Tour event in over two years with a fine three-under 68 to end tied-ninth at the inaugural USD 3 million Maybank Championship Malaysia here today.
     Fraser curled home a clutch 18-foot par putt on the last green to lift the title by two shots ahead of Soomin Lee of Korea. Tied for second place with Lee was Filipino Miguel Tabuena, who closed with a solid 68.
     While Gangjee (68) went to nine-under to finish inside top-10, the other Indian in the fray over the weekend, Gaganjeet Bhullar (72) fell to tied 40th.
     Gangjee, who was down with fever over a 10-day period, starting midway through the Myanmar Open, holed four birdies and was flawless till the closing 18th, where he was done in by a tricky chip and bogeyed the final hole.
     "It was a neat round and my driver was working well. I gave myself a lot of opportunities and I made use of the two reachable Par-5s," said Gangjee, who will move into top-10 of the ...

Gangjee finishes tied ninth in Malaysia

For Stephane Robert, the newly- crowned Delhi Open champion, tennis is not the most important thing in life but "inner peace" is.
     The Frenchman defeated fourth seed Saketh Myneni faded 6 -3 6-0 in the summit clash, which was over in under an hour at the DLTA Complex.
     Bowled over by the "love and kindness" displayed by the Indians in his short sojourn here, Robert said he wants to come back to the country, which is different from "selfish" Europe.
     "It's a bit messy out there on streets but there is kindness in people. I saw one guy selling something and one guy arriving and talking to him before buying. There is a link in people. It's not there in Europe, it's selfish. I like to see this love for each other," Robert said sharing his experience of being out on Delhi streets.
     "You can feel that. In Europe you have it (love) for family but not for others. It's the same in Thailand," he added.
     His life does not revolve around just tennis courts, rather, ...

Europe is selfish, Indian people have love, kindness: Robert

Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri 
turned in a decent two-under 69 to jump a couple of places for a share of the tied 26th  spot after the
third round of the Northern Trust Open here.
     After enduring some bad breaks on the front-nine, for which he was one-over, Lahiri holed four birdies against one bogey on the return journey for a round of two-under 69.
     Lahiri is now five-under 208 and two places better than his overnight position.
     Meanwhile, two-time Masters champion, Bubba Watson, who has already won once this season at the Hero World Challenge last December, moved to the top with a four-under 67 that gave him a one-shot lead over last year's runner-up Dustin Johnson (68), Jason Kokrak (70) and Chez Reavie (69).
     Lahiri, who has made the cut in two of his previous three starts this season, said, "I felt I played ok in the third round. I just got a few tough breaks on the front nine and the putting was not as sharp as it should have been."
     "I am looking forward to .

Lahiri moves to tied 26th at Northern Trust Open

West Indies batting legend Vivian Richards has lauded swashbuckling New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum for posting the fastest ton in Test cricket off just 54 balls, bidding adieu to the game on an incredible high.
     Richards, who held the record for the quickest hundred in Tests off 56 balls jointly with Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq till McCullum broke it yesterday, was all praise for the Kiwi skipper for his record-breaking feat.
     "Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Brendon...(I've) been a great fan of yours for many years. Well done on your achievement," said Richards in the video on Twitter, posted by Pakistan Super League (PSL) side Quetta Gladiators.
     "And if there was going to be an individual who you would've liked to have surpassed whatever you would've achieved in life, certainly it would be you. You're one of those individuals who help to put bums on seats. Long may that continue. Well done, man," he added.
     McCullum came to bat when New Zealand were .

Richards applauds McCullum for fastest Test ton

Triple jumper Renjith Maheswary today won a silver to swell India's medal tally to five on the third day of the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships here today.
     Maheswary had a modest jump of 16.16m to finish second behind Kazakhstan's Roman Valiyev (16.69m).
     Local lad Rashid Ahmed Al Mannai won the bronze with an effort of 15.97m.
     In 60m hurdles, India's Gayathry Govindharaj qualified for tomorrow's final with her personal best to 8.38 secs.
     Earlier yesterday, Mayookha Johny had won her second medal -- a silver in women's triple jump -- to add to her gold in long jump on the opening day.
     In an unfortunate incident, India's multi-event specialist Swapna Barman, who originally finished second in Pentathlon, got disqualified following a protest lodged by Iranian team.
     The Jury of Appeals upheld the protest from Iran citing lane infringement by the Indian athlete in 800m -- the fifth and last event of the Pentathlon.
     Dutee, meanwhile, had won a bronze ..

Maheswary wins silver in triple jump in Asian Indoor Athletics

Exasperated by the never-ending speculation around his retirement, India's limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said being questioned about it at every platform will not change his plan to continue playing for a "considerable period" of time.
     "If I say something one month or 15 days back, the answer does not change. It's irrespective of where I'm asking. The answer remains the same. It's as simple as what is your name and I will say MS Dhoni. It will remain the same for a considerable period of time unless you give me a new format," Dhoni told reporters here ahead of the team's departure for the Asia Cup T20 in Bangladesh.
     Dhoni, on Friday, made it clear that he was not retiring from international cricket anytime soon.
     The 34-year-old Dhoni had called time on his Test career in the middle of the away series against Australia in December 2014.
     "There will be questions, you send me letters or requisitions. If you have the freedom, it's not right to ask ...

Same question won't change my answer: Dhoni on retirement

Veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes and his French partner Jeremy Chardy bowed out of the Delray Beach Open after going down to defending champions Bob and Mike Bryan in the men's doubles semi-final here.
     The top seeded Byran brothers took just 55 minutes to down the Indo-French pair 6-2 6-3 on the outdoor hard courts of the USD 514,065 event here last night.
     Paes had reached last year's final here with South African Raven Klaasen.
     The American pair put up a dominating show. They converted both their breakpoint chances to move ahead in the first set, even as the unseeded combination of Paes and Chardy served three double faults.
     Paes and Chardy could get only 52 per cent of their first service right as compared to 80 per cent by the Bryan brothers.
     The Indo-French failed to make a comeback in the second set as well, wasting five breakpoint chances that they earned.
     On the other hand, the top seeds converted one out of the two chances they got and that 

Paes-Chardy pair bows out of Delray Beach Open

Back in the national cricket team after being ignored for almost five years, veteran India pacer Ashish Nehra today said it is tougher to make a comeback than making a debut.
     The 37-year-old last played for India in the semifinal of the victorious 2011 World Cup campaign against Pakistan. After missing the final due to a finger injury, he was overlooked for nearly five years before being recalled for the three-match T20 series against Australia last month.
     "It's very difficult to make a comeback. Comebacks are much more difficult than debuts. I've made a comeback after 36," said Nehra at the open media session before the Indian team's departure to Bangladesh for the Asia Cup.
     He said it was tough for the pacers to keep performing.
     "It's not easy for pacers to keep performing day in and day out. There will be pressure. You have to keep working hard. I train to play international cricket, not aim to play only domestic cricket," said Nehra.
     Since his return to ...

Comebacks are much more difficult than debuts: Nehra

Concerned about the violence that has engulfed his home state Haryana owing to the jat agitation for reservation, star Indian boxer Vijender Singh today appealed for peace.
     Vijender, who is gearing up to fight his fourth professional bout on March 12 in Liverpool, posted a video message on his Twitter page to plead for calm.
     "I appeal to my jat brothers to maintain peace and brotherhood in Haryana. It is absolutely essential for us, our families, our state and our country," Vijender said in a brief message.
     The 30-year-old belongs to the Kaluwas village in Bhiwani, which has also been severely affected by the violence during the agitation.
     Jats are demanding reservation and despite various leaders, including the Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar, appealing to them to maintain peace, there was
 No let up in
the protests which have disrupted normal life in Rohtak, Jind, Jhajjar, Sonipat and Hisar.

Vijender pleads with "jat brothers" to end violence

Their understanding of each other's
game improving with every match, Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan today said he and Rohit Sharma would look to not just emulate but surpass the success of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar- Sourav Ganguly pair.
     "Me and Rohit have been opening for a long time. We understand each other very well, we know each other's nature very well. I know what he likes to do in the middle. We are quite comfortable. We both have a lot of strokes so if he plays fast I can play the role of rotating the strike," Dhawan said in the open media session ahead of the team's departure for the Asia Cup in Bangladesh.
     "The way Sachin and Sourav had a long
 Career in opening,
we can also have that in time. Maybe we can break more records. It's surely going to benefit both of us as well as the country," he added.
     Earlier, Rohit had also spoken about emulating the success of the Tendulkar-Ganguly combo.
Speaking of his own game, Dhawan said he is in a good space having ...

Hope me & Rohit have a long career like Sachin-Sourav: Dhawan

Kidambi Srikanth, the top-ranking male Indian shuttler who put up an impressive performance in the Badminton Asia Team Championships here, says he aims to achieve a medal in the coming Rio Olympics.
     "As early as possible, but I am not in a hurry to do that (achieve number one rank in world rankings). It's just that I need to perform consistently. Then, I will automatically get that. I don't want to become number one (immediately). I want to perform really very well. That's when I can be there (at the top)," the 23-year-old shuttler told PTI here.
     Srikanth, who is currently ranked nine in the world, led the Indian team to semi finals of the Badminton Asia Team Championships. He was the only one to win a match in the five-match tie in the semi finals against Indonesia yesterday. Srikanth remained unbeaten in the tournament.
     He said he doesn't think much about expectations.
     "I don't think much about the expectations. I would like to win. To win, I need to work hard. ..

Srikanth wants to win a medal at Rio Olympics

Struggling to cope with the windy conditions and an opponent for whom win or defeat was immaterial, Saketh Myneni suffered a tame defeat to end runner-up at the Delhi Open, here today.
     Fourth seed Myneni faded 3-6 0-6 against Frenchman Stephane Roberts in the summit clash, which was over in under an hour at the DLTA Complex.
     Robert, who describes his game as 'casino tennis' as he takes a lot of risk going for his shots, was hardly challenged by the Indian and easily walked away with his first ever Challenger title on the hard court.
     All his titles have come on clay so far. The 35-year-old Robert, ranked 61 in 2010, had reached the third round at Australian Open as a qualifier and lost to world number 25 Gael Monfils.
     Myneni made a nervy start and it took him six minutes to hold serve in the beginning and that too after saving two breakpoints.
     He could never use his serve, which is his biggest weapon, and his strokes were also not up to the mark today.
     He .

Myneni comes a cropper in final, ends runner-up in Delhi Open

Former Indian cricketer Virender
Sehwag has appealed to the jats to end their violent agitation for reservation, saying that people of the community are saviours and not destroyers.
     "I appeal to all my brothers to give up violence and present their demands in a constitutional manner. We are saviours, not destroyers," Sehwag, who is himself a jat, tweeted.
     "We have made the country proud whether in the army or in sports, our zeal should be used to do good for the country," he added.
     Jats are demanding reservation and despite various leaders, including the Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar, appealing to them to maintain peace, there was
 No let up in
the protests which have disrupted normal life in Rohtak, Jind, Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Sonipat and Hisar.

Sehwag appeals to Jat agitators for peace

New Zealand quick bowler Neil Wagner defended his use of the bouncer today but admitted to feeling "shaky" when he felled Steve Smith with a blow to the head in the second Test in Christchurch.
     Century-maker Smith collapsed and lay prone on the ground for several seconds before staggering to his feet.
     After he was given the all-clear following medical attention he continued his stand as Australia closed in on New Zealand's first innings 370 in the second Test.
     The danger of head blows has been highlighted since Australian Phillip Hughes died after being struck on by a bouncer 15 months ago.
     "It's not nice is it. It's bit of a shaky feeling," Wagner said when questioned about how he felt when Smith went down.
     "It's never one's intention to hit someone in the head and see him go down like that.
     "I ran up straight to him and he flashed his eyes a little bit and I was a bit worried at the start and he said he's fine and he took a bit of time."
     Wagner, ...

New Zealand enforcer defends bouncer, but 'shaky' about Smith

Amid continuing uproar on the issue of freedom of expression in the country, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today called for respect to the armed forces, saying 
that the nation is in a position to
debate because of the men in uniform.
     "As v have this debate on freedom of speech our forces r making sure v stay in position to keep debating," Dhoni wrote on his official Twitter handle.
     "Spl forces and commando unit's r normal ppl like u and me who r highly motivated and trained to put the interest of the nation before self," he added.
     Dhoni holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army.
     His comments come in the backdrop of a raging debate on freedom of expression after an event against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus where anti-national slogans were
 Allegedly raised.

Our forces ensuring that Ind in position to debate FoE: Dhoni

Scoreboard at stumps on day
two of the second Test between New Zealand and Australia in Christchurch on Sunday:
     New Zealand first innings 370
     Australia (overnight 57-1)
     D. Warner c Guptill b Boult    12
     J. Burns c Guptill b Wagner   170
     U. Khawaja c McCullum b Boult  24
     S. Smith c Guptill b Wagner   138
     A. Voges not out                2
     N. Lyon not out                 4
     Extras (b4, lb9)               13
     Total (4 wickets, 110 overs)  363
     Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Warner), 2-67 (Khawaja), 3-356 (Burns), 4-357 (Smith)
     Bowling: Southee 22-4-71-0, Boult 24-5-85-2, Henry 27-6-88-0, Anderson 12-1-32-0, Wagner 20-4-63-2, Williamson 5-0-11-0.

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