Sports News

Some Three months after the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, authorities asked for police protection from 'armed supporters of SGPC', they have been forced to hire private guards 'for the safety of women athletes' in the girls hostel inside the complex.

THERE WASN'T anything different on view on Wednesday from the previous day. Except that the crowd had thinned further, the contest looked even more one-sided, and it was India in place of Pakistan giving Hong Kong lessons in the game.

ROTATION IS probably the only way to keep fatigue and injury at bay in the now non-stop world of cricket. Gary Kirsten, the Indian coach, understands this well, but isn't sure if it would work in a desired manner until it inspires trust and sense of security amongst the players.

KRIS SRIKKANTH didn't hold a cigarette between his lips, neither did Roger Binny roll his sleeves or Sandeep Patil balance himself precariously on the broad shoulders of Kirti Azad.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was still in his nappies when India won the World Cup.Twenty-five years later, as he prepares to lead the team in the Asia Cup, Dhoni said the epochal event was still a motivation for his players.

IF YOU had spoken to Rahul Dravid during his last weeks as Indian captain, or tried to get in touch with him soon after he stepped down from the job, with a short, crisp statement and little else by way of explanation, you would have known a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Even though overnight rain forced a late start and prevented 27 players from completing the second round, Day II action in the PGTI Players Championship was pleasing for the purists. After opening with a nine-hole round, competition returned to normal and the players tested their skills over 18 holes.

AN UNSEEMLY controversy is brewing in judo with a player claiming that she should be boarding the flight to Beijing for the Olympic Games ahead of the judoka who won a quota place for the country.

Going abroad for an exposure trip just before a major event is nothing new for an Indian team. But an Olympic team coming to India for exposure is unheard of.If everything goes well, besides Cuba and Europe, India is set to become a venue for an exposure-cum-training trip prior to the Olympics.

THURSDAY CAME with sunshine and promised a full 40-over-a-side final at the Ferozeshah Kotla. There was every bit of excitement that was expected but as if the rain gods wanted their way, the game suffered a prolonged interruption. In the end though, ONGC managed to clinch the title by just four runs.

EVER SINCE Sachin Tendulkar became the first cricketer to be given out by the third umpire - by Karl Libenburg in a Test match in Durban, South Africa in 1992 - cricket has pushed the envelope when it comes to using technology to get the best possible decisions.

TILL SUNDAY, the title looked a clinch for them. But their opponents in the summit clash, Punjab, banking on determination, dedication and spirit ensured that they had the last laugh. As result, the Santosh Trophy went to Punjab for the second time in succession.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) is proposing a brand new big bore shooting range --- at Kajalpur near Manesar --- for the 2010 Commonwealth Games at the cost of crores of rupees to the exchequer. But the chances of India winning a medal in the event are quite slim.

YOU DON'T need M.S. Dhoni to say "we lost wickets at regular intervals". "A three-hundred-plus was chaseable. Pakistan were only 105 for one in 25 overs but accelerated, which we did not." It was a big flop show from which the young Indians would do well to learn.

WATCHING A football match can be exhilarating. Unlike what cricket has done -change its rules drastically - football has never made any major compromise with its basic structure. Today's marketing gurus will tell us that football was made for the present times, and that is why one should honour the man who invented this game centuries ago.

SPECULATION CAN often be a futile exercise. But if their performance over the past three weeks is any indication - and if they don't let the weight of expectations break their momentum on Sunday - then Services should be shooting for the title.

That Pakistan perform better under pressure was underlined here on Saturday when openers Salman Butt and Younis Khan destroyed an Indian attack that suddenly became lacklustre at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium here on Saturday.

That Pakistan perform better under pressure was underlined here on Saturday. Salman Butt and Younis Khan destroyed a lacklustre Indian attack. All the good work by India in the league matches was undone in the final as they crashed to an embarrassing 25-run defeat and conceded the Kitply Cup tri-series title to Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

EVER SINCE she booked her Beijing Olympics berth, Saina Nehwal and national coach Pullela Gopichand were harping on the need for the 17-year-old to work on her strength and stamina before starting preparations for the quadrennial Games.

The intent behind staging the PGTI Players' Championship may be under close scrutiny but the silver lining for golf aficionados in Kolkata is the Royal Calcutta Golf Club will host a quality field after considerable time.