IOC issues a warning

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has cautioned the Union Sports Minister that the proposed sports legislation could threaten India's participation in international events, especially the Olympic qualifiers and Olympic Games, if stipulations being imposed on the National Olympic Committee and National Sports Federations (NSFs) were not modified so as to respect the autonomy of the Olympic Movement.

In a letter to Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge), Ajay Maken, on Tuesday, the NOC Relations Director of the IOC, Pere Miro, stated that it was not the IOC's intention to interfere directly in the process of legislation formulation by the Government of India.

However, he pointed out, organisations of the Olympic Movement in India — the NOC and National Federations in particular — would be “directly impacted and affected by this new sports legislation.”

Miro stated that the internal operations (including the composition of the bodies, decision-making mechanisms, holding of meetings, election process, age limit, if any, number of terms for the elected office-bearers, mechanisms for resolving disputes etc.) should come under the jurisdiction of the sports organisations.

Ind vs Aus: Sehwag doubtful for quarterfinal against Australia

AHMEDABAD: Uncertainty remained on the availability of dashing opener Virender Sehwag for India's make-or-break World Cup quarterfinal match against defending champions Australia on Thursday, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Wednesday.

"We will take a call on Virender Sehwag late this evening or tomorrow morning before the start of the game. All the others are fit and available for selection," Dhoni said at the match-eve media conference at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera.

Sehwag, who lit up the tournament with a breathtaking 175 against Bangladesh in the opening match at Mirpur on February 19, missed India's last Group B tie against the West Indies at Chennai on March 20 after aggravating his old knee problem during the course of the tournament.

He played last against South Africa at Nagpur on March 12, scoring a half century.

Dhoni said the Indian team would certainly miss Sehwag if he is unable to play on Thursday against the world's top-ranked ODI outfit.

"It's really good to have Virender Sehwag opening the innings. He can play an aggressive game. He can change the course of the game in the first five overs, give the team the kind of momentum that is needed," said Dhoni.

On Tuesday, the Delhi dasher did not take part in the warm-up session but later joined the team in the batting practice for half an hour.

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Pak vs WI: West Indies blown away by Pak spin

MIRPUR: With every passing game, Pakistan's form is looking more ominous. Their skipper Shahid Afridi has led from the front and been devastating with his leg-breaks, ensuring that from dark horses before the tournament, Pakistan are now one of the favourites.

On Wednesday, they pulverized past a hapless West Indies to sail convincingly into the semifinal, fashioning a 10-wicket win after spinning out Darren Sammy's men for a mere 112 at the Shere-e-Bangla stadium.

They now await the winner of the India-Australia game in Ahmedabad on Thursday. This is the sixth time in 10 World Cup campaigns that Pakistan have booked a place in the last four. A combination of effective spin bowling and dismal technique did the Windies in.

Afridi was again at the forefront, grabbing 4/30 to destroy any hopes of a batting recovery after Mohammad Hafeez prised out two early wickets.

Once Chris Gayle fell early, the Windies fell apart, and it was obvious some veterans in the team were also past their prime. They simply failed to get the scorecard moving after being reduced to 16/3 before Afridi came to the party and wrecked their hopes further.

At one point, Afridi was on the verge of a hat-trick when he dismissed Kieron Pollard and Devon Thomas off successive deliveries. Chanderpaul played a lone hand, remaining unbeaten on 44, but he too did not look his best. The Windies lost out on everything but the toss.

Hafeez followed up his impressive bowling display with a fluent, unbeaten 61 when Pakistan chased, notching up his maiden World Cup half-century and the Man of the Match award in the bargain. The Windies were so dispirited after their batting effort they failed to dislodge Kamran Akmal too.

The West Indies will return with a bagful of worries. Their team composition needs a rethink, and their batsmen must learn to cope with spin. Four of their batsmen were trapped in front of the wicket. Overall, the team struck only seven boundaries while Hafeez himself notched up ten fours.

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We will keep Sachin on 99 tons: Ponting

AHMEDABAD: Apart from aiming to do everything right with a view to pull off a coup against hosts India at the Motera on Thursday, Australian captain Ricky Ponting also has a prayer on his lips that Sachin Tendulkar does not get his 100th hundred against them.

"Sachin has had an amazing couple of years. His last 15 months have been unbelievable. It's absolutely inspirational for everyone, but we only hope the 100th ton doesn't come on Thursday. He'll be doing everything to make sure he gets it, and we'll be doing everything to make sure he stays on 99 for a bit longer," said the Australian captain.

All Ponting is concerned at the moment is Thursday's match and nothing less than a win.

"It doesn't get any bigger, playing India in the quarterfinal in India. It's one of the biggest games I have played as captain. It's going to be enjoyable and exciting. Like us they too will be a bit anxious about the outcome of the game as well," he said.

"Thursday's match will not be about individuals, not about Ponting and Sachin. India are one of the favourite teams, and if we want to win the World Cup we have to win on Thursday."

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Ind vs Aus: India on the edge as Men in Blue face Australia

AHMEDABAD: This is it. Hold your breath when India take on Australia on Thursday, for there will be no second chances. The biggest stage, and the crucial moment, has arrived.

Where India and Australia stand in ODIs/World Cup

Reputations are at stake for MS Dhoni and his beleaguered counterpart Ricky Ponting. India lost to Australia in the 2003 World Cup final and endured an awful campaign in 2007, but the scales have tilted since. This isn't the invincible Australia of old. Rather than a sublime and uplifting battle between two powerhouses of the international game, current form indicates this second quarterfinal might be more of a scrap.

Neither side has been awe-inspiring in the build-up to this moment. Both have obvious chinks in the armour just waiting to be exploited, and both need to shed the blow-hot, blow-cold approach which has characterized their campaign so far.

Then there's the enormous pressure breathing down their necks, especially Dhoni's men. India are playing at home and millions expect nothing less than victory. The backlash, in case of defeat, will be painful. Australia have dominated this stage for so long that this bunch of players wouldn't like to be remembered as children of a lesser god. Whichever team can raise its game now will go through to meet Pakistan.

As many as six players in Dhoni's current squad were losing finalists in 2003 and will be looking to make amends. It's a great opportunity to settle an old score. Yet, making a statement of intent might not be easy, even though the Motera is expected to be dry and spin-friendly. India's bowling, apart from Zaheer Khan, has been ordinary. Time and again, they have faltered in the Batting Powerplay. Even the middle-order has collapsed twice. Australia's pacers can be a handful. Can the sight of a familiar opponent get the competitive juices flowing?

The issue of Virender Sehwag's fitness is another complication the team could have done without. The opener is struggling with a troublesome knee and Dhoni said a call on his availability would be taken in the morning. Sehwag, however, spent a lot of time at the nets fielding and batting, and seems more likely to play than not.

The Australians too have been anything but impressive. Ponting's time seems to be running out. His form and confidence is under the scanner and his fierce temper has shown through. Controversy and bad blood seems to be hounding the Aussies and they've been forced to maintain a quieter profile. The loss to Pakistan meant drawing the curtains on a 34-game unbeaten streak in this tournament and this loss of aura is a boost for opponents.

Will this be India's turn to deliver a knockout blow?

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Ind vs Aus: Tendulkar, Ponting get ready for final World Cup duel

AHMEDABAD: The quarterfinal clash between Australia and India, on Thursday, is not only about who stays in the hunt for the title but also about two of game's modern day greats Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting squaring off in a World Cup game for what appears to be one last time.

The two ageing warriors would like to stamp their superiority and propel their side to the last four stage on March 24 at Motera's Sardar Patel Stadium.

Neither of the two is expected to be around in 2015 when the next edition is scheduled to be held Down Under.

In the previous meeting between the two sides in the World Cup, that took place in the summit clash of the 2003 edition in Johannesburg, Ponting came out trumps with his unbeaten century took the game away from India even before the Men In Blue came out to bat.

Ponting's blistering 140 not out, in only 121 balls with a staggering eight sixes and 4 fours, had propelled Australia to an imposing 359 for two.

Chasing the huge Australian total, Tendulkar could score only 4 and despite Virender Sehwag's run-a-ball 82, India fell well short of the target and Australia walked away with cricket's most coveted prize for the second edition running.

On Thursday, in front of a vociferous 50,000-strong crowd, the Indian master has the chance to make ample amends for what happened eight years ago and also step into the record books as the first batsman to have scored 100 centuries combined in both forms of cricket - Tests and ODIs.

Tendulkar has had a very good tournament individually, with superbly crafted tons against England and South Africa at the league stage, though both efforts could not power India to victories, with the first match tied and the second ending in a narrow defeat.

Ponting, on the other hand, has had a horrendous run with the bat. In six matches, he has mustered a miserly 102 runs with 36 being his best effort at a poor average of 20.40, less than half his 358-match career average.

Ponting's ODI average in India against the hosts is also an impressive 44.86 from 24 games, but the second and last of his two hundreds in this country was notched eight years ago in Bangalore.

The Tasmanian has looked a pale shadow of his domineering style and is under tremendous pressure to keep his captaincy though teammate Michael Hussey felt otherwise.

Hussey brushed aside reports in Australia that Ponting's captaincy was at stake, at a media conference here today and said the entire team was backing the struggling skipper.

"No worries at all. He has been fantastic, best man for the job and has been for a long time. He's certainly got the full support of all team members," Hussey said.

Ponting has also been lambasted in the media for losing temper on the field of play and off it too, as well as for not walking after clearly edging behind the stumps while Tendulkar did the exact opposite a day later and was hailed for his sportsmanship.

"He's been criticized over minor things. They have been blown out of proportions. He's been playing well and just like a champion rises to the occasion at the right time, on Thursday we will see the best of Ricky Ponting," Hussey said in his skipper's defence.

In five duels against Australia in World Cups, Tendulkar's best effort thus far has been a splendid innings of 90 in a league game at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium in 1996, and his average against them is a modest 28.20 spread over four World Cups.

Thursday's match provides both these stalwarts, among the all-time great batsmen in the game, a last chance to impose their stature in head-to-head battles in the premier ODI tournament.


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This is the most important tournament of my life: Sachin

AHMEDABAD: Finally, the word is out. Sachin Tendulkar has conceded that this is the most important tournament of his life.

Typical of the man, though, he has made sure that his feelings have remained in the private domain. TOI had to dig deep to find out how much importance he attaches to this World Cup.

Having started his WC career in 1992, he has featured in as many as six World Cups, including the ongoing one. By 1996, he had not only become the bulwark of the Indian batting but also the most feared player as far as the opposition went.

While he has broken virtually every record out there, he has always longed for the one missing crown: the World Cup title. He missed out the T20 world title when he, and Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, withdrew from the tournament in South Africa and Mahendra Singh Dhoni scripted a memorable victory.

At 37, he knows it's a now or never opportunity. It's generally believed this could be his farewell World Cup and he realizes nothing could be sweeter than winning it at home. It would complete his mission in cricket and make him the greatest player the game has seen, if he already isn't that.

"Yes, it is the most important tournament of my life," Tendulkar had told his closest friends, and most in the team are also aware of his determination.

Like always, though, he is making sure that it doesn't become a self-before-team cause. "Everyone wants the team to do well," he has told his mates. "I need to focus all my energies on how to go about doing my job."

What remains unsaid is that this is the perfect setting not only for him but also the team. India, of course, take on mighty Australia in the quarterfinals on Thursday. If they get past them, they might well face Pakistan in the semis. And then South Africa (if form and odds don't go awry). Seems daunting.

Tendulkar, though, is clearly driven. He has worked hard for the tournament and you could see him straining every sinew on Tuesday too, here at the Motera. He happily spent a few hours under the blazing sun so that his body is not caught napping on match day.

That's not all. He has watched most of the other games closely, in the sanctity of his hotel room. He has been doing his homework and devising his own strategies.

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How the teams stack up in the World Cup quarterfinals

1st quarterfinal: Pakistan vs West Indies
Venue: Dhaka
Date: March 23

Pakistan's form: Inconsistency has been Pakistan cricket's second name. However, in this tournament they seem a determined lot. They lost to New Zealand but raised the bar against bigger teams like Sri Lanka and Australia to top Group A. Will West Indies be easy pickings?

What makes them dangerous: Their unpredictability. With them, the opposition doesn't know what's in store. Pakistan have a potent bowling attack which can dismantle any batting line-up, as Sri Lanka and Australia already know. With the bat, they have enough experience in the middle order too.

Players to watch out for: Skipper Shahid Afridi, who has led with vigour and panache and also been extremely effective with his leg-breaks: 17 scalps at 11.47 make him the highest wicket-taker in the tournament. His tally includes two five-wicket hauls too. Seamer Umar Gul is the other man in form and is equally dangerous both with the old and new ball.

West Indies' form: Patchy so far. They still haven't beaten any Test team except Bangladesh in the last two years. Looked threatening against minnows but struggled against the big boys like England, India and South Africa. Have often failed to hold their nerves in crunch situations.

What makes them dangerous: They are a compelling blend and have quite a few match-winners. Players like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Devon Smith and Darren Bravo can take the game away from the opposition within no time. They have a good bowling attack which can be effective under any conditions. Besides, they are a vastly improved fielding unit.

Players to watch out for: Openers Chris Gayle (162 runs @ 54) and Devon Smith (293 @ 48.83) have provided solidity to the West Indies batting lineup while Kieron Pollard (179 runs, SR 158.40) has given the team momentum lower down. Kemar Roach (13 wickets @ 12) and Sulieman Benn (12 wickets @ 19.83) have been instrumental with the ball.

2nd quarterfinal: India vs Australia
Venue: Ahmedabad
Date: March 24

India's form: Have blown hot and cold so far. Haven't clicked as a unit at key moments and that cost them dearly against South Africa and England. Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands did not pose much threat while the West Indies surrendered meekly. Scope for improvement given they are one of the favourites.

What makes them dangerous: The batting. The top seven is probably the most potent in the world. If they click as a unit, they have the ability to tear apart any bowling attack and bat the opposition out of the game. Crowd support and knowledge of local conditions are other factors that can work for the team.

Players to watch out for: Yuvraj Singh (284 runs @ 94.66 and 9 wickets @ 25.22) has held the middle order together with great responsibility. Openers Sachin Tendulkar (326 @ 54.33) and Virender Sehwag (327 @ 65.40) have also made their starts count. Zaheer Khan (15 wickets @ 14.86) has been right on the money and has provided the breakthroughs whenever needed.

Australia's form: The Australian juggernaut was on a roll before they being confronted with a spirited Pakistani side. With rain disrupting the game against Sri Lanka, they haven't beaten any big team except New Zealand. They were also stretched by minnows Canada and Kenya.

What makes them dangerous: Australia are a good all-round side and most of their players are multi-utility players. They know what it takes to perform in pressure-cooker situation too. Many players in the side were the part of the 2007 World Cup and 2009 Champions Trophy winning teams.

Players to watch out for: Michael Clarke has been the man in form with an average of 112.50. Openers Shane Watson (265 runs@53) and Brad Haddin (279 runs @ 55.80) are doing the job perfectly and so are the pace trio of Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait, who share 32 wickets among them.

3rd quarterfinal: South Africa vs New Zealand
Venue: Dhaka
Date: March 25

South Africa's form: Have looked the most complete team. Have covered most of the bases and that has reflected in their performance. Unlike other teams, they crushed minnows Netherlands and Ireland with precision. They were ruthless against Bangladesh and West Indies while clinching victory out of the jaws of defeat against India. Their only loss came against England in Chennai.

What makes them dangerous: They have a man for every job. Their batsmen provide enough cushion for their pacers, who are the best in the world. This time, they have variety in their attack too and the spinners have stood up to be counted.

Players to watch out for: Hashim Amla (299 runs @ 49.33) and AB De Villiers (318 runs @ 106) have been in the form of their lives. The spinning duo of Robin Peterson and Imran Tahir has taken the oppositions by surprise, sharing the bulk of the spoils during the league stages.

New Zealand's form: New Zealand's form has been patchy. They were brilliant in all departments against Pakistan in Pallekele but were ordinary against Australia and Sri Lanka. Against the minnows, they were dominant.

What makes them dangerous: New Zealand have quite a few match-winners in their side. On their day, players like Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram can single-handedly win matches. They have a good record in ICC tournaments too.

Players to watch out for: Ross Taylor (245 runs@ 81.66) loves subcontinent conditions. Unlike his other teammates, he enjoys facing spin and is equally effective at the crease even when the ball is reversing. Opener Martin Guptill too has been solid. Tim Southee (14 wickets @ 15.07, eco: 3.95) has been a revelation.

4th quarterfinal: Sri Lanka vs England
Venue: Colombo
Date: March 26

Sri Lanka's form: Are bigger than the sum of their parts and one of the top favourites. Except for the loss against Pakistan, the Sri Lankans have been very clinical. Besides crushing the minnows and New Zealand, were looking good against Australia too before rain marred the tie.

What makes them dangerous: Team combination. The top order is getting runs, the pacers are among wickets and the spinners are always a force to reckon with. So far, the middle order hasn't contributed.

Players to watch out for: Kumar Sangakkara is the leading run scorer in the tournament. Muttiah Muralitharan has shown glimpses of his old form too.

England's form: Watching England has been as exciting as it has been frustrating. They huffed and puffed to victory against The Netherlands, lost to Ireland and Bangladesh but beat South Africa in a thriller and played one of the most exciting games of the tournament against India. They clinched another thriller against the West Indies, winning from an almost impossible situation. Is luck on their side this time?

What makes them dangerous: Just like Pakistan, England have been an unpredictable side. On paper, they look one of the best teams and have so far shown the ability to hold their nerves in crunch situation. Fringe players have risen to the occasion. England are a bunch of fighters who never give up.

Players to watch out for: Man-in-form Jonathan Trott (336 runs) has shown he has a good head on his shoulders. Spinner Graeme Swann (12 wickets @ 20.66) is showing his worth in conditions that favour batsmen more than bowlers.

India are better off facing world champs than Lanka at Motera

MUMBAI: For the most part, on Sunday evening, India would have been tempted to take the easy route ahead: lose to West Indies and avoid Australia in the quarterfinal.

After all, the world champions are a daunting mission, even if they are not in full flow; but the fact is India probably have a much better chance to quell Australia in Ahmedabad than the other option: Sri Lanka

The Lankans would surely have been trickier: their batting is versatile while their bowling has a mysterious ring to it, thanks to the three Ms: Malinga, Murali and Mendis. The Motera track would also have suited them better.

On paper, it would have been an equal battle, no doubt, with India even starting as slight favourites. But that itself would have been the tricky part: India would have slipped into complacency and could easily have ended up with egg, or worse, on their faces.

Now, they will be on their guard: they know giving Australia even a slim chance, a minor opening, is akin to jumping off a cliff. : India, themselves, are a dangerous side when they are pushed into a corner, when nothing but a victory can salvage them.

There are, however, better reasons for being more comfortable against Australia: first and foremost, the aura around them has long been busted; secondly, they don't even have the right balance or wherewithal to claw out of squishy holes.

After the defeat against Pakistan, they would even be somewhat tentative; this is the best time to hit them, before they recover their poise or arrogance. They have a flourishing top order and a menacing pace attack too; but the middle order lacks the old assurance, even with the return of Mike Hussey.

Most importantly, their spin component might not be good enough to stop the Indian run-machine. If India can survive the opening spell, or don't lose too many early wickets, they can reasonably expect to avenge the 2003 WC humiliation. Harbhajan, Ashwin and Yuvraj can then complete the final rites of Australia's demise.

In the other quarters, Pakistan are unexpectedly looking the most assured; they may have lost one match too but they don't look disjointed or dispirited at all. It almost looks like the quibbling before they came here didn't even happen.

West Indies will have to get everything right at the start itself to pull off an upset. They need a towering performance from either Gayle or an over-powering one from Roach; otherwise, they are too brittle to finish off a match. They have already disintegrated under pressure, not once but twice.

South Africa face an unpredictable Kiwi side and will begin a little more confidently. They will, however, feel the world closing in on them: it is the knockout stage and they know things can go awfully wrong any time now. They have, no doubt, the strongest line-up, with enough firepower in pace and variety in spin. New Zealand won't find it easy to get past them.

Sri Lanka probably have the easiest match; England have clearly looked tired and uninspired. They have the players to make one last lunge for it but do they have the chutzpah for it? Worse, they will be playing Sri Lanka at home, which is never an easy proposition; and despite the presence of Swann, they might get trapped in a spin tangle.


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So, the possible semifinal line-up: India vs Pakistan and South Africa vs Sri Lanka.

India are bookies' favourite to lift World Cup

MUMBAI: India might face the monumental task of overcoming four-time champions Australia in the quarterfinal at Ahmedabad on March 24, but for bookies, MS Dhoni & Co are the runaway favourites to win the 2011 World Cup.

Top betting site Ladbrokes is offering odds at 3/1 for India to lift the trophy on April 2 in Mumbai. In other words, a bet of Rs 1,000 on India will earn you a profit of Rs 3,000 if Team India justifies its billing. Another leading betting website, Williamhill, also tips the hosts to win the Cup. While India get top billing at 3/1, South Africa, at 10/3, are the next close favourites. Another betting site, www.bet365.com, gives South Africa, at 3/1, the top billing, with India only slightly behind at 10/3.

At Ladbrokes, India gets favourable odds at 8/13 to beat Australia on Thursday night, while for the Aussies, the figure is 5/4. Williamhill too tips India, at 4/6, to vanquish the Oz (6/5). South Africa, who topped Group B, the pool in which India were placed, and Sri Lanka are the other teams favoured to win the crown, says Ladbrokes. The Proteas enjoy odds of 7/2, while the Lankans are tipped at 9/2.

If Ladbrokes' estimation comes true, India are likely to meet Lanka or South Africa in the final. For both eventualities, the odds are at 5/1.

As for the other quarterfinals, Shahid Afridi's Pakistan are tipped to beat the West Indies at Mirpur. South Africa, the bettors think, should not have a problem against the Kiwis at Mirpur, while Lanka are expected to have it easy against England at Colombo.

If the Cup goes the bookies' way from here, it should be an India versus Pakistan semifinal at Mohali, with Dhoni's boys making it to the summit clash.

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Somdev jumps to number 73 in singles ranking

NEW DELHI: Reaping rich reward for his fantastic run at the Indian Wells Masters, Somdev Devvarman on Monday jumped 11 places to achieve his career-best singles ranking of 73 in the latest ATP list.

Somdev reached the pre-quarterfinals in Indian Wells, eventually losing to finalist and top seed Rafael Nadal but not without giving a good fight to the world number one Spaniard.

Rohan Bopanna, who along with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan reached the semifinals of the doubles event at the same tournament, also improved his ranking by four places to 15.

The Indo-Pak pair had lost to eventual champions Alexandr Dolgopolov and Xavier Malisse.

Leander Paes (7) and Mahesh Bhupathi (5), however, remained static.

In the WTA list, Sania Mirza broke back into the top-100 as she stands 99th in the singles list with a jump of eight places.

This week Sania is seeking to qualify for the Miami event in the USA. She has been seeded 19th and will take on Chinese Xinyun Han in the first round.

The doubles title win at the Indian Wells tournament helped Sania jump 21 places to 33.

Sania and Elena Vesnina of Russia had beaten Bethanie Mattek and Meghann Shaughnessy in the summit clash.

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Sehwag sports numberless jersey in World Cup

NEW DELHI: Rival bowlers desperate to see the back of India's flamboyant opener Virender Sehwag early at the World Cup can now blame the back of his shirt when they are being smashed to all corners of the ground.

The dashing opener, who used to have the number 44 on his back, is now sporting a numberless jersey at the tournament after advice from numerologists.

It seems to work with Sehwag in top form at the World Cup where he has 327 runs from five games at an average of 65.40.

Sehwag is not alone in his quirks and superstitions as most of the players in the Indian team are known to consult astrologers and numerologists while adhering to set routines in the hope of success.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni sports number seven, since his birth date is July 7, while Yuvraj Singh has a 12 to match his birthday of December 12.

Yuvraj also sports a black thread - believed to ward off evil spirits - on his wrist on advice from his mother.

Promising Indian batsman Virat Kohli has no qualms in admitting he is superstitious.

"Earlier, I used to wear the same pair of gloves with which I'd been scoring," he told the Kolkata Telegraph.

"That phase has gone as now I look for comfort. Now the superstition revolves around wearing black wristbands."

Paceman Zaheer Khan attributes at least some of his success to his lucky charm -- a yellow handkerchief that he keeps with him in every crucial match.

But it was a red one which did the trick for former Australian skipper Steve Waugh, a gift from his grandparents, while India's Mohinder Amarnath, who played in the 1983 World Cup winning team, kept a red handkerchief with him.

Sachin Tendulkar is known to put on his left pad first and is fussy about his favourite bats. He would rather use a battered, taped-up bat than trust a new one.

His family doesn't watch TV when he is batting, fearing that he will get out early if they do.

Even fans try to do their bit to help their teams.

A radio station in New Delhi is running a campaign which urges listeners to do the same thing routinely on each day that India play.

So there are fans drinking milk before the start of a match or sitting on the left side of the sofa all through the game.

"I only eat non-vegetarian stuff while watching India play," said Pritam Sinha who works as a research associate in Delhi.

"Be it fish, chicken or mutton. It brings India good luck and wards off evil forces."

Former India captain and opener Krish Srikkanth recalled how members of the 1983 World Cup winning squad were asked not to move from their positions when Kapil Dev was batting to glory in a key match against Zimbabwe.

"The point was I was standing outside the dressing room on a cold, windy day, with a cup of coffee in my hand. And I didn't move for the next two hours or so! I wanted to go to the toilet, but Man Singh (the manager) said 'no'," recalled Srikkanth of the match at Tunbridge Wells in England.

"To tell you the truth it wasn't easy. Actually, it was tougher than battling it out there in the middle.

"Believe me, it stayed that way till Kapil walked back with a triumphant 175 not out. Not just me but the entire team stood at the same spots.

"It was one of the greatest knocks in any form of cricket, but I would like to think that I had, in my own little way, made a small contribution."

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India should play three spinners against Australia, feels Akram

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels that India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni should use three specialist spinners in the quarterfinal against Australia in order to exploit the weakness of Ricky Ponting's men against slow bowlers.

"If the wicket in Ahmedabad offers turn, then MS Dhoni should definitely opt for three spinners since the Aussies don't play spin that well," Akram told said in an interview.

Sri Lanka had adopted a similar strategy during their clash against the Aussies on a turning track at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo on March 5. However the Lankan spin-trio of Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath did not get a chance to showcase their skills as the match got washed out.

However, Akram added that in case the pitch at Ahmedabad is a flat one, then the ploy to stack the side with spinners may backfire on India.

"Playing so many spinners on a batting track may spell doom for India since the slower bowlers will not get much assistance from the surface," Akram said.

India have played with two specialist spinners in four out of the six league games in this tournament. However they haven't played a single match yet with all three spinners ( Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin and Piyush Chawla) in the eleven.

One major worry for Team India, going ahead into the knockout stages, will be the back-to-back batting collapses against South Africa and the West Indies. While they lost nine wickets for only 29 runs against the Proteas in Nagpur, Dhoni and company performed marginally better on Sunday losing their last seven wickets for the addition of only 51 runs.

Akram mentioned that despite this recklessness by the most-famed batting line-up in the world, there is not much reason to worry for the fans.

"Yes, the India batting has collapsed badly twice. But I don't think there is any major reason to worry as these things happen by chance. At the same time, you have to plan your innings and cannot afford to slog every delivery. I am quite sure the experienced Indian middle-order will learn a lot out of their mistakes," concluded Akram.

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Djokovic upsets Nadal to win Indian Wells title

INDIAN WELLS: Novak Djokovic claimed his third ATP World Tour title in a perfect season by beating top-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the Indian Wells ATP tournament on Sunday.

The unstoppable Serb shrugged off the loss of the opening set to outlast the world number one in a gripping match lasting two hours 25 minutes at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, extending his remarkable record for the year to 18-0.

Australian Open champion Djokovic, who overcame Swiss world number two Roger Federer in the last four, broke Nadal twice in the final set before sealing victory when the Spanish left-hander netted a forehand.

It was the Serb's second triumph in the elite ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells, having first won the title here as a 20-year-old in 2008.

"I want to congratulate Rafa on a great tournament," third-seeded Djokovic said courtside after celebrating victory by clenching both fists. "He had to lose but he has started off the year very well.

"It's always a pleasure to play you. For me, you are the greatest player ever and a good friend so I wish you good luck."

Nadal, the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion, applauded the Serb for his third successive tournament win of the year.

"You started the season fantastic so all the best for the rest of the season," the Spaniard said after his own record for the year slipped to 14-3. "Well done. I lost today but I lost to one of the greatest."

BROKE BACK

The opening set went with serve until Nadal broke Djokovic in the fifth game but the Serb immediately broke back in the sixth, pumping his right fist in delight after hitting a backhand winner down the line.

However the Spaniard regained control by breaking Djokovic in the seventh, after his opponent dumped successive backhands into the net, to lead 5-3.

Nadal then held to love in his next two service games to win the first set in 48 minutes.

The second set was almost a mirror image of the first with three successive breaks of serve paving the way for Djokovic to level the match.

He broke Nadal in the sixth game after the Spaniard hooked a forehand wide before failing to hold his own serve in the seventh.

The Serb immediately recovered, though, by again breaking in the eighth and he shook off a strong challenge by Nadal in the ninth, holding serve with his sixth set point after his opponent pushed a two-fisted backhand wide.

Roared on by flag-waving Serbian fans in the stadium's upper tier, Djokovic effectively closed the door on the Spaniard by with service breaks in the first and third games of the final set.

The Serb fired down aces to hold serve in the fourth and sixth games before sealing victory in the eighth on his first match point when Nadal dumped a forehand into the net.

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Ind vs WI: India beat West Indies by 80 runs, face Australia in quarters

CHENNAI: The skeletons had started to tumble out of the cupboard when Zaheer Khan struck. Devon Smith got out, the brittle West Indian middle-order crumbled, and India glossed over the flaws with an 80-run victory.

But along the course of the Chepauk struggle on Sunday evening, it was there for everyone to see that this Indian team is not in best shape.

The lottery of knock-outs beckon the co-hosts now and a couple of good days may still take India to the final, but on current form, it can be safe to say that Dhoni and Co. are definitely not the favourites in this tournament any more.

West Indies is a team desperately short of talent these days and the side they fielded on Sunday (without Kemar Roach and Chris Gayle) would have struggled against any decent opponent. But there was a time in the game when it seemed that India would face the humiliation of losing to this team as well, which had its last ODI win against a Test playing nation (barring Bangladesh) two years back.

Yes, there were a few positives. Yuvraj Singh (113 and 2-18) shone both with the bat and ball, Virat Kohli (59) looked impressive during his stay at the wicket, Ashwin showed the world that he is perfectly cut out for the big stage, but the basic flaws that are bothering this team have still not been ironed out.

The pace attack (barring an odd Zaheer spell) looked pedestrian and it never seemed that Munaf Patel could take a wicket. Add to that his fielding, which always puts India 15-short in the field. Had it not been for the wily, old Zaheer who brought all his experience into play ---India would probably have cut a sorry figure on Sunday.

Another huge trouble area for India is the batting PowerPlay. They struggled with it, despite holding it back till the 46th over. The hosts lost 28 runs losing four wickets and failed to bat out even the 50 overs.

Both Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina, who are fighting for the same slot, failed once again and Dhoni will have to spend sleepless nights pondering over his combination for the semifinal.

But then, the big plus emerging out of Sunday's 'practice match' before the quarterfinal clash against Australia is the form of Yuvi. He held the innings together, played some lovely shots on both sides of the wicket and took India to 268. With the ball too, he came up with a couple of crucial breakthroughs after Zaheer had struck.

He gave the ball a little bit of air and extracted some turn that fooled the likes of Andre Russell and Devon Thomas.

If Yuvi was the star of the show, Ashwin, too, showed that it won't be a bad option if the team management plays him in the quarterfinal. He was given the new ball and in the first six overs that he bowled, he gave away 18 runs. He got the carrom ball to work as well, getting Kirk Edwards plumb in front that went the other way.

But the likes of Darren Bravo, Smith (81) and Smith (39) did run India ragged for a while and there were murmurs in the ground whether India were looking to lose so that they can avoid Australia.

When Zaheer got Smith

Returning for his second spell, and bowling his third over, Zaheer Khan produced a dazzling slow full-length delivery making the ball swing reverse to beat Devon Smith, who was going great guns having made 81 runs. Trying to go for a drive, Smith missed the line of the ball that cut in after pitching and disturbed the stumps. The breakthrough turned the tide in India's favour opening the floodgates as West Indies found the going tough and the climbing asking rate eventually got to them. Zaheer continued to pick two more wickets to finish with figures of 6-0-26-3. It was yet another super class show by India's leading pace bowler.

Yuvraj Singh 113 (123 b, 10x4, 2x6)

Yuvraj Singh has shown one and all why skipper MS Dhoni backs him so much. The lefthander came into the World Cup with poor form, but ever since the half-century against England, he has been in wonderful touch. Against the Windies on Sunday night, the stylish left-hander was at his best, stroking 113 off 123 balls to pivot India to a respectable 268. Together with Virat Kohli, who scored 59, Yuvraj added 122 for the third wicket to steer India out of troubled waters. Later, Yuvraj took two wickets too to bag his third Man-of-the-Match award in the tournament.

Yuvraj (113) recorded his first century in World Cup, eclipsing his 83 off 46 balls against Bermuda in 2007. His Cup tally is an impressive 660 runs, average 50.76 and strike rate 90.78.

Ravi Rampaul (5-51), had a superb World Cup debut logging his career-best and his first five-wicket haul in ODIs. He also became the second West Indies bowler and the sixth overall to capture five wickets on World Cup debut.

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SA vs Ban: South Africa thrash Bangladesh by 206 runs

DHAKA: Lonwabo Tsotsobe grabbed 3-14 on his World Cup debut as mighty South Africa sent Bangladesh crashing out of the tournament with a 206-run victory on Saturday.

Jacques Kallis made 69 and Faf du Plessis hit a run-a-ball 52 to lift South Africa to 284-8 after Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to take first strike on a slow, sluggish wicket.

Bangladesh, needing a win to qualify for the quarterfinals, were shot out for 78 in reply after Tsotsobe ripped through the top order and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson claimed 4-12 at the end.

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan made 30 but none of the other 10 batsmen reached double figures as Bangladesh almost matched their lowest one-day total of 58 against the West Indies earlier in the tournament.

The emphatic win not only cemented South Africa's place as Group B winners with 10 points, but also carried India and England into the quarter-finals with the West Indies set to take the last spot.

Bangladesh ended the league with six points, the same as the West Indies, but their run-rate is so poor that even a massive win by India over Darren Sammy's men on Sunday will not help.

Tsotsobe, who was given a chance only because pace spearheads Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel were rested ahead of the bigger matches, seized the opportunity in style.

The 27-year-old left-arm seamer silenced a sell-out crowd of 25,000 home fans at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium when he had Bangladesh's main batting hope, Tamim Iqbal, caught behind for five in his second over.

Tsotsobe bowled Imrul Kayes and Shahriar Nafees and off-spinner Johan Botha trapped Junaid Siddique leg-before to dash Bangladesh's hopes.

Mushfiqur Rahim was caught in the slips off Peterson and Mohammad Mahmudullah was run out as Bangladesh slipped to 58-6 by the 22nd over.

Peterson had Shakib caught behind and then removed Shafiul Islam and Abdur Razzak in one over and bowled Naeem Islam to end the innings.

Earlier, Kallis mastered the slow wicket to hit five boundaries and a six in his ninth World Cup half-century, sharing a fourth wicket stand of 82 with Faf du Plessis.

They laid the platform for a late assault which saw the lower order batsmen smash 92 runs in the last 10 overs.

South Africa made a solid start as Smith and Hashim Amla (51) put on 98 for the first wicket by the 21st over.

Smith, on 26, survived a close call for leg-before when he asked for a review after being given out by umpire Daryl Harper.

Replays indicated an on-field call - which usually means the batsman has to go -- but Harper overturned his own decision to the surprise of bowler Razzak.

Smith equalled his best score of 45 in this World Cup, against the West Indies in the first match, before he was stumped off Mahmudullah attempting a big hit.

Amla fell two overs later when he played a delivery from Razzak onto his stumps to make South Africa 107-2.

When JP Duminy was caught down the leg-side by the wicket-keeper while trying to hook Rubel Hossain, South Africa were 141-3.

SL vs NZ: Sri Lanka thump New Zealand by 112 runs

MUMBAI: Sri Lanka showed why the World Cup favourites tag sits pretty next to them as they thrashed New Zealand by 112 runs in the day-night clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.

The result enabled them to top Group A with nine points from six games. Sri Lanka now can't finish lower than second spot in the table and that too is possible only if Pakistan beat Australia in Colombo on Saturday.

More than the win, what will delight the co-hosts is the fact that their key players are back in top form ahead of the quarterfinals. After winning the toss and batting first, the 1996 champs were led by an inspired ton from skipper Kumar Sangakkara (111, 128 balls, 11x4, 2x6) and a stylish 66 (90 balls, 6x4) from vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene. Their 145-run third-wicket alliance enabled them to recover from a shaky 19 for 2 in 4.3 overs to a match-winning total of 265-9.

With the ball, Muttiah Muralitharan showed the spin and drift of old times and mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis too proved difficult to negotiate as New Zealand, going well at 82-2 at one stage, just collapsed in a heap as a result of the M&M magic.

The game belonged to the Sri Lankan skipper though. He has been in great touch right through the World Cup and Friday's 111 saw the southpaw top the run-getter's tally with 363 at a Bradmanesque average of 121. He was also brilliant behind the stumps, effecting a smart stumping off the bowling of Muralitharan to get rid of the young Kane Williamson.

Apart from scoring runs, it was the manner in which he took the responsibility of guiding the innings after openers Upul Tharanga (unfortunately run out at the bowler's end) and Tillakaratne Dilshan were packed off early. The way he controlled the powerplay overs was educative, especially for teams like India, who tend to try and do too much in them.

It was Sangakkara's first World Cup hundred and his first ton in 63 ODIs after his hundred against Bangladesh in June 2008 in the Asia Cup at Karachi.
Murali injures knee, hamstring

While Sri Lanka were thrilled after their 112-run shellacking of New Zealand in their last Group A encounter of the World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday, they were a touch worried over key bowler Muttiah Muralitharan's fitness. Murali injured his knee and hamstring while going for an impossible second run and got run out. Man of the match and Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara, though, appeared confident about Murali's availability for the quarterfinal next Sunday. "He will be fine. We are heading back home now and it's important that we give him a rest. He has hurt his knee and hamstring, but he should be fine for the quarters." That Murali picked up 4-25 in eight overs despite his injury proves that he will be fine with some rest.

Ever since he took the charge of the Sri Lankan team from Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara has believed in leading from the front. The 33-year-old has been in golden touch in this tournament and he carried that form against New Zealand. He turned out to be a Man Friday for the Lankans. It was his first century since June 2008 and came after a long gap of 63 innings. Sangakkara's 11th hundred may not be a fluent one but he will cherish this as it came in a winning cause. It was a perfect One-day knock from the Sri Lankan captain, who fought adversities with utmost calmness and then showed his natural flair. His 128-ball 111 contained 12 fours and two big sixes.

How many times in their illustrious careers, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have stepped up and taken Sri Lanka to safety. Even they would have forgotten the counting! However, for spectators, it's always a treat to watch these two stalwarts batting together. On Friday, Sri Lanka had lost early wickets of in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga with just 19 runs on the board. The Wankhede wicket was offering some assistance to the bowlers. The duo put their heads down; gave due respect to good balls and after getting their eye in, dispatched bad deliveries with class and authority. Their 145-run third-wicket stand set up the game for Sri Lanka, who posted enough runs for their bowlers to defend.

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Federer reaches semis at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS: World No. 2 Roger Federer defeated Swiss compatriot and doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells ATP tennis tournament on Friday.

Three-time former winner Federer advanced to the semifinals where he will face Serbian Novak Djokovic who defeated Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-4.

"I have had a wonderful hard court swing," Federer said. "I had a good start to the year, a good six months. I am excited, pretty healthy and really motivated."

Federer set up match point with a thundering forehand down the line then clinched the win when Wawrinka punched a backhand wide ending the 64-minute match on centre court.

The Swiss pair are also teaming up in the doubles draw. No sooner had they finished their singles match then they had to get ready to return to the main stadium court to play doubles against Spaniard's Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez as the first match on the night session.

In their only previous meeting this year, Federer crushed Wawrinka in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. He eventually lost to Djokovic in three sets in the semifinals and Djokovic went on to win the title.

"Wimbledon wasn't that bad," Federer said on Friday.

Federer's win not only sets his first semifinal match against third seeded Djokovic since the Australian Open but the outcome will determine the number two ranking in the world. Federer has a 13-8 career record against Djokovic.

World No. 3 Djokovic has been blitzing his opponents the last few months and is currently on an 18-match win streak dating back to last year's Davis Cup final.

Saina avenges loss to Eriko, reaches quarters in Swiss Open

NEW DELHI: Saina Nehwal avenged her All England quarterfinal loss to Eriko Hirose with a thrilling three-game victory over the Japanese in the second round of the Wilson Swiss Open Super Series in Switzerland.

Second seed Saina beat All England finalist Eriko 21-15 17-21 21-11 in a match which lasted close to an hour to set up a clash with sixth seed Bulgarian Petya Nedelcheva in the quarterfinals.

Nedelcheva defeated qualifier Karin Schnaase of Germany 21-12 21-11 last night.

Eriko had beaten Saina in the quarterfinals of the All England Championships last week and the Japanese got off to a good start in the first game in Switzerland.

She opened up a four-point lead at 9-4 in the second round but Saina caught up with her and moved ahead to pocket the opener.

Her back against the wall, Eriko came back strongly in the second game and moved neck-and-neck with Saina before surging ahead from 17-16 to equalise.

In the decider, world number four Saina didn't give any chance to her rival and shut the match with ruthless precision moving to 13-5 first and then holding on to it as Eriko crumbled.

In men's singles, Ajay Jayaram also reached the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 15-21 23-21 21-19 victory over 16th seed Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark in the third round last night. He will take on fourth seed Sung Hwan Park of Korean in the next round.

Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas beat sixth seeds Mads Conrad-Petersen and Jonas Rasmussen of Denmark 17-21 21-15 21-15 in the men's doubles category.

The Indian duo will next take on fourth seeds Chieh Min Fang and Sheng Mu Lee of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals.

In women's doubles, there was disappointment in store for Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist lost 16-21 12-21 to seventh seeds Shizuka Matsuo and Mami Naito in the pre-quarterfinals last night.

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Tendulkar eyes ton of tons in World Cup group finale

CHENNAI: Sachin Tendulkar can complete another landmark on Sunday by hitting his 100th international hundred as India tackle West Indies in the World Cup's final group match.

Both sides have yet to make sure of their quarterfinal places, although the qualifying picture from Group B will become a lot clearer after South Africa, who are already through, face hopefuls Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday.

As well as the qualification picture, most of the 38,000 fans at the Chidambaram Stadium will be anticipating Tendulkar's 100th international hundred.

The India star moved to 99 centuries (51 in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals) with a majestic innings of 111 in his side's previous group match against South Africa.

However, even a 'Sachin special' was not enough to prevent a three-wicket defeat by South Africa where India, on a belting batting pitch in Nagpur, contrived to lose their last nine wickets for just 29 runs as they slumped from 267 for one to 296 all out.

"When you hit those big shots, you tend to forget that you are playing for the country and not for the crowd," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.

Runs are set to be harder to come by in Chennai, where no batsman managed a fifty on a typically bowler-friendly pitch during England's nailbiting 18-run win over the West Indies on Thursday.

The good news for India is that West Indies have no equivalent of Proteas' fast bowler Dale Steyn.

But their batsmen, who will be expected to bat far more sensibly in the powerplay after collectively losing their heads against South Africa, will do well not to under-estimate a youthful Windies attack that troubled England.

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo took three wickets on his one-day international debut while lively seamer Andre Russell almost produced a match-winning all-round performance with four wickets and a dashing 49.

Had the West Indies, who lost their last four wickets for just three runs on Thursday, won both they and India would now be in the quarterfinals.

However, West Indies coach Ottis Gibson was encouraged by much of the England match, saying: "We are starting to show the resilience we are going to need to beat teams like England and India on Sunday and the big boys."

For India, the debate over whether to play off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is reaching a key phase.

Dhoni has been steadfast - his critics would say stubborn - in support of struggling leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.

Ashwin, praised by Dhoni for his mental toughness and stability, has yet to bowl a single over at the World Cup.

But Sunday's match is taking place on Ashwin's home ground and there will be those in the Indian camp arguing that it is better to bowl the 24-year-old this weekend than risk playing him 'cold' in a quarterfinal.

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