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 

Twin centuries by Anderson, Devcich take NZ 'A' to 300/8

PTI Automatic

Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academies (MBTA) today announced the launch of their 36th academy in Mysore.
     The Mysore chapter of the MBTA will be housed at the Raghuveer Tennis Academy and at the helm of the coaching sessions will be NP Raghuveer, who has been a coach in the US.
     He will be joined by six more coaches at the academy which has eight clay courts.
     MBTA was founded by 12-time Grand Slam winner Mahesh Bhupathi in 2006.
     "Building on the success of our last thirty-five academies, I am sure that this academy will be no exception. Though this is a milestone for us, it is only a sign of bigger and better things to come tennis' way," Bhupathi said in a release.

MBTA launches its 36th academy in Mysore

Zimbabwe are all set to return to the ICC Test Team Rankings Table for the first time since May 2007 and will be placed ninth irrespective of the result of their two-match series against fourth-ranked Pakistan starting in Harare tomorrow.
     Zimbabwe pulled out of playing Test cricket in January 2006 and, since their return in August 2011 after a gap of five years, the team has been unranked, having not played the requisite eight qualifying Tests to be part of the rankings table.
     But at the end of the two-Test series against fourth-ranked Pakistan, scheduled to start in Harare on Tuesday, Zimbabwe will return to the table ahead of Bangladesh in ninth position, irrespective of how the series pans out, the ICC said in statement.
     Apart from the incentive of returning to the Test Team Rankings table, Zimbabwe have an opportunity to collect a few points to help them narrow the gap with eighth-ranked New Zealand.
     Zimbabwe can return with as many as 47 points, but, to ...

Zimbabwe set to return to ICC Test Team Rankings

Top-seeds Ram Aravind and Priyanka Nutakki sailed into the second round of the National Under-11 Open and Girls Chess Championships, here today.
     In both categories, all the seeded players advanced smoothly to round two with full point in their kitty on the opening day of the championships at Ludlow Castle Sports Complex.
     In the open section, Ram Aravind of Tamilnadu, started his championship campaign with an easy outing against team mate Dharshan P while second seed Saurabh Anand also began with a bang as he overcame his rival Debanga Kalita of Assam without much struggle.
     Meanwhile in the girls' category, Priyanka Nutakki from Andhra Pradesh started in style as she overpowered her Delhi rival Kaamyaa Negi in the first round encounter.
     Second seed and local favourite Vantika Agrawal registered a comfortable victory over team mate Shruti Kakar.
     A total number of 181 players in Open and 101 in girls section from 26 states are participating in this prestigious ...

Ram Aravind, Priyanka Nutakki sail into round 2

The Champions League T20 matches, which were originally scheduled in Hyderabad, have been shifted to Mohali, Ranchi and Ahmedabad after the local police refused to provide security cover for the event due to Ganesh immersion and the ongoing Telengana agitation in parts of the state.
     Four teams - Sunrisers Hyderabad, Otago Volts (New Zealand), Kandurata Maroons (Sri Lanka) and Faisalabad Wolves (Pakistan) - were to play each other once in the CLT20 qualifiers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on September 17, 18 and 20 but the six games will now be played at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.
     The top two teams will join the eight others that have already qualified for the group phase.
     The three double-headers of the group stages, too, have been shifted out from the state, the organisers said today.
     While Mohali will play host to two matches on September 24, the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi has bagged the double-header on September 28.
     The two ...

CLT20 matches shifted out of Hyderabad

Indian Hockey Federation President K D Singh today congratulated the national team for finishing runners-up in the Asia Cup after a narrow loss to South Korea in the final in Ipoh, Malaysia.
     "I'm delighted at the Indian team's performance in the Asia Cup. Never mind the loss in the final, the team played really well throughout the tournament," Singh said.
     "Hockey has always brought laurels for the country in the past, it is time we restore its glory and make India proud," he added.
     In the final yesterday, India made a spirited fightback in the second half but failed to earn a direct berth in next year's hockey World Cup as they lost the summit clash 3-4.
     The Indians, who are virtually assured of a place in the game's showpiece event to be held at The Hague, Netherlands, needed to win the eight-nation tournament to secure a direct entry in the World Cup.
     Korea's fourth title win means Malaysia are certain to return to the World Cup after a gap of 12 years.
     

IHF Prez congratulates Indian hockey team for Asia Cup show

The country's top amateurs will be seen in action when the sixth event of the Tata Steel Indian Amateur Golf Tour tees off at the challenging Karnataka Association course here tomorrow.
     This is one of the most stellar fields in recent times where all the top 22 players on the IGU Order of Merit are in fray.
     As many as 99 players will battle it out for honours in the event to be played over four days of strokeplay.
     Leading the competition front is the youth brigade of Karan Taunk who is currently perched at the No.1 spot on the Order of Merit, local lads Udayan Mane, Syed Saqib Ahmed and Trishul Chinnappa who occupy the second, fourth and fifth positions respectively, Viraj Madappa (No.3) and Samarth Dwivedi (No.6) amongst others.
     Young Manu Gandas who had won the IGU South Zone Juniors a couple of months at the same venue is back from a confidence-building victory at Coimbatore last week and would be looking to register an encore.
     The win has also catapulted ..

Top amateurs for Tata Steel Southern India Amateur

The Indian Boxing Federation today (IBF) formed a three-member disciplinary committee to look into the allegations of manipulation in the World Championship trials, levelled by three boxers who were not picked for the event.
     Speaking to PTI, IBF President Abhishek Matoria said the panel will issue showcause notices to the trio of Arjuna awardee Dinesh Kumar (91kg), national champion Dilbag Singh (69kg) and Praveen Kumar (+91kg) after a meeting here tomorrow.
     The panel comprises Federation's vice-Presidents I D Nanavati and Mukharjee Nirwan and chairman of the IBF's Ring Officials Commission Narottam Singh Rawat.
      "The committee will meet here and issue notices to the three boxers tomorrow and accordingly the next step will be taken," Matoria said.
     The IBF chief said the boxers will get a chance to present their case but should be prepared for action if their allegations are not proved.
     "They will get their chance but action will be taken if the allegations are 

IBF forms disciplinary committee to hear charges of fixing

Ace Indian cueist Aditya Mehta, who won a gold medal at the World Games in Cali in July, has set his sights on breaking into the top 50 of the world snooker by the end of this season.
     "It has been a bit up and down in the last six months. My highest (rank) was 67 last year and I, sort of, let it slip. So I am just focusing on getting into the 64 first. The target for the end of the season would be top 50," Mehta told PTI today.
	Mehta, ranked 73rd in the world, is keen to do well at the World Open as well as in the UK championship for gaining valuable ranking points.
	"I need to start moving around now and get some big wins under the belt especially in the bigger events like the international championships, the UK Championships and the World Open.
	"These are the three events with higher prize money and higher ranking points. Hopefully, I can do something in them," he said.
	The 27-year-old said winning the World Games snooker title by defeating China's Liang Wenbo in the final, .

Aditya targets top 50 in world snooker

FIH today confirmed that Malaysian men's team has qualified for the 2014 Hockey World Cup, to be held in The Hague, Netherlands.
     "Malaysia's berth at the summer spectacular was guaranteed following Korea's dramatic 4-3 triumph over India in the final of the men's Asia Cup 2013 in Ipoh (MAS)," an FIH release said.
     Like all of the continental championships, the big prize on offer at the Asia Cup was direct World Cup qualification to the event winner. However, with Korea having recently been promoted from first reserves to confirmed World Cup qualifiers thanks to Argentina's victory in the Pan American Cup, the door was opened to the other reserves for the tournament.
     Last weekend, second reserves Spain were confirmed for the event courtesy of Germany's success in TriFinance EuroHockey Championships, meaning that third reserves Malaysia become the team to benefit from Korea's Asia Cup victory.
     Malaysia are the tenth men's team to qualify for the Rabobank Hockey World .

FIH confirms Malaysia's participation in World Cup

Brazilian midfielder Kaka has completed a return to AC Milan on a two-year contract after the Serie A side agreed a deal with Real Madrid, the Italian club confirmed today.
     "Done deal", Milan's managing director Adriano Galliani announced on the club's website, with Milan adding that discussions ran until "between 0230 and 0300 CET in the morning (on Monday)".
     According to the Italian press, Real allowed the 31-year-old to return to his former club on a free transfer, having paid 65 million euros to bring Kaka to Madrid in 2009.
     The Brazilian was also said to have taken a significant pay cut to facilitate his move to the San Siro, accepting an annual salary of four million euros plus bonuses, a considerable reduction from the 10 million euros a year he received in Madrid.
     "I'm going home!", the player told journalists at a Madrid airport before boarding a flight to Milan, where he is expected to land shortly after Monday lunchtime.
     "I'm very happy, the talks ..

Kaka completes AC Milan return

England today agreed to host India for five Test matches, for the first time in 50 years, when the team lands here for a long series which will also include five ODIs and a Twenty20 International next year.
     "India will play a five-match Test series in this country for the first time since 1959 with Trent Bridge, Lord's, The Ageas Bowl, Emirates Old Trafford and The Kia Oval all hosting Investec Test Matches," the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement.
     Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Middlesex will host tour matches against India who last toured England in 2011 when they were defeated 0-4 in the Test Series and 0-3 in the ODI Series with the NatWest International T20 series drawn 1-1.
     "This will be the first time England has hosted India in a five Test series in more than 50 years and the length of the series reflects the iconic status which contests between these two great cricketing nations now enjoy," ECB Chief Executive David Collier said.
     "We ...

First time in 50 years: England to host India for 5 Tests

Freedom fighters from Goa have expressed their resentment over hosting of the Portuguese Commonwealth Games, popularly known as Lusofonia Games, saying the event reminds people of the oppressive Portuguese regime they faced.
     "Few of the pro-Portuguese people still want to assert that they ruled over Goa for 450 years. It is sad. We strongly express our resentment over these games to be hosted in Goa," Chandrakant Kenkre, president of Goa Freedom Fighters Association, told PTI.
     "Several people lost their lives and thousands went behind bars to liberate Goa from Portuguese rule. We can't forget that," he said.
     The organisers have claimed that these games are being played in Goa because the state is a Portuguese-speaking region.
     Goa Olympics Association president Gurudatt Bhakta had said last week that the hosting of the games has nothing to do with the state's Portuguese colonial past.
     Kenkre has appealed all sportsmen not to participate in the games to be held .

Goa freedom fighters against Lusofonia Games in state

Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir has been forced to cut short his stint with Essex due to family reasons but the English county club is hopeful of his return before the end of the season.
     "Gautam Gambhir returned to his native India on Sunday for family reasons. At this stage Essex Cricket and Gautam are unable to make any further comment," Essex said in a statement.
     "Essex Cricket is fully supportive of Gautam and very much hope that he will return to Essex before the end of the 2013 English domestic season," it added.
     Gambhir's stint with Essex started only last month and had failed to make much impact with scores of 31, 21, 2 and 0 before striking a hundred on August 30 against Gloucestershire in a drawn match in Bristol.
     The left-handed opener has been ousted from the Indian team due to poor form. He was not selected for the Champions Trophy, the tri-series in the West Indies and the ODI tour of Zimbabwe after that.
     His most recent appearance for India was an 

Gambhir cuts short county stint due to family reasons

Narain Karthikeyan drove amazingly to win race two of the Donington round from seventh position on the grid after finishing second in race one from pole position in the Auto GP series, here.
     Having finished second in the opening race of the weekend after starting on pole, Narain had started seventh for the second race of the weekend as per reversed grid.
     With his fourth win of the season, Narain has now moved to fourth position in the drivers' championship with 170 points, 21 adrift of leader and his Super Nova teammate Vittorio Ghirelli.
     Following Ghirelli are Kimiya Sato (180) of Euronova Racing and Sergio Campana (174) of Ibiza Racing team.
     With four drivers in contention for the title, the Auto GP World Series title will go down to the wire at the Brno circuit in Czech Republic, which will host the season finale on October 6.
     "It is definitely the most satisfying win of the season, to win by 13 seconds after starting seventh was amazing," an elated Narain .

Narain wins fourth race in Auto GP at Donington

Rohan Bopanna's campaign ended at the US Open after the Indian and his French partner Edourad Roger-Vasselin suffered a straight-set defeat at the hands of Britain's Colin Fleming and Jonathan Marray in the men's doubles third round here.
    The sixth seeded Indo-French combo was stunned by Fleming and Marray, seeded 12th, 6-4 6-4 in a contest that lasted 81 minutes last night.
    Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin could convert just one out of six breakpoints they got to go down tamely against the lower-ranked opponents.
     They could also win just 58 points in total as compared to 73 won by the British duo.
     In the opening set, Fleming and Marray did well to convert two off the three break chances, while the Indo-French combination wasted three out of four breakpoints to lose it in just 34 minutes.
     In the second set, they showed some fight as they saved as many as four breakpoints out of five before the Britishers made full use of one opportunity to run away with the match.
    

Bopanna bows out of US Open

New Zealand Cricket today announced a brief schedule for its home series against India in January-February next year, falling in line with the BCCI's demand to keep the tour as short as possible.
     India will play five One-day Internationals followed by a two-Test series against the Black Caps between January 19 to February 18.
     Initially the tour was supposed to have three Tests, five One-dayers and one Twenty20 International to be held in February-March.
     But the Indian Cricket Board was reportedly keen on a short visit to New Zealand so that the country could participate in the Asia Cup, which commences in late February.
     NZC Chief Executive David White said he was happy that India would be playing five ODIs against the hosts.
     "It's brilliant that the Black Caps will be playing five ODIs against the world's top one day side given the proximity of Cricket World Cup in 2015," White said in a statement issued today.
     White also informed that the venues for the .

NZC agrees to host India for a brief tour

In an effort to generate awareness for the cause of women's empowerment, the 28th Pune International Marathon will be held with a theme of 'Run for Mother', here on December 1.
     Olympian and Asian steeplechase champion Sudha Singh, Asian long distance silver-medallist Kavita Raut along with other notable athletes will officially register for the meet by paying a tribute to Bharat Ratna Maharshi Karve on September 4.
     "Karve originally started his campaign for women's empowerment by educating the girl child way back in 1886 from a small hut that has now become a famous school.
     "It will be a fitting tribute to his contribution for the women empowerment when our athletes, dressed in traditional Maharashtrian saree, will register online at the same hut on Wednesday," Pune International Marathon organising secretary Pralhad Sawant said while giving out the details.
     The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwala will be present at the function to ...

Pune marathon to be held on December 1

A first-half hat-trick by Lionel Messi ensured Barcelona maintained their 100 per cent start to he La Liga season with a thrilling 3-2 win over Valencia as Real Madrid also made it three wins from three games.
     Messi had looked far from his best in Barca's Super Cup victory over Atletico Madrid in midweek, but looked more like his old self as he put Barca 2-0 up inside 39 minutes and was then brilliantly set up by Neymar to complete his hat-trick.
     However, Valencia were amazingly back in the game by half-time as Helder Postiga struck twice in first-half stoppage time.
     Barca then passed up a host of chances to put the game to bed in the second-half and were nearly punished when Jonas struck the post four minutes from time.
     "It is a difficult place to come for the players they have, the atmosphere and the intensity," Andres Iniesta told Canal Plus afterwards.
     "We practically dominated the first-half for 44 minutes, were winning 3-0 and then we let them back into .

Messi hat-trick keeps Barca on top

Defending champion Serena Williams won her much-anticipated US Open showdown with Sloane Stephens while Li Na avenged a painful loss in Rome to join the world number one in the last eight.
     Williams defeated US 15th seed Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-1 to reach the US Open quarter-finals, winning eight of the last nine game in avenging a loss that ousted her from the 2013 Australian Open.
     "It definitely felt like a bigger match because Sloane is such a great player, but I had to stay focused in the moment," Williams said. "I just tried the whole time to do what I wanted to, stay calm and stay relaxed."
     Williams booked a quarter-final against Spanish 18th seed Carla Suarez Navarro, who upset German eighth seed Angelique Kerber 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).
     Also booking a quarter-final matchup were Chinese fifth seed Li, who beat Serbian ninth seed Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 6-0, and Russian 24th seed Ekaterina Makarova, who upset Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 6-4.
     Li, ...

Serena beats Stephens, joins  Li in US Open quarters

Defending champion Andy Murray and 2001 winner Lleyton Hewitt made light of the heavy, humid New York conditions to breeze into the US Open last 16.
     Third-seeded Murray, who ended his country's 76-year wait for a Grand Slam men's champion when he won his maiden major title in New York last year, eased past Germany's world number 49 Florian Mayer, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-2. His win was built on an impressive 42 winners and seven aces.
     "I think I need to start my matches quicker than I have been doing. I am not that fast out of the blocks," said the 26-year-old. "But once I got going I was striking the ball cleanly."
     Murray, the reigning Olympic and Wimbledon champion, will next face Uzbekistan's world number 65 Denis Istomin, who put out Italian 20th seed Andreas Seppi, 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 3-6, 6-1.
     Istomin will be playing in the last 16 in New York for the first time after ending Seppi's perfect streak of seven five-set wins in 2013. Two of those came against him at the ...

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