With action at Wimbledon in London going on in full swing, a Facebook study today revealed that after United States of America, India is the country where the second highest number of tennis fans is located.
     India also appears on the third spot in the list of countries talking most about Wimbledon.
     The data showcases an analysis of all conversations occurring from the start of the event from June 24 to July 1 when the qualifiers concluded.
     Over 11.6 million total global interactions were analysed that includes mentions, likes and comments.
     Rafael Nadal, who was stunned in the opening round by unranked Steve Darcis, has emerged as the most talked about men's players in Wimbledon, followed by Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
     Maria Sharapova has become the most talked about women's players with Serena Williams at the second place.

India has second highest number of tennis fans: Facebook study

PTI Automatic

India's stand-in captain Virat Kohli has been fined 20 per cent of his match fees and his team-mates 10 per cent for maintaining a slow over rate in their Tri-nation ODI series match against Sri Lanka.
     India were handed an embarrassing 165-run defeat by the Sri Lankans in the match that took place at the Sabina Place on Tuesday.
     "In accordance with the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, and in particular the regulations contained therein governing minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount," the ICC said in a statement.
     "As such, Kohli was fined 20 per cent of his match fee while his team mates received 10 per cent fines," it added.
     Jeff Crowe, of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, imposed the fines after Kohli's side was ruled to be one over short of its target, after time allowances were ..

India fined for maintaining slow over-rate against SL

On the eve of her 18th birthday, India's rising shuttler P V Sindhu wishes for three things this year -- at least a semifinal finish at next month's World Championship, a place in the top 10 ranking and qualifying for World Super Series Final in December.
     In a two-year-old international career, Sindhu has broken into top 20 in September 2012, clinched the Malaysian Grand Prix Gold in May this year and now is just two places away from cracking the elite top-10 bracket.
     Currently recovering from a knee injury, Sindhu has already chalked out her plan for the year.
     "I had injured my right knee last year, which affected my game. But this year I was fine till the Sudirman Cup where I hurt my other knee. I missed Thailand and Indonesia Open due to the injury but I hope to be fit for the prestigious World Championships," Sindhu told PTI.
     "This is the first time I would be playing the World Championships and I would like to at least make it to the semifinals. This is my ...

Sindhu's wish list on 18th birthday

Pune Football Club and midfielder Arata Izumi have agreed upon extending their association for another year.
     As a result the Japanese-born Indian national will stay with I-League runners-up Pune FC until the end of the 2014-15 season.
     Pune FC Head Operation, Chirag Tanna said: "We are glad to have extended Arata's contract. He epitomises what we are trying to achieve at the club on and off the field."
     The contract extension translates into Arata's total commitment to Pune FC ever since gaining promotion into the top flight league in 2009.
     Arata said: "It's another interesting innings to start. Thank you Pune FC family and fans. Keep the faith!."
     Having made Pune his home base, Arata has so far made over 100 appearances for the club.
     The reigning 'Pune FC Fans Player of the Year 2012-13' helped the club achieve its best-ever finish in the I-League and emerged the joint-third highest scorer with five goals to his name.
     Thirty-one year-old Arata ...

Pune FC extend Arata contract to 2015

President Pranab Mukherjee today conferred the National Youth Award 2011-12 on 27 individuals and a West Bengal-based organisation at a function held at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here.
     The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Jitendra Singh and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
     It is for the first time the National Youth awards have been given by the President of India.
     National Youth Awards, instituted in the year 1985 are conferred on youth each year who have demonstrably excelled in different fields of youth development and social service.
     The award carries a silver medal, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 40,000 in case of individual awardee and Rs 2 lakh for any voluntary organisation.
     The selected individuals are expected to possess leadership qualities and use them in carrying out voluntary activities in the field of youth development.
     Selection of awardees is first made at state level and then at the national level.
     At .

27 individuals conferred with National Youth Award

Ace triple jumper Renjith Maheswary feels uneasy at being referred to as 'passenger' at big events and says he is determined to shake off the dubious tag in the ongoing Asian Championships and next month's World Championships in Moscow.
     Maheswary, who holds the national record of 17.07m when he won a bronze in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, told PTI that he would prove his critics wrong in the next few months as he feels he is in top form.
     He could not have a single legitimate jump in all his three attempts in the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Japan and 2012 London Olympics, leading to officials making oblique references to him as 'passenger' in the Indian contingent.
     Maheswary has qualified for the Moscow World Championships after clearing 16.98m -- his season's best -- in the National Inter-State Championships in Chennai last month.
     "I want to make amends of my mistakes though they were not intentional. Which athlete wants to have all foul jumps ..

Renjith Maheswary wants to shake off 'passenger' tag

Their campaign in tatters after two consecutive defeats, India need to regroup quickly as they go into a must-win match against hosts West Indies in the cricket tri-series here tomorrow.
     The Champions Trophy winners have suddenly looked vulnerable as the young Indian players found it tough to come to terms with the challenging conditions.
     As if the two-paced Caribbean wickets were not enough to trouble the Indians, injury to charismatic skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has only made the job tough for them.
     Tomorrow's contest comes as a huge challenge and test for the leadership quality of Virat Kohli, who is being considered as a future captain of the country.
     Kohli's tactics during the big-defeat against Sri Lanka did not work and it will be interesting to see how he leads the young pack in the pressure match, where a defeat will virtually ensure their elimination.
     West Indies are best placed so far with nine points, courtesy two wins from as many matches while ..

Struggling India need win against Windies to stay afloat

Pakistan cricket team masseur was sent back from the ICC Champions Trophy after being accused of sexually harassing a female worker at the London hotel, where the players stayed during the event, a source has claimed.
     According to details the masseur Malang Ali was sent back with the excuse that his wife was ill in Pakistan.
     "The hotel management informed the Pakistani team officials that one of their female workers had lodged a complaint with them that she was sexually harassed by the masseur of the team," one source claimed.
     "The team management than conducted a inquiry and found out that the allegations against Malang had substance and it was decided to send him back home immediately to avoid any legal complications and another embarrassing situation for Pakistan cricket," the source said.
     The source said Malang after returning home was queried by PCB and removed from the job.
     But PCB's media manager Nadeem Sarwar said that an inquiry had been conducted ...

Pak masseur was sent back after sexual harassment allegations

Just days after claiming his second win of the season in last weekend's tumultuous British Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg aims this weekend to complete a perfect set of three 'home' wins when he leads the Mercedes team into the German Grand Prix.
     After Monaco, where he grew up and lives, and Silverstone, a circuit that is barely 15 kilometres from his outfit's Brackley base, the Nurburgring, a traditional Formula One venue steeped in history and located in the Eifel mountains, represents the track of his motherland -- and he believes that with the momentum he has generated, he has a great chance of claiming another win.
     "We are fast and we are setting the pace and we are growing into the role of being favourites for the races now," said Rosberg. "That is a fantastic feeling and for me, personally, it would be so good, so fantastic, if I can win again to complete a hat-trick of three wins on my home circuits."
     Rosberg, 28 last Thursday on the eve of the British Grand Prix, ...

Rosberg bids for home win hat-trick

China's Peng Shuai and Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan have forged a tennis doubles partnership that bridges the divide between the two states, saying sport can take the heat out of the toughest situations.
     The pairing, who play in the Wimbledon women's doubles semi-finals on Friday, say their partnership is all about firm friendship -- and they leave the political stuff to others.
     Peng and Hsieh, born four days apart in January 1986, have been mates since their junior days and won the first of their five tour titles together back in 2008.
     Their closeness has endured and the warmth between the 27-year-olds is obvious, with the pair constantly laughing and joking in each other's company.
     "After a long time playing together, we still have some tough days; sometimes I will not play really good, sometimes her. We have to help each other and we both try together," Peng told AFP. "We have good times and winning tournaments makes us really happy."
     Hsieh added: "She plays most 

Chinese-Taiwanese double act bridging divide

Jerzy Janowicz was once so poor that New Yorkers coughed up to buy him tennis shoes at the US Open before his parents sold their sports shop to keep their son on the road.
     Two years ago, when he was ranked at a lowly 221 in the world, the giant Pole didn't have the cash to buy an air ticket to the Australian Open and in his junior days, he even was offered fantastic riches to dump Poland and play for Qatar.
     No wonder the 22-year-old native of Lodz collapsed in tears after beating compatriot Lukasz Kubot to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
     The victory made him the first Polish man to reach the last-four of a major while it also permanently banished his financial worries.
     As a semi-finalist he collects at least USD 610,000.
     "I was practicing really tough my whole life. I had some troubles also during my career. You are practicing and working for that kind of moment. It wasn't easy to control these emotions," said the 2.03m Pole.
  

Jerzy boy hits high notes after crushing lows

Hobbling Juan Martin del Potro and Polish trailblazer Jerzy Janowicz hope to derail the Wimbledon title dreams of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, the world's two best players, in Friday's semi-finals.
     Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, just about survived his quarter-final against David Ferrer when he strained his already heavily-bandaged left knee in a sickening Centre Court tumble.
     The giant Argentine now tackles world number one and Australian Open champion Djokovic.
     Janowicz, the first Polish man in the last-four of a major, takes on US Open and Olympic champion Murray who is bidding to be the first British man in 77 years to win Wimbledon.
     Djokovic has an 8-3 winning record over Del Potro but the Argentine won their only other previous meeting on grass in the 2012 Olympics bronze medal play-off which took place at Wimbledon.
     Del Potro also won the pair's last meeting in March, on hard court in the Indian Wells semi-finals.
     But Djokovic, having ...

Del Potro, Janowicz look to gatecrash Wimbledon party

With Spain's crown prince stealing the show, Madrid made the biggest impact today among the three cities bidding for the 2020 Olympics and established itself as a serious contender in the race.
	Madrid, Istanbul and Tokyo made their pitches to IOC members, hoping to seize the momentum in the final two months before the vote.
	This was the first time the cities had the chance to present their case directly to the electorate and Madrid made the most of it, generating a buzz that could make the race tighter than ever.
	Counted out by many a few months ago because of Spain's severe financial troubles, Madrid hammered home the message that it offers a low-cost, no-risk bid.
	And Crown Prince Felipe, a former Olympic sailor who was Spain's flag-bearer at the 1992 Barcelona Games, charmed the members with his speech.
	"If you're grading performance, Madrid did the best in terms of the message and delivery of it," senior Canadian IOC member Dick Pound said. "The star of the day was the ...

Madrid shines in 2020 bid presentations

Shot putter Om Prakash Karhana and long jumper Mayookha Johnny won a bronze each as India began their campaign at the 20th Asian Athletics Championships on a mixed note on a rain-marred opening day here today.
     Star discus thrower Krishna Poonia finished a disappointing fourth, while another medal prospect and reigning Asian Games gold medallist Preeja Shreedharan also was fourth in women's 10,000m on a day that saw intermittent rain, affecting the performance of athletes at Shiv Chhatrapati Stadium at Balewadi here.
     Om Prakash, who was struggling all throughout the season, hurled the iron ball to a distance of 19.45 in his second attempt, his season's best though it was more than one meter outside his national record of 20.09m, to give India the first medal of the Championships.
     Asian record holder Sultan Abdulmajeed Alheb of Saudi Arabia bagged the gold with a throw of 19.68m, which he achieved in his fifth and penultimate attempt. Season leader Chang Ming-Huang of ...

Mixed day for Indians at Asian Athletics Championships

Shot putter Om Prakash Karhana, who won a bronze in the ongoing Asian Championships here today, is still nursing hopes of participating in next month's World Championships in Moscow and is taking part in two events in Europe to try and qualify for the mega event.
     A gold here would have automatically book a berth for Moscow but Om Prakash feels he can still qualify for the World Championships.
     "I still feel that I can qualify for the World Championships and I am leaving for Europe next week to participate in two events and try to make the cut for Moscow," said Om Prakash who threw 19.45m, his season's best to win a bronze.
     It will have to be seen whether Om Prakash can qualify for Moscow considering that he has been struggling all through after he suffered a shoulder injury after the London Olympic Games last year. His season's best after today was 18.91m though his national record stands at 20.69m.
     The 'B' standard for World Championships qualification is 20.10m.
  

Om Prakash hopes to qualify for World Championships

Australian great Glenn McGrath says the handling of the 'homework gate' saga during the team's tour of India earlier this year was "pretty poor" and felt it "all blew up" in the middle of the 0-4 Test series drubbing.
     "You look at that side and over the next two years we lost seven players. That's going to knock any team in a big way. But I wasn't aware of the extent they'd allowed things to slip until it all blew up in India in March. The way the 'homework' saga was handled was pretty poor," McGrath said.
     The former pacer said nothing of that sort could have happened during his playing days.
     "There was no way anything like that could have happened under Steve Waugh. There would have been no turning up late or not doing this or that. When you let that discipline slip you're going to have big problems on the field. We had some big personalities but they really pulled together."
     The team management had axed four players, including then vice-captain Shane Watson, ...

It all blew up in March in India: McGrath

Reigning national champion Vikash Malik (60kg) powered through to the pre-quarterfinals of the Asian Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan today with a well earned victory over Nooristani Khaibar of Afghanistan.
     However, bronze medal winner at the 2013 Korotkov Memorial tournament, Jagroop Singh's (81kg) maiden appearance at the championship came to end with a loss in his opening-round bout.
     Malik, also making his debut at the continental championships, put up an admirable performance with spurts of immense aggression to overpower the Afghan boxer.
     Although Khaibar did not make things easy for Vikash, but the two-time national championship gold medallist was relentless in his attacks - a consistent volley of his three punch combo doing most of the damage.
     He went on to secure his place in the round of 16 with a win on a split decision. He now takes on Olympian and reigning continental champion Yunusov Anvar of Tajikistan tomorrow.
     In the light heavy weight ...

Vikash Malik enters pre-quarters in Asian boxing

With her trip to South Korea for the Indoor Asian Games, Keerath Bhandaal, a 16-year-old city girl, has become the youngest ever Indian to represent the country in Cue Sports at this level.
     Bhandaal, a student of DPS, Vasant Kunj, will be competing in Incheon.
     She has already represented India in 9 Ball Pool (under 19) World Championship in Germany, where she was ranked World Number 7.
     She represents Delhi in cue sports in the National Championships and has achieved the India number two ranking in senior ladies billiards in 2013.
     Besides, she is currently also the India number 3 in senior ladies snooker and number 3 in senior ladies 8 ball pool.
     The cueist is the Indian number 1 in both billiards and snooker in under-21 category.

City girl becomes youngest Indian to compete in cue sports

A leading Chechen rebel today called on Islamist militants in Russia's North Caucasus to disrupt the upcoming Winter Games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, reversing his previous appeal not to target civilians in the region.
	Sochi is hosting the Winter Olympics in February in what has been described as President Vladimir Putin's pet project.
	The overall bill for the games stands at USD 51 billion, making them by far the most expensive Olympics in history.
	Doku Umarov, a widely known Chechen rebel leader, urged his men to "do their utmost to derail" the games which he described as "satanic dances on the bones of our ancestors."
	"We have the obligation to use all means to prevent this," he said in a video published on a rebel website today.
	Umarov last year urged his men to avoid hitting civilian targets because Russians in Moscow were taking to the streets en masse to protest against Putin.
	Analysts have said the Islamic insurgency raging across the North Caucasus mountains that 

Chechen rebel calls for attacks on Sochi Games

Indian men and women's kabaddi teams maintained their domination by winning a gold each in the 4th Asian Indoor Games at Incheon, South Korea today.
     According to information received from the Chef De Mission, Ravi Kapoor, India has so far won five medals -- two gold, two silver and a bronze.
     The men's snooker team comprising Kamal Chawla, Brijesh Damani and Aditya Snehal Mehta finished runners up, while the second silver for the country was claimed by Harbans Kaur in 60kg category of women's Muay Thai.
     Chitra Mahima Rajan won a bronze.
     Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Acting President Vijay Kumar Malhotra has hailed the performances in the Asian Indoor games and expressed confidence that the contingent will return home with bigger medal haul.

India wins kabbadi gold in Asian Indoor Games

Ace paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal led from the front as India defeated Iran 3-1 to finish seventh in the team event of the Asian Championships here today.
     In the 7th-8th position playoff, Sharath Kamal (68) pipped 44th-ranked Iranian Noshad Alamiyan in a keenly contested match to help India finish seventh in the Champion Division.
     Sharath Kamal won the first two games with relative ease 11-5 11-9, but the Iranian came back strongly in the next two to level the tie. In the decider, however, the Indian held on to his nerves to claim the match.
     He won the encounter 11-5 11-9 7-11 2-11 11-7.
     Earlier, the 30-year-old got India off to a perfect start as he brushed aside Nima Alamian's (282) challenge 8-11 12-10 11-9 11-9 in the first encounter at the Gijang Gymnasium here.
     But Soumyajit Ghosh (170) failed to overcome the defenses of Alamiyan and went down 7-11 6-11 9-11.
     Anthony Amalraj (158) made heavy weather of his match against Mohammadreza Akhlaghpasand ...

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