Naman Ojha may not be India's number one Test wicketkeeper but he has hopes of making the national team for its next assignment in the longest format.
     "You need to keep performing, you need to follow certain standards and I think last two-three years, I have achieved that..Scoring runs in Australia..Scoring runs in Duleep trpohy..Double hundreds, hundreds, so I think that is the best thing.. When you are (at) the top of your game and thats the best thing and then play for India," the Madhya Pradesh player told PTI today.
	"Play for India.. That monogram," he answered when quizzed about what keeps him going.
	Ojha has not played for India after making his Test debut against Sri Lanka last year. His only ODI appearance was way back in 2010.
	On his Test debut in Sri Lanka, he said: "Yes, of course, I think it was the best moment of my life...I think everybody dreams to play for India and I think playing a Test match you need a skill.. You need good skills, you need hard-work.. ...

Ojha doesn't rule himself out for West Indies tour

PTI Automatic

Indian golfer Rahil Gangjee, still not fully fit from bouts of fever he suffered two weeks ago, shot four-67 to move to tied 15th after the third round of the inaugural Maybank Championship Malaysia on Saturday.
     Gangjee was six-under 207 at the USD three million event.
     The only other Indian left in fray over the weekend, Gaganjeet Bhullar (71), was tied 25th at four-under 209 after bogeying the 18th for the third straight day.
     Gangjee and Bhullar are the only Indians to make the cut from a total of nine who teed off on Thursday.
     Korea's Soomin Lee fired nine birdies for a sparkling seven-under 64 and a three-shot lead over Australia's Marcus Fraser (66) as overnight leader Nathan Holman (73) slipped to third following a triple bogey on the last hole.
     Gangjee said, "I have still not fully recovered from the illness I had in Myanmar two weeks ago. There is no fever but I have a cough and it is still bothering me."
      "The difference between yesterday and ...

Gangjee rises to Tied-15th in Malaysia; Bhullar is 25th

On a day when Brendon McCullum
broke the record
for the fastest Test hundred, Suresh Raina said he couldn't be happier to have the Kiwi swashbuckler in his IPL team Gujarat Lions even though he wants an Indian to breach the milestone.
     Asked if McCullum breaking a 30-year-old record of Sir Viv Richards (which he jointly shared with Misbah ul Haq) will make it easier for new generation of batsmen to have a shot at glory, Raina said:"I am very happy for McCullum but I hope that somebody from India can do it. I am happy that we have McCullum in Gujarat Lions team. He is a fearless cricketer and we want players who will be playing fearless cricket."
     Speaking at the launch of the Gujarat Lions' team jersey, Raina said captaincy is "just a designation" for him as he does not look at it as a vehicle for something  bigger (Indian
captaincy in limited overs format).
     "Captaincy is just a designation for me. It is the performance that wins you matches. It is all about how one ...

Hope an Indian can break McCullum's world record: Raina

Anirban Lahiri fought back on the back nine with three birdies against no bogeys to ensure that he is around for the weekend at the Northern Trust Open on the PGA Tour at the Riviera.
     Lahiri bounced back with a four-under 67 that put him at three-under 139 and in tied 28th place, up from 77th after first round.
     The 28-year-old Indian, who had to come back early in the day to complete the remaining two holes from the first round, parred both and finished the round at one-over 72 in tied 77th place.
     Canadian Jason Kokrak fired a 64 to open a one-stroke lead over Chez Reavie (67), even as Jordan Spieth, the world's No. 1 player, missed the cut by five shots.
     Knowing he had some work to do, Lahiri opened with a stunning eagle on the par-first hole. He smashed his driver to well over 300 yards and then arrived onto the green with another great second shot. He holed the eagle putt from just over 12 feet for a great start. But he immediately went into the greenside bunker 

Lahiri up to 28th in Northern Trust; Spieth misses cut

The world football governing body FIFA's inspection team is satisfied with the planning aspect of India's preparations for next year's Under-17 World Cup but said that major renovation works need to be done in most of the six stadia to be compliant with international standards.
     The team led by FIFA head of events Jaime Yarza said that the state and central governments, and the football federation will have to start construction work immediately if the stadia are to be ready by October deadline.
     "I must say that the FIFA delegation is satisfied with the planning of the U-17 FIFA World Cup. The AIFF, the local organising committee and governments have done a very good job as far as planning is concerned. We are 80 per cent satisfied with the planning of the tournament," Yarza said at a press conference here.
     "But we need amendments in the ground plan and all the six stadiums need major renovations. October is the deadline for the stadiums to comply with standards required 

Most of U-17 World Cup stadia need major renovation: FIFA team

Saketh Myneni demolished the challenge of second seed Kimmer Coppejans with remarkable ease to move to the Delhi Open singles final, here today.
     Serving better and better as the match progressed, 166th ranked Myneni made short work of his Belgian opponent 6-3 6-2 in the semifinals of the USD 50,000 ATP Challenger event at the DLTA complex.
     With his dominating performance, Myneni has earned himself an opportunity to win his second Challenger level singles title. His first title came in October 2014 in Indore.
     Not only singles, Myneni also has a chance to win his fourth doubles Challenger title in the evening when he and Sanam Singh take on Mahesh Bhupathi and Yuki Bhambri in the final.
     Coppejans put up some resistance initially but once Myneni raised the level of his game, the Belgian just fizzled, looking helpless and at mercy of the Indian. Coppejans often made eye contact with his lone supporter in the stands, perhaps his compatriot, as if asking what to do to ...

Dominant Myneni breezes into Delhi Open final

Brendon McCullum belted the fastest century the world has seen today as he thrashed the Australian bowling in a landmark innings to celebrate his final Test.
     At the end of his explosive 145-run innings, the popular New Zealand captain felt a mixture of pride in what he had achieved and embarrassment at breaking a record set by his childhood hero Viv Richards.
     With a stream of sixes and fours, McCullum brought up his 100 in just 54 deliveries, two fewer than the previous record of 56 achieved by West Indies' great Richards 30 years ago and Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq in 2014.
     With New Zealand fighting to save the series after losing the first Test, McCullum's aggression had set his side up for a first innings 370 and Australia were 57-1 at the end of the first day.
     The 34-year-old, who retires from international cricket at the end of this Test, said that when he went to the middle on a seaming wicket, and with New Zealand in trouble at 32-3, he felt attack would be the 

McCullum embarrassment at record-breaking slog

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke scored what he described as a 'rusty' 48 in his comeback match in Sydney club cricket on Saturday.
	Clarke, 34, who bowed out of the game in August after the disastrous Ashes series in England, was dropped twice early batting at No. 3 for his old team Western Suburbs against Randwick-Petersham.
	He was finally dismissed leg before wicket trying to work a ball through fine leg to Sam Doggett just two runs short of a half-century.
	Clarke was dropped at second slip before he had scored and later was put down again at second slip while on 30 in his 135-minute innings, which included seven fours.
	"It was nice, I enjoyed it. I batted for a good length of time and the body feels pretty good," Clarke told reporters at the ground.
	 "My goal here is to come and try and contribute. Fortunately I made a few runs, I always want some more, but I'll worry about anything past that after this game.
	 "I didn't really have too many goals to be honest, it was ..

Clarke out for 'rusty' 48 in comeback club match

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum hit the fastest century in test history, from 54 balls, in his last international match as the home side put on a display of power hitting today, the first day of the second test against Australia.
     McCullum beat the previous mark of 56 balls shared by West Indies 'Master Blaster' Viv Richards and Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq, and his innings led New Zealand to a creditable 370 after being sent in on a green pitch. In reply, Australia was 57-1.
     McCullum raced from 80 to 100 in just four balls, with two sixes and two fours off Josh Hazlewood, reaching the record with a four through extra cover.
     McCullum was eventually out for 145, superbly caught at deep square leg by Nathan Lyon off James Pattinson, off 79 balls with 21 fours and two sixes.
     His innings had guided New Zealand from early trouble at 32-3 to 253-5 when he departed.
     "The record is something you're immensely proud of but of course you don't set out to achieve it," ...

NZ's McCullum hits fastest test century, off 54 balls

Scoreboard at stumps today on
the first day of the second test between New Zealand and Australia at Hagley Oval:
 New Zealand 1st innings:
 Martin Guptill       c Burns b Pattinson   18
 Tom Latham           c Smith b Bird         4
 Kane Williamson      c Smith b Marsh        7
 Henry Nicholls           lbw b Hazlewood    7
 Brendon McCullum      c Lyon b Pattinson  145
 Corey Anderson       c Voges b Lyon        72
 B.J.Watling          c Burns b Bird        58
 Tim Southee      c Hazlewood b Lyon         5
 Matt Henry         c Khawaja b Lyon        21
 Neil Wagner         c Nevill b Hazlewood   10
 Trent Boult                    not out     14
 Extras (LB-2, W-5, NB-2)                    9
 TOTAL (all out, 65.4 overs)               370
 Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-23, 3-32, 4-74, 5-253, 6-266, 7-273, 8-297, 9-333, 10-370.
 Bowling: Josh Hazlewood 18-5-98-2, James Pattinson 15-2-81-2, Jackson Bird 14.4-4-66-2, Mitchell Marsh 8-1-62-1, Nathan Lyon 10-0-61-3.

Christchurch, Feb 20 (AP) Scoreboard at stumps today on

Long jumper Mayookha Johny fetched India a gold medal while sprinter Dutee Chand settled for a bronze after shattering national record in 60m dash in the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships here.
     Mayookha controlled the long jump competition from the very outset and finished on top of the podium with a leap of 6.35m, an effort that propelled her to India's first Asian indoor title in the event.
     Bui Thi Thu Thao of Vietnam took the silver with a 6.30m jump while Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan finished third with an effort of 6.22m.
     "Winning in Doha made me really happy, especially since I'm not used to competing indoors. However, I expected something better than 6.35m. But I'm not complaining at all. The Asian title is quite an achievement," said Mayookha after winning the gold.
     Another Indian, M A Prajusha finished fifth with a jump of 6.15m.
     Dutee, meanwhile, won a bronze in women's 60m dash with a time of 7.37 secs in the final. Earlier, she had set a national 

Mayookha wins gold in Asian Indoor Athletics

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum hit the fastest century in the history of Test cricket today, taking just 54 deliveries against Australia in the second Test in Christchurch.
     The previous record of 56 deliveries was set by West Indies great Viv Richards against England 30 years ago and by Misbah-ul-Haq for Pakistan against Australia in 2014.
     McCullum's century took 79 minutes, the fourth fastest on time behind Jack Gregory who hit 100 in 70 minutes against South Africa in 1921.
     It was the 12th hundred of McCullum's career and included 17 fours and four sixes.
     The 34-year-old, who is playing in his final Test before retiring, went to the middle with New Zealand 32-3 and by the time he reached his record the score had improved to 175-4.

Brendon McCullum hits record century in 54 balls

For the second week in a row all-rounder Chris Morris conjured a victory for South Africa today, taking the hosts to a three-wicket win over England off the last ball of the first Twenty20 international at Newlands.
	England looked set to defend a modest total as Reece Topley started the last over, with South Africa needing 15 runs to win.
	Kyle Abbott stole a single to get Morris on strike. The tall Morris struck the next two balls for four and six. After a dot delivery, he hit twos off the last two balls. Topley had a chance to run out Abbott to force a tie and a super over but fumbled a throw from long-off.
	Morris finished with 17 not out off seven balls. A week earlier his 62 off 38 balls was a match-winner in the fourth one-day international.
	The man of the match, though, was leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who took four for 21 to restrict England to 134 for eight after the tourists were sent in to bat.
	England looked set for a big total as opening batsmen Jason Roy and the in-form ..

Cricket: Morris provides late heroics for South Africa

Final scores in the first Twenty20
international between South Africa and England at Newlands today.

Cape Town, Feb 19 (AFP) Final scores in the first Twenty20

The head of the World Health Organization's Zika response team is predicting that Brazil will host a "fantastic Olympics" and that the mosquito-borne virus will be "way down" by the time the Summer Games begin in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 5.
	Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO's executive director for outbreaks and health emergencies, says the mosquito population is expected to drop off in the area around Rio since it will be the southern hemisphere's winter by then. He said Olympic venues are also in a relatively confined area, making it easier for authorities to control the local mosquito population.
	Brazil has recorded hundreds of thousands of cases of suspected Zika infection in recent months amid strong concerns that the virus could be linked to a spike in the number of abnormally small heads in newborn babies.
	The Summer Olympics run from Aug.5-21.

UN: Zika virus will be 'way down' before Rio hosts Olympics

South Korean Jang Kun Lee and Bajirao Hodage produced an impressive show as Bengal Warriors beat Telugu Titans in a Pro Kabaddi Season 3 match here today.
     The win takes Bengal Warriors to the second place in the league table with 32 points.
     Telugu Titans now have 23 points from nine matches and they are in fourth place with the solitary point they gained today for a less than seven point defeat.
     For the Telugu Titans, it was yet another disappointing day as their star Rahul Chaudhari was a passenger. He made a sensational start getting rival skipper Nilesh Shinde in the very first raid.
     His failures thereafter, as Bajirao Hodage singled him out for special treatment, hurt his side a lot. This resulted in Bajirao scoring eight points and keeping Rahul Chaudhari out for close to half an hour.
     Jang Kun Lee and Shrikant Jadhav raided well for Bengal Warriors and so did Sukesh Hegde for the losing team.
     Things gradually turned the way of Bengal Warriors after .

Bengal Warriors beat Telugu Titans

Justice (Retd) Mukul Mudgal, who has headed the IPL spot-fixing and betting probe, today called for betting in cricket to be made legalised in the country.
     Asked about legalising betting in the sport, Justice Mudgal said he supports such a step as it would help prevent corruption in cricket.
     "It will help in reducing spot fixing and other illegal practices, the government will also be able to make money from it in the form of taxes," he said.
     Justice Mudgal said the BCCI is entitled to its opinion on the recommendations of the Supreme Court appointed Justice Lodha panel recommendations seeking sweeping reforms to its structure.
     He added that he has received a letter from Delhi and District Cricket Association regarding the managing committee meeting where observations were made on the Lodha Committee report.
     "I have received a letter from the DDCA stating that no such committee exists and no decisions were taken on the Lodha Committee recommendations," Justice 

Betting in cricket should be legalised: Justice Mudgal

Pakistan's seasoned all-rounder and former captain Shoaib Malik has stepped down from the captaincy of Karachi Kings franchise in the Pakistan Super League.
     Just one day before Karachi clash with Islamabad United in the playoffs, Malik announced on the channel which owns the Karachi franchise that he would like to be in the team only as a player.
     "My performance is being affected by the captaincy and I have not been able to fulfil my role. I spoke to the team management and owners and told them to kindly make Ravi Bhopara the captain," Malik said.
     "I have always played for the team and not for myself and I want to deliver in the playoffs for Karachi which is why I stepped down as captain," he said.
     Malik's resignation has come as a surprise since he remains the most successful T20 captain in domestic cricket and is also seen as a strong candidate to be appointed the Pakistan skipper once again after the World T20 when Shahid Afridi retires.
     Malik's resignation 

Malik steps down from captaincy

India men's impressive run in the Badminton Asia Team Championships continued as the hosts booked a semifinal berth with a hard fought 3-2 win over former champions Malaysia, but women's team bowed out after a 0-3 loss to Korea here today.
     With this victory, the Indian men's team has qualified for the Thomas Cup, to be played in May this year. The Badminton Asia Team Championships also serve as a qualifier for Thomas and Uber Cup.
     India will now take on Indonesia in the semifinals tomorrow.
     H S Prannoy won the deciding singles after India and Malaysia were locked 2-2 in the five-match quarterfinals tie at the Gachibowli indoor stadium here.
     Prannoy beat Teck Zhi Soo 21-12 22-20 in a tense match to put India in the semifinals which will be played tomorrow.
     Prannoy, currently ranked 27, won the first game easily but his lower-ranked Malaysian rival came back strongly in the second game which turned out to be a battle of wits. He, however, had the last laugh, ...

Indian men storm into semis; women bow out

Indian sprinter Dutee Chand set a new national record while winning the 60m dash heats at the 7th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships here today.
     Dutee clocked 7.28 secs, the best by an Indian to date, that also bettered the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships record.
     She was the fastest qualifier for the final at the Aspire Dome here.
     Dutee's team-mate Srabani Nanda, who had won a silver in women's 100m race and a gold in 200m in the just-concluded South Asian Games, was disqualified in the heats on account of a false start.
     The earlier best timing by an Indian in women's 60m race was the 7.81 secs in the name of Arjina Khatun set during the Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2009.
     Dutee also erased the earlier Asian Indoor Championships record of 7.33 secs which was in the name of Viktoriya Zyabkina of Kazakhstan set while winning gold in the 2012 edition in Hangzhou, China.
     The Asian Indoor record in women's 60 m race, however, stands at 7.09 ...

Dutee sets new national record in women's 60m dash

Pacer Mohammad Shami was today ruled out of India's squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, raising doubts about his participation in the marqee ICC World Twenty20 that follows the continental tournament.
     Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been named as replacement for Shami by the selection committe.
     After a long injury layoff, post last year's World Cup, Shami was recalled to the national squad for the tour Down Under, only to be ruled out again by a hamstring injury.
     "The BCCI medical team confirms that Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of Asia Cup, 2016. The decision has been taken to give him more time to recover from the Grade II injury to his left hamstring," BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said in a statement.
     Shami had not proved his fitness at the time of the announcement of the squad, on February 5, for the two tournaments.
     However senior selection committee chairman Sandeep Patil had claimed at a press conference during the announcement of the team that "Shami had 

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