Divij Sharan is content that he could make an impression at the US Open by making the pre-quarterfinals with new partner Yen-Hsun Lu and says that the "great" experience of competing in a Grand Slam has boosted his confidence.
     The left-handed Delhi boy and Taipei's Lu joined hands at the last moment and tasted success against some good combinations.
     They beat experienced Israeli pair of Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich before going down to fifth seeds Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer following a tremendous fight in the third round, last night.
     "Lu was pretty solid from the baseline and returned well. I took charge at the net. So we complemented each other well," Divij told PTI from New York.
     "It's been a great experience. Till a few days before the entry deadline I wasn't sure I was going to make the cut. Lu wasn't making the cut with the guy he was signing with so both of us decided to sign together," he said.
     Divij, who made his Slam debut with ...

US Open performance is a confidence booster: Divij

PTI Automatic

Zimbabwe set aside its pay dispute and struck at Pakistan to leave the visitors wobbling at 74-3 by lunch on the first day of the first cricket test on Tuesday.
     Seamer Tinashe Panyangara took 2-15 and his new-ball partner Tendai Chatara had in-form opening batsman Mohammad Hafeez caught at second slip for 5.
     Captain Misbah-ul-Haq was batting on 31 while Azhar Ali was not out on 24 at the interval.
     Stand-in Zimbabwe captain Hamilton Masakadza won the toss and elected to field first after regular captain Brendan Taylor had to be with his wife, who gave birth recently.
     Zimbabwe took the field only after the Zimbabwe Cricket Union agreed to clear the players' dues before the second test next week. However, middle-order batsman Sean Williams preferred to wait for his dues to be cleared and opted out of the first test.
     Hafeez, man of the series in Pakistan's 2-1 victory in the one-day internationals last week, pushed at Chatara's delivery which got some extra bounce 

Pakistan stutters to 74-3 at lunch on 1st day

Unfazed by the politics that followed after he became the first player from Jammu and Kashmir to be picked in the Indian team, all-rounder Parvez Rasool today said that he should be seen and judged solely as a cricketer.
     Rasool was picked for the recent ODI tour of Zimbabwe but was not given a single game by the team management leading to a controversy when J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah lashed out at the BCCI for not fielding Rasool in any of the five matches.
     But Rasool prefers to remain apolitical and urged everyone to look at him only as a player.
     "A cricketer should always be seen only as a cricketer. Whatever performances I have given in the past and the way I am performing at the moment, I would request people to look at only those and that's all," said Rasool.
     Rasool, however, conceded that his selection in the national team has brought in a lot of positive change as far as cricket in the state is concerned.
     "Obviously after my selection a lot of ...

Should always be seen as cricketer: Rasool

Former India coach Gary Kirsten was today appointed chief coach of the Delhi Daredevils for the seventh season of the Indian Premier League.
     The 45-year-old South African, who guided the national team to World Cup triumph in 2011 apart from taking the Test side to the No.1 spot, has been roped in to turn the fortunes of one of the most popular franchises in the IPL after their disastrous eighth-place finish in the last season.
     However, the support staff will remain intact with Eric Simons now working as an assistant coach alongside his close friend while T A Sekar continues to be the Team Mentor.
     Mushtaq Ahmed is also expected to be the spin consultant once again.
     "It is indeed a massive privilege to work with the Delhi Daredevils side after having worked with two international sides (India and South Africa). I have always maintained that building a quality side is a process and I am looking forward to taking up this new challenge in franchise cricket," Kirsten ...

Gary Kirsten named chief coach of Delhi Daredevils

The doctor treating Yogeshwar Dutt's recurring knee problem today said that the Olympic medallist wrestler was recovering from his injury and the timing of his return to action would be decided later in the month.
     The 30-year-old wrestler, who suffered a MCL (medial collateral ligament) tear in his right knee in July, was forced out of the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary but would be flying off to join the team for a coaching camp ahead of the marquee event from September 16-22.
     "Yogeshwar's right knee has suffered an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL tear before and were operated. He recently suffered an MCL tear again. We were contemplating a surgery for it. But last week, we found that the injury has considerably healed so we decided against it," said Dinshaw Pardiwala, who is the head of Centre for Sports Medicine at Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital.
     "When he visited here in July after aggravating the injury he was having pain on his knee. He was advised .

Decision on Yogeshwar's return to action in 3-4 weeks: Doctor

Midfielder Manpreet Singh will lead an 18-member Indian junior hockey team in the third Sultan of Johar Cup to be played at Johor Bahru, Malaysia from September 22 to 29.
     Hockey India Selectors B P Govinda, Syed Ali, Dr R P Singh and coaches Gregg Clark and Baljeet Singh Saini alongwith Government Observer Harbinder Singh selected the players with nine standbys during the trials held at Major Dhyanchand National Stadium here on August 28 and 29.
     Forward Affan Yousef has been named vice-captain of the team.
     Before departing for Malaysia, the team will have a preparatory camp at Major Dhyanchand National Stadium from September 7 to 17.
     The six-nation tournament will feature Argentina, England, India, Korea, Malaysia and Pakistan. India finished runners-up in the previous edition of the tournament last year.
     The Team:
     Goalkeepers: Harjot Singh, Sushant Tirkey.
     Defenders: Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Kothajit Singh, Surender Kumar, Sukhmanjit Singh, .

India announce junior team for Sultan of Johar Cup

Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns feels the Umpire Decision Review System should be restricted to just one usage per innings to prevent it from becoming a "crutch".
     "The DRS is something that helps the game but I think it needs to be used not as a crutch in the game. I would actually have one review per innings because it is there to stop a very bad decision," he added.
     The DRS has been controversial since its inception and has drawn mixed reactions in international cricket. India has been among the staunch opposers of the system.
     Currently, teams are allowed two unsuccessful appeals in an innings.
     Talking about the poor form of New Zealand, Cairns said the team has been disappointing in every form of the game but hoped it would climb up the rankings in next three years.
     "We are eighth in every form of the game. I don't think that's reflective of the talent. New Zealand is more talented than that. Their performances have been erratic, but in next two 

Only one review per innings should be allowed in DRS: Cairns

Divij Sharan's US Open came to an end after the Indian and his Chinese Taipei partner Yen-Hsun Lu went down fighting to Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer in the men's doubles third round here.
     Sharan and Lu lost 6-7 (6) 6-3 3-6 to the fifth seeded Pakistani-Dutch combination.
     Qureshi and Rojer's booming serve gave them the upperhand in then opening set as they sent down as many as six aces against none by their rivals.
     Even though Shara and Lu were better than Qureshi and Rojer in the unforced errors department but eventually the fifth seeds clinched the initiative by not letting it slip despite their rivals' stiff resistance.
      With a better first serve percentage, Sharan and Lu roared back in the second set with a dominating performance during which they broke Qureshi and Rojer once.
     The Pakistani-Dutch combo was, however, guilty of frittering away three break points during the second set.
     But they turned the tables in the deciding set by ...

Divij Sharan bows out of US Open

Roger Federer crashed out of the US Open in the fourth round while Rafael Nadal captured his 19th hardcourt win in a row to reach the quarter-finals without having allowed a service break.
     Federer suffered a stunning upset at the hands of Spanish 19th seed Tommy Robredo, whose 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-4 shocker yesterday was his first victory in 11 matches against the 17-time Grand Slam champion and five-time US Open winner.
     "I'm going to feel like I beat myself," Federer said. "It was up to me to make the difference and I just couldn't.
     "I self-destructed, which is really disappointing. When things came to the crunch I just couldn't do it. It's frustrating."
     Federer's failure, which came on the heels of a shock second-round Wimbledon exit, thwarted a potential quarter-final match with 12-time Grand Slam winner Nadal in what would have been their first meeting on the New York hardcourts.
     "If I'm playing like this, I'm not going to beat Rafa," Federer said.
     This .

Federer stunned while Nadal rolls on at US Open

Life-long friends Roberta Vinci and Flavia Pennetta as well as Daniela Hantuchova reached the US Open quarter-finals to ensure five women over the age of 30 will be in the last eight.
     Vinci, the 10th seed, beat compatriot and qualifier Camila Giorgi 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarters for a second successive year yesterday.
     Pennetta, now at 83 in the world, made the last eight for a fourth time with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) win over Romanian 21st seed Simona Halep and will tackle childhood friend Vinci with a place in a major semi-final for the first time at stake.
     Slovakia's Hantuchova, who last made the quarter-finals as a teenager in 2002, saw off American wildcard Alison Riske 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 on the back of 15 aces and 46 winners.
     "Roberta and I shared a room for four years. She's like a sister," said former world number 10 Pennetta, who splits a 4-4 career record with Vinci.
     "I think it's going to be a really tough match for both of us. We know each other really well. I 

Thirty for success as US Open quarters go senior

The Athletics Federation of India tonight told the Sports Ministry that triple jumper Renjith Maheswary was never punished by it for a dope offence, a development which may get him the Arjuna Award.
     Hours before he was to be presented the prestigious Arjuna Award on August 31, Maheswary was told under dramatic circumstances that he will have to wait for the coveted honour till the completion of an inquiry on whether he had failed a dope test in 2008.
     He was, however, assured that he would get the prestigious award if he comes clean after an inquiry by Sports Secretary P K Deb. National record holder Maheswary has all along maintained that he has done nothing wrong and he deserved the Award.
     Late tonight, the AFI sent the report sought by Sports Ministry on whether Maheswary had been punished for any dope offence.
     AFI President Adille Sumariwala told PTI that the report has been sent to the Sports Ministry after a search of the files of the last five years.
     "We 

AFI submits report to Sports Ministry on Maheswary dope issue

The Indian hockey players, who finished runners-up in the just-concluded Asia Cup tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia, today returned home to a low-key reception here.
     A handful of supporters were present at the Indira Gandhi International Airport to receive the 18 Indian players and the support staff, including acting head coach Roelant Oltmans.
     The players, led by Sardara Singh, landed at the IGI Airport at around 9:15pm IST by a Malaysian Airlines flight and they were taken to a city hotel. The players will disperse for home tomorrow.
     None of the Hockey India office bearers were present at the airport to receive the players though HI Chief Executive Elena Norman, who had accompanied the team in Malaysia, returned with them.
     India had lost to South Korea 3-4 in a thrilling final yesterday. They had remained unbeaten in the tournament before losing in the summit clash against the South Koreans whom they had beaten in the group stage.

Indian hockey players return home to a low-key reception

The BCCI in all likelihood will impose a life ban on former IPL commissioner and its vice-president Lalit Modi at a Special General Meeting (SGM) to be convened in Chennai on September 25.
     A senior BCCI official today informed that the contents of the exhaustive report filed by disciplinary committee comprising of Jyotiraditya Scindia and Arun Jaitley was discussed at the Working Committee meeting in Kolkata on Sunday.
     "The committee's report has suggested imposing a life ban on Lalit Modi. To decide on his fate, a special general body meeting has been summoned in Chennai on September 25 to decide on the issue. As of now, the life ban looks imminent," the official told PTI.
     To impose a life ban on Modi, the BCCI will need a two-third majority at the SGM, which means a minimum of 21 members will have to vote in favour of the ban.
     Modi was the IPL chairman-cum-commissioner during the first three editions but was suspended immediately after the closing ceremony in ...

Modi set to get life ban at BCCI SGM on September 25

Putting to rest all speculation, Sahara Force India today signed British GP 2 racer James Colado as team's reserve driver for the remainder of the 2013 season.
     The 24-year-old had participated in the young drivers' test for the Indian Formula One outfit in July.
     Colado will begin his stint at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix here and he will get behind the VJM06 on Friday for the first free practice session.
     Team Principal Vijay Mallya confirmed his signing.
     "I'm pleased to confirm that we've signed James as our third driver. We worked with him during the Silverstone test and he impressed everyone with his speed and consistency," Mallya said.
     Colado thus joins Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta in the team.
     "We've always tried to support young drivers and this is a great opportunity for James to gain some valuable experience of driving during Formula One race events."
     Mallya said Colado will get chances in other races as well.
     "James will take part 

Force India signs new reserve driver

Soumya Swaminathan joined overnight leader Swati Ghate even as top seed Tania Sachdev made rapid progress climbing to joint second spot after the eighth round in the 40th National Women Premier Chess Championship here today.
     Both Swati and Soumya have 5.5 points apiece, while the trio of Tania, Mary Ann Gomes and Padmini Rout remain half-a-point adrift as the tournament is poised for an exciting finish with three more rounds remaining.
     Playing white, Swati was in a better position with a winning endgame but Nisha escaped with a draw in a knight versus bishop ending.
     Fortune favoured Soumya as she won from an inferior position against Bhakti Kulkarni, who missed a number of winning possibilities with black in a Center Counter defence as the she joined her fellow Pune player at the top.
     Having started her campaign badly, Tania slowly made her progress as she outplayed G K Monnisha in a bishop ending that stretched up to 79 moves to keep herself in the fray.
     ...

Soumya, Swati in lead, Tania climbs to joint second

With less than a week to go until the International Olympic Committee (IOC) votes to decide if squash will join the 2020 Olympic Games, the bid campaign has received a worldwide surging social media support.
     As the campaign looks to build further momentum in the lead up to the IOC presentation on September 8, the squash 2020 facebook page has now registered over 1,24,000 likes (a 21 per cent increase over the last seven days) with the 'Back the Bid' film on YouTube receiving almost 1,53,000 views and @Vote4Squash Twitter account fast approaching 10,000 followers.
     As the only new sport to be shortlisted for inclusion at the 2020 Olympic Games, squash has received social media support from across the globe, including Brazil, Egypt, Columbia, Spain, South Africa, Japan, Switzerland, India, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Malaysia - once again highlighting squash's global appeal and its popularity across all ages and languages.
     Commenting on squash's online support, World Squash .

Social media surge for squash 2020

Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt has been advised not to go in for surgery by his doctors on the knee, which has been diagnosed twice, as it could pose serious threat to his wrestling career.
     Yogeshwar suffered a medical collateral ligament (MCL) tear in his right knee in July and was contemplating undergoing an operation in South Africa.
     "I had consulted Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai. He advised me not to go in for surgery as it could keep me out of wrestling mat for at least six to seven months. Moreover, he said it would be risky to go in for a third surgery on the same area," Yogeshwar told PTI.
     Yogeshwar had undergone the first surgery on his knee in 2009.
     "The doctor has advised me to focus on my strength training. Currently I am concentrating on gyming. He said the injury will heal overtime. He advised that going under knife would not be a good option at this time as it could seriously affect my career. The doctor has said my ...

Yogeshwar not to undergo surgery on his right knee

Former national champion Arvind Savur might have lost his speed but certainly not his passion to succeed as the 72-year-old veteran notched up a narrow victory after seesaw battle against Suffiyan Ahmed in the second round of the World Snooker Indian Open Qualifiers here.
     Savur showed glimpses of his famed potting skills that had earned him the nickname 'Tornado Fats' to put it across Suffiyan 4-3 and enter the third round of the Qualifiers.
     While Savur won 71-14 71-70 39-59 31-91 67-28 42-57 67-33, another former national champion Shyam Jagtiani from Kolkata lost 2-4 to Vishal Vaya.
      Other notable cueists Sourav Kothari, Kamal Chawla, Rafath Habib, IH Manudev and Balachandra Bhaskar advanced to the third round at the KSBA Hall.
     India's number two Kamal Chawla scored a facile 4-0 win over G Sridhar to lead the field into the fourth round.
     Juniors Dhvaj Haria and Himanshu Jain defeated Balaji Reddy and K S Naveen respectively, to advance to the fourth round.

Savur, Chawla surge ahead in Indian Open snooker qualifiers

Having begun their title defence with a lacklustre performance, India would look to make amends and stamp their authority when they square off against Bangladesh in their second group league match in the SAFF Football Championships here tomorrow.
     It was a disappointing show by the Indians in their campaign opener as they allowed Pakistan to dominate for major part of the match and needed an own goal from the rival skipper to come out unscathed.
     Coach Wim Koevermas had minced no words in the post-match press conference, saying that he was not happy with the performance of his men and his side were lucky to have won the game.
     India (ranked 145th) though would start as favourites in tomorrow's Group A match against Bangladesh who are 13 notches below at 158th.
     In the 22 meetings between the two teams, India have won 11 times while Bangaldesh have won thrice and eight games were drawn.
     The last time the two sides met in the 2007 Nehru Cup at Ambedkar Stadium in ...

India take on Bangladesh in SAFF Championships

Senior batsman Kumar Sangakkara and officials of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) met today to sort out their differences arousing after the board questioned his loyalty towards the country while playing in the upcoming Champions League T20.
     "We had a very fruitful meeting and decided to move ahead having sort out the problems of last week," Sangakkara said.
     Sangakkara, under directions from SLC, opted to leave the IPL franchise Hyderabad Sunrisers in preference to local his Kandurata club.
     The player and the SLC were involved in an exchange of emails where the former captain had accused the SLC Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga of pursuing a personal agenda against him.
     Ranatunga defended his action citing collective responsibility of the executive committee based on legal advise while the SLC boss Jayantha Dharmadasa told Sangakkara that his comments on Ranatunga were unacceptable.
     Sangakkara had accused the SLC of jeopardising his IPL future and reminded the board of ...

Sangakkara meets SLC to thrash out Champions League

Middle-order batsmen Corey Anderson and Anton Devcich staged a spirited fightback after early jitters as New Zealand 'A' ended their first day's play at 300 for eight against India 'A' in the second and final four-day 'Test' match.
     Left proved to be right for the Kiwis as the two left-handers Anderson (100) and Devcich (115) added 165 runs for the fifth wicket after India A bowlers had reduced New Zealand A to 43 for four by the 18th over.
     While Anderson smashed 16 fours and two sixes off left-arm spinner Rakesh Dhurv during his 126-ball knock, Devicich was stodgy facing 185 deliveries hitting 15 boundaries in the process.
     Mumbai seamer Dhawal Kulkarni (2/26 in 13 overs) and off-spinner Jalaj Saxena (2/69 in 26 overs) were the most successful bowlers while left-arm seamer Shrikant Wagh, UP medium pacer Imtiaz Ahmed and Dhurv also got a wicket apiece.
     India A began well as Kulkarni quickly sent back senior team opener Neil Broom (0), who edged an outswinger from the 

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