India will host Australia for a seven-match ODI series and a one-off Twenty20 international in October-November this year, the BCCI announced today.
     The short tour will begin with the lone T20 contest in Rajkot on October 10.
     The ODI series will begin in Pune on October 13 and culminate with the seventh and final match in Bangalore on November 2.
     The match-schedule is as follows:
 10 October - T20 International      - Rajkot
 13 October - First ODI              - Pune
 16 October - Second ODI             - Jaipur
 19 October - Third ODI              - Mohali
 23 October - Fourth ODI             - Ranchi
 26 October - Fifth ODI              - Cuttack
 30 October - Sixth ODI              - Nagpur
 2 November - Seventh ODI            -  Bengaluru
     Hours of Play (IST)
 T20 International: 7:00 pm to 8:20 pm (First Session)
                    8:20 pm to 8:40 pm (Interval)
                    8:40 pm to 10:00 pm (Second Session)
 ODIs:              2:30 pm to 6:00 pm ...

India, Australia to resume rivalry in Oct-Nov

PTI Automatic

Mahesh Bhupathi's Wimbledon campaign ended after losing the fiercely-fought men's doubles quarter-final along with partner Julian Knowle to top seeded American twins Mike and Bob Bryan, here.
     The eighth-seeded Indo-Austrian pair fought their hearts out before bowing out with a 6-7 (5) 6-7 (3) 6-7 (4) scoreline against one of the best doubles teams in the world.
     Bhupathi has already exited from the mixed doubles with Slovakian partner Daniela Hantuchova.
     However, it was a remarkable day for India's Rohan Bopanna as he sealed spot in his first ever Wimbledon semifinals with French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
     The 14th seeds knocked out sixth seeded Swede-Canadian combination of Robert Lindstedt and Daniel Nestor with a 7-5 7-6(3) 6-7(4) 6-7(3) 6-2 win in the rain-affected quarter-final, late last night.
     Sania Mirza advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the mixed doubles with Horia Tecau as the second seeded pair downed German team of Martin Emmrich and Julia ..

It's all over for Bhupathi at Wimbledon

The punishing 161-run defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka was difficult to digest and a "reality check" for his side, stand-in skipper Virat Kohli said as India suffered its second successive defeat in the cricket tri-series, here.
     Sri Lanka piled up a huge 348 for one and then shot out the Indians for a paltry 187 in 44.5 overs.
     India are now in a position, where they need to win the remaining two games to qualify for the final.
     "It was a reality check for us, we have to analyse what we did wrong. We have two more games to go. This is going to hurt the guys a little bit," Kohli, leading the side in place of injured skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, said.
     Kohli said the bowlers let them down in the match and a slow start in the chase too was responsible for the debacle.
     "It was a tough day at the office. We were not up to the mark with the ball. The Sri Lankans batted really well, and we did not. To chase down 349, you need a quick start, we were not able to do that, 

The defeat is a reality check: Kohli

Li Na confessed she is a convert to serve-and-volley tennis and has vowed to take her new-found skills at the net with her into the US hard court season.
     The Chinese number one tried out the tactics at Wimbledon and though it did not get her into the semi-finals, the 31-year-old is keen to prove she can mix it with the best of them in the dying art.
     The 2011 French Open champion is going to take a month off recuperating after her Wimbledon exploits, freshening up to tackle the run-up ahead of the US Open, which gets under way on August 26.
     Li was beaten by Agnieszka Radwanska in an epic quarter-final tussle on Tuesday between the highest seeds left standing at Wimbledon.
     The Polish fourth seed, beaten by Serena Williams in last year's final, defeated the sixth seed 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-2 in a closely-fought contest on Centre Court.
     Li saw off seven match points before finally succumbing.
     Throughout, to counter Radwanska's trademark drop shots and deft play, .

Net it be for born-again Li

Pirelli is to strengthen its tyres for the German Grand Prix after a series of dangerous blow-outs at Silverstone led to calls for urgent action, the Italian manufacturer announced on Tuesday.
     Safety concerns were expressed after Sunday's British Grand Prix when Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, Jean-Eric Vergne of Toro Rosso and Sergio Perez of McLaren all suffered blow-outs.
     In response, Pirelli said they would make the rear tyres' internal belt with the high-strength synthetic fibre Kevlar instead of the usual steel to reduce temperatures and the risk of punctures.
     Formula One teams, Pirelli and motorsport's world governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), will meet to discuss the matter at Nurburgring today.
     Only the rear tyres will be changed for Sunday's race, although a complete change will be introduced for the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 28 using the 2012 tyre design.
     In a statement, Pirelli said that after "exhaustive analysis" they ...

Pirelli 'to strengthen tyres' for Nurburgring

Seven years after his first and only Major appearance, Shiv Kapur shot a stunning six-under 64 on a rainy afternoon in the second round of the 36-hole qualifier to earn a berth at the 2013 British Open.
     Kapur grabbed one of the three spots available from the Local Final Qualifying in Dunbar. The Indians, who was lying tied 11th after a first round of one-under 69, was two-under for the front nine in the second round.
     He then went all out on the back nine and nailed four birdies for a flawless 64 and finished the 36-hole qualifiers at seven-under 133.
     His birdies came on the fourth, ninth, 11th, 13th, 14th, and most crucially on the closing 18th. In the morning, he played the first round with an eagle on par-5 second and a birdie on 15th and bogeys on sixth and 13th.
     Finishing one shot ahead of Kapur was local amateur Grant Forrest who shot 67 and 65 for an 8-under-par aggregate. The third berth from Dunbar went to a 45-year-old Melbourne club professional John ...

Sensational Kapur shoots 64 to qualify for British Open

New Zealand paceman Chris Martin announced his retirement today, bowing out as the third highest Test wicket-taker in Black Caps' history.
     Martin played 71 Tests for New Zealand over an international career spanning more than 12 years, claiming 233 wickets at an average of 33.81.
     The 38-year-old, who played his last Test in January and has fallen down the pecking order as a new generation of fast bowlers emerge, said he had enjoyed every moment with the Black Caps.
     "It feels like the right time to step down," he said.
     New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said Martin had made an outstanding contribution to the Black Caps.
     "During his career, Chris has formed a reputation as one of the most consistent performers in world cricket, something which can be put down to his relentless work ethic," he said.
     While lauded for his bowling, Martin was also a fan favourite for his plucky, if inept, efforts with the bat, averaging 2.36 with a high score of 12 

Kiwi quick Martin retires

Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was urged to "come clean" after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) rejected his appeal against a life ban from cricket at a hearing in London Tuesday.
     The ECB handed down the life ban last year after a panel found him guilty of inducing his then Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield to deliberately under-perform.
     He got him to agree to concede a certain number of runs in return for money while bowling in a county one-day match in 2009.
     After Tuesday's verdict, ECB chairman Giles Clarke, called who was also chairman of the International Cricket Council's Pakistan task force from 2010-2012, called on Kaneria to make a clean breast of the matter.
     "It is high time that Mr Kaneria came clean about his involvement in these corrupt activities and stopped misleading the Pakistan cricket fans and wider public with his empty protestations of innocence."
     Although imposed by the ECB, the now 32-year-old Kaneria's ban was ...

Kaneria urged to 'come clean' after appeal loss

Handicapped by the absence of their inspirational captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India's tri-series campaign was thrown into disarray after a crushing 161-run defeat against Sri Lanka, who rode on Upul Tharanga's career-best 174, here.
     The Indians first allowed Sri Lanka to post a mammoth 348 for one, largely built around huge opening 213-run stand between Tharanga and experienced Mahela Jayawardene (107), and then were shot out for 187 in 44.5 overs to suffer their second successive defeat.
     Tharanga's score was highest by a batsman on the West Indies soil and it was seventh time that he was involved in a double-century partnership, joint-highest along with Ricky Ponting.
     Both, Tharanga and Jayawardene enjoyed reprieves from Indian fielders. Jayawardene was dropped on 25 while Tharanga was given life on 2 and 91.
     The Indians are yet to open their account and now face the daunting task of winning their remaining two league matches at Port of Spain in Trinidad to ...

Listless India suffer 161-run thrashing by Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka beat India by 161 runs in an ODI tri-series match here.
     Brief Scores:
     Sri Lanka: 348 for one in 50 overs (Upul THaranga 174 not out, Mahela Jayawardene 107; Ravichandran Ashwin 1/66).
     India: 187 all out in 44.5 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 49 not out; Rangana Herath 3/37).

Sri Lanka beat India by 161 runs

Upul Tharanga scored a career-best unbeaten 174 as Sri Lanka produced a clinical display to thrash India by 161 runs in the third match of the ODI tri-series here.
     Sent into bat, Sri Lanka first rode on Tharanga's 174 and Mahela Jayawardene's 107 to pile up a mammoth 348 for one yesterday and then shot out the Indians for a paltry 187 in 44.5 overs.
     Apart from Tharanga and Jayawardene, skipper Angelo Mathews made a quickfire 44.
     The Indians looked a pale shadow of themselves with Ravindra Jadeja top-scoring with an unbeaten 49 followed by Suresh Raina (33), Murali Vijay (30), Shikhar Dhawan (24) and Dinesh Karthik (22).
     Chasing the imposing total, India piled up pressure on themselves  by scoring just 28 runs for the loss of one wicket in the first 10 overs.
     Rohit Shamra was the first to depart, caught by Mathews at short mideicket off Nuwan Kulasekara's bowling.
     With a mountain to chase, the Indians found boundaries hard to come by as they dealt mostly ..

Sri Lanka decimate India by 161 runs

India captain Virat Kohli, who is leading the side in place of injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has admitted that it was a "tough day" for him in office after Sri Lanka thrashed his team by 161 runs in an ODI tri-series match here.
     Sent into bat, Sri Lanka first rode on Upul Tharanga's career-best unbeaten 174 and Mahela Jayawardene's 107 to pile up a mammoth 348 for one yesterday and then shot out the Indians for a paltry 187 in 44.5 overs.
     "It was a tough day at the office. We were not up to the mark with the ball. The Sri Lankans batted really well, and we did not. To chase down 349, you need a quick start, we were not able to do that, that did not give us momentum," he said at the post-match press conference.
     Asked about the necessity of sending a pinch-hitter while chasing the total, Kohli said, "The way we have been batting, don't think we needed to consider that option. It didn't happen today.
     "It was a reality check for us, we have to analyse what we did ...

It was a tough day in office: Kohli

India find themselves in a spot of bother at 13 for one after five overs while chasing an imposing 349 for win against Sri Lanka in an ODI tri-series match here today.
     Rohit Sharma was the only batsman to depart, caught by skipper Angelo Mathews of Nuwan Kulasekara at the personal score of five.
     Shikhar Dhawan (6) and Murali Vijay (1) was at the crease for India.
     Earlier, Upul Tharanga smashed a career-best unbeaten 174 , while Mahela Jayawardene made 107 as Sri Lanka produced a dominant batting display to post an imposing 348.
     Tharanga scored his runs off just 159 deliveries with the help of 19 boundaries and three hits over the fence.
     Jayawardene, on the other hand, faced 112 balls during his century knock. He hit nine fours and two sixes during his innings.
    Towards the end, Mathews played a 29-ball 49-run cameo to help help Sri Lanka get near the 350-run mark. He struck fours boundaries and one six in the process.
     Sent into bat, Sri Lanka made a ...

India 13/1 after 5 overs chasing 349

Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska downed China's Li Na today to set-up a Wimbledon semi-final against Sabine Lisicki, the slayer of Serena Williams.
     Fourth-seeded Radwanska, the highest seed left following the exit of defending champion Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, beat Li, the sixth seed, 7-6 (7/5) 4-6 6-2 in a gripping two-hour, 43 minute contest which was completed under the Centre Court roof.
     Radwanska, the runner-up in 2012, took victory on an eighth match point.
     The 24-year-old Pole, who had gone into the quarter-final with a 4-6 losing record against Li, also overcame an injury scare when she needed her right thigh tightly-strapped at the start of the deciding set.
     "Li played unbelievable tennis. I was just happy to get through after struggling in the final set," said Radwanska who had also needed three sets to beat Tsvetana Pironkova in the fourth round.
     "I have played so much tennis in the last few days, that's why I have the problem."
 

Radwanska downs Li in epic, faces Lisicki in semis

Mahela Jayawardene ans Upul Tharanga scored a century each to power Sri Lanka to 224 for one after 40 overs against India in the third match of the ODI Tri-Series here today.
     Opting to bat, Sri Lanka made a quiet start to their innings before Jayawadene and Tharanga opened up.
     Jayawardene and Tharanga mixed caution with aggression to pile up 47 runs in the first overs.
     Shami Ahmed, who replaced Bhuveneshwar Kumar, and Umesh Yavad failed to derive any assistance from the low and slow Sabina Park wicket as the Sri Lankan opening duo milked the Indian attack to surge ahead.
     Jayawardene, who was dropped by Murali Vijay off Ravindra Jadeja at the personal score of 25, cashed in on the chance and played sensibly thereafter to reach his fifty in 60 balls with the help of four boundaries and one six.
     Tharanga, on the other hand, played second fiddle to Jayawardene and reached his fifty in 76 balls balls during which he struck five hits to the fence.
     Nothing ...

Jayawardene, Tharanga hit ton as SL reach 224/1 after 40 overs

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Aamer said today he hoped to play international cricket again "as soon as possible" after the game's governing body said it would consider a request for his ban to be relaxed.
     Aamer, along with former captain Salman Butt and pace partner Mohammad Asif, was banned for a minimum of five years by the ICC on charges of spot-fixing during Pakistan's tour of England in 2010.
     Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) interim chairman Najam Sethi raised Aamer's ban at the annual meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in London last week.
     Yesterday, a PCB spokesman told AFP that the ICC had formed a five-member committee to look into Aamer's ban.
     ICC committee chairman Giles Clarke, also chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, confirmed the formation of the committee.
     In a telephone interview with AFP today, 21-year-old Aamer -- who was seen as a rapidly developing paceman in 2010 -- said he was "thankful" at the prospect of ...

Pakistan's Aamer hopeful of ban relaxation

The Indian athletics contingent was today hit by doping incident just a day before the start of the biennial Asian Championships with a woman shot-putter returning positive for a banned substance.
     Sources in the Athletics Federation of India told PTI that the dope-flunked athlete is one of the three shot-putters representing the country in the showpiece continental event which begins at Shiv Chhatrapati stadium at Balewadi Sports Complex here tomorrow.
    "She is one of the participants at the Asian Championships but I can't reveal her identity," an official said.
     Earlier in the day, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) had revealed that a medal-winning woman shot-putter had flunked the dope test at last month's 53rd National Interstate Senior Athletics Championship in Chennai.
     NADA did not name the athlete but said her blood samples contained banned substance Methylhexaneamine.
     Udaya Laxmi, Neha Singh and Navjeet Kaur Dhillon had won the gold, silver and bronze 

Doping hits Indian athletics ahead of Asian Championships

A medal-winning woman shot-putter at last month's 53rd National Interstate Senior Athletics Championship has flunked the dope test, conducted by National Anti Doping Agency (NADA).
     NADA has not named the athlete but said her blood samples contained banned substance Methylhexaneamine.
     "The result management process has revealed that a woman athlete (shotput) reported with adverse analytical finding for Methylhexaneamine (MHA) following her urine dope sample collected in the said championship at Chennai. She is also a medal winner in this event," NADA Director General, Mukul Chatterjee said in a statement.
     NADA conducted a total of 153 dope tests during the Championship from June 4-7, 2013 at Chennai.
     Out of these samples, the laboratory analytical findings in respect of 151 samples have been received.

Woman athlete flunks dope test during Sr. National Ch'ship

India skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to field against Sri Lanka in the Celkon Mobile Cup Tri-Series, here today.
     India have made two changes to their playing XI, bringing in Murali Vijay in place of an injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shami Ahmed replacing Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
     Sri Lanka have drafted in Kusal Perera and Sachithra Senanayake in place of Ajantha Mendis and Jeevan Mendis.
     Teams:
     India: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shami Ahmed, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.
     Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (c), Upul Tharanga, Kushal Perera, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Sachithra Senanayake, Rangana Herath and Lasith Malinga.

India win toss; elect to bowl against Sri Lanka

Young West Indian pacer Jason Holder says his IPL stint with Chennai Super Kings has made him a better bowler and he was looking forward to give his best in the inaugural Caribbean Premier T20 League.
     "I definitely think the IPL has prepared me for the CPL. I have gained a lot of knowledge over the past few months with the IPL players," said Holder who will turn out for the Barbados Tridents in the CPL.
     Holder, who played six matches for the CSK grabbing two wickets, said he has broadened his cricketing knowledge after interacting with international players during the IPL and even at the Champions Trophy.
     "I have had a lot of conversations with various international players around the world...At the Champions Trophy also, so I think I have broadened my knowledge in terms of how to react in certain situations so it's just about executing it in the game," he said.
     The Barbadian cricketer, who has played two one-day internationals for the West Indies, expressed ...

IPL was a learning experience, says Holder

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has ordered an inquiry into reports that a member of the country's A team caused a mid-air panic in an inebriated state while on a British Airways flight.
     SLC has not named the cricketer but according to ESPN Cricinfo, the concerned player was 21-year old opening batsman Ramith Rambukwella.
     "...Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce that it is disappointed to hear of such an incident and SLC will discuss with the Manager of Sri Lanka 'A' Team. An inquiry will be conducted based on the Manager's report and disciplinary action will be taken on the player concerned if found guilty," a SLC statement said.
     Media reports said a drunken Sri Lankan cricketer caused panic on a packed British Airways flight when he tried to open the cabin door at 35,000ft.
     The Sri Lanka A team was on a tour of the West Indies playing two four-day 'Tests' and 50-over and Twenty20 internationals.
     ESPNcricinfo revealed the name of the players on their twitter page.
   

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