CHENNAI, Apr 21:
Faf du Plessis stroked his way to a 52-ball 73 but Chennai Super Kings had to wait till the very last ball before eking out a seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in a thrilling Indian Premier League match here today.
Needing two runs off the last ball of the match, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni clipped Stuart Binny off his pads to help the Super Kings overhaul the target of 147 set by Rajasthan.
Du Plessis was the main scorer as he smashed six fours and two sixes to set the tone for the defending champions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
This was the Super Kings’ fourth win from seven matches while Rajasthan, who had four wins prior to this match, suffered their third defeat in this edition of the cash-rich Twenty20 league.
Chasing a rather modest total, the Super Kings were off to a sedate start, by IPL’s standards, as openers du Plessis and Subramaniam Badrinath (15) added 55 runs in eight overs.
Slow left-arm spinner Brad Hogg gave the visitors their first breakthrough when he had Badrinath stumped by Shreevats Goswami with a ball that had a bit of flight.
The dismissal, though, hardly had any effect on du Plessis as he continued with his attacking game and, along with Suresh Raina, added 61 runs for the second wicket, much to delight of the home crowd.
Raina scored 26 runs in 24 balls and hit three fours.
While he started hitting fours from the second over, du Plessis struck his first six in the seventh over, when Ashok Menaria’s delivery was lofted over the extra-cover region.
The South African struck his second six, against medium pacer Siddharth Trivedi, before Kevon Cooper brought to an end his stay by having the batsman caught by Goswami.
Cooper then sent back Raina, thanks to Ajinkya Rahane’s excellent catch in the deep, but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja denied the visitors any further success while taking Chennai home. (PTI)
CSK beat Royals in last-ball thriller
Maheshwari achieves London Olympics ‘B’ standard
PATIALA, Apr 21:
National record holder triple jumper Renjith Maheshwari today achieved London Olympics qualification ‘B’ standard while winning gold on the opening day of 16th Federation Cup Senior National Athletics Championships here.
Maheshwari, representing Tamil Nadu, had a leapt of 16.85m in his fifth and penultimate attempt which was the exact distance for ‘B’ qualification standard for London Olympics.
Young Arpinder Singh of ONGC was a distant second in 16.20m while the bronze was won by Raja Sekar of Tamil Nadu with a leapt of 15.79m.
Maheshwari, a former Asian champion and bronze medallist at the Delhi Commonwealth Games, started with a moderate 15.84m and went on to improve it with 16.51 and 16.56 in his next two rounds before making a foul jump on the fourth. His fifth attempt saw him achieve London qualification ‘B’ standard and he had a no mark in his final round.
He also erased the old meet record of 16.72m which he himself created in 2007. It was Maheshwari’s third win in the Federation Cup. He had earlier won the titles in 2005 and 2007.
In other events, Maharashtra sprinter Krishna Kumar Rane (10.51 secs) pipped defending champion Shameer Mon (10.54) of Kerala to become the fastest man of the meet. Manikananad Raj of Andhra Pradesh with third in 10.55s.
Haryana’s Manisa, winner of the previous edition in 2010 in Ranchi, successfully defended her title in 11.93s. Srabani Nanda (12.06s) of Orissa and Shirke Bhagyashree (12.28s) of Maharashtra were second and third respectively.
Javelin thrower Suman Devi proved her mettle once again with her sixth win in this championships.
The Federation Cup is the first major competition for the Indian aspirants wishing to gain an Olympic berth. Athletes to take part in next month’s Asian Grand Prix series in Thailand will also be selected from the Federation Cup. (PTI)
I’ll start training in a week or two: Yuvraj
NEW DELHI, Apr 21:
Desperate to don his India jersey once again, cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who recently returned to the country after undergoing three cycles of chemotherapy in USA for a rare germ cell cancer, says he is set to start training in a “week or two”.
“I’ll start training in a week or two. I definitely want to get back on the field as soon as possible and wear my India cap again,” Yuvraj said.
As far as getting back to serious cricket is concerned, the left-hander said he would take a call depending on the way his body responds to training.
“I can’t really give a time right now, because I’ll have to see how my body responds to the training and the workouts,” he was quoted as saying in IPL’s official website.
Yuvraj, who was last year diagnosed with a malignant tumour between his lungs, returned to the country on April 9 after undergoing treatment in the US.
“The doctors haven’t given me any medicine. They said the effect of chemo is completely out of my system. It’s been about five weeks now and I feel stronger day by day,” Yuvraj added.
Yuvraj, who led Pune Warriors in the last IPL, said the team will pull through under former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly’s leadership in the ongoing edition.
“He’s (Ganguly) had a lot of experience as a captain for Team India and he’d be the best guy to lead the team at the moment. I just hope that they get into last four, and with his experience the team can really pull through.
“My team (Pune Warriors) is doing really well and it’s great to watch them play. It is an exciting experience to watch the matches as a fan for the first time,” he said. (PTI)
Indian women hold New Zealand 3-3 in Hockey
NEW DELHI, Apr 21:
India held New Zealand 3-3 in their last preliminary match of the second-leg Women Four Nation Hockey Tournament in Pakuranga, Auckland today.
The scorers for India were strikers Rani, Vandana Katariya and Chanchan Devi Thokchom while Katie Glynn, Cathryn Finlayson and Krystal Forgesson were on target for New Zealand who led 2-1 at half time.
The Kiwis started aggressively and went two up in 10 minutes with strikes by Glynn and Finlayson, but India bounced back by holding sway for most of the match.
India not only wiped off the deficit but went into the lead in the second half only to concede the equaliser in the 66th minute.
Defenders Joydeep Kaur and Kirandeep Kaur failed to block the initial New Zealand onslaughts, which led to the first two goals, even as Indian forward Rani blew away a couple of chances in the Kiwi striking circle.
However Rani made amends in the 15th minute as her scorcher from atop the circle convincingly beat the New Zealand goalkeeper.
India continued mounting pressure on their rivals after the break and drew level with Vandana Katariya deflecting home a penetrative manoeuvre by midfielder Asunta Lakra in the 55th minute.
India broke into the lead in the next minute with Chanchan Devi Thokchom slamming a rebound past the New Zealand goalkeeper. (PTI)
Gupta, Negi in joint lead in Dubai Open chess
DUBAI, Apr 21:
Grandmaster and defending champion Abhijeet Gupta showcased his positional acumen to outwit Gm Amin Bassem of Egypt in the sixth round of 14th Dubai International Open chess tournament here.
With the victory, Gupta took his tally to five points and jumped into joint lead along with compatriots Parimarjan Negi, Sandipan Chanda, Ni Hua of China, Vladimir Akopian of Armenia Evgenij Miroshnichenko of Ukraine and Normunds Miezis of Latvia.
In another exceptional effort, Negi beat Levan Pantsulaia of Georgia while Chanda scored over compatriot Surya Shekhar Ganguly to remain in contention for a podium finish.
With just three rounds to go in one of the strongest open tournaments held in Asia, Vishnu Prasanna came within striking distance of his GM norm after beating Russian GM Alexander Evdokimov. Prasanna, S Nitin, M R Lalith Babu and P Shyam Nikil are amongst those on 4.5 points sharing the eighth spot.(PTI)
Randhir Singh appointed as ANOC Vice President
NEW DELHI, Apr 21:
The IOA today hailed the appointment of its secretary General Randhir Singh as Vice President of the prestigious Association of National Olympic Committee (ANOC).
Singh is the first Indian to be nominated for the job from the Asian Continent and the appointment was made at the 18th General assembly of the ANOC held in Moscow last week, where Shiekh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah was elected president.
“I have always worked for the interests of the sports persons and will continue to do so,” Singh said.
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) acting President Vijay Kumar Malhotra said the appointment is recognition of country’s growing sporting prowess.
“In October last year Randhir Singh was re-elected unanimously as the secretary General of Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) for the record sixth term, and now he has been appointed ANOC’s vice president goes to shows that not only the OCA but also the International Olympic Committee (IOC) wants to make full use of his experience as sports administrator,” Malhotra said. (PTI)
Poonch Thunderbolts sail into semis
Jammu Premier League T20 Tawi Cup
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 21: Defeating the equally balanced team of Reasi Royals by 22 runs in a well fought contest, Poonch Thunderbolts team, which inflicted an upset defeat over strong Jammu Royals yesterday sailed into the semifinals of the ongoing Jammu Premier League T20 Tawi Cup at Sports Stadium Poonch today.
Earlier, batting first, Poonch Thunderbolts scored a decent total of 146 runs in the stipulated 20 overs, losing 4 wickets in the process. Wasim Raja played a splendid innings of 64 runs with the help of five fours and four sixes, while Parvez Malik contributed 29 runs including 2 fours and 3 sixes. For Reasi Royals, Nishu took 2 wickets, while Imtiyaz Malik and Ajaz claimed one wicket each.
In reply, Reasi Royals managed to score 124 runs in the allotted overs by losing 9 wickets, thus lost the match by 22 runs. Nishu top scored with 37 runs including 2 fours and 2 sixes, while Imtiyaz Malik contributed 29 runs to the total. Ajaz Bhatti, Rupinder and Imran captured 2 wickets apiece for Poonch Thunderbolts. Wasim Raja was adjudged man of the match for his fabulous batting display.
Meanwhile, rain played spoilsport in another quarterfinal match between Jammu Riders and Jammu Royals scheduled to be played at Sports Stadium Reasi, today. The overnight rains had deteriorated the condition of the ground, especially the pitch and the surrounding area. Though, the organizers tried their level best to make the ground playable by draining water, pouring saw dust and applying ring to level the surface of the wicket, yet the pitch turned hostile when Jammu Royals speedsters Rahil Singh and Vishwajeet Singh started proceedings against Jammu Riders openers-Shubam Khajuria and Hilal Rather. The duo had bowled only 2.2 overs, with 9 balls that jumped unevenly from good-length spot, when the field umpires along with the two captains and the ‘Jury of Appeal’ of the organizers decided to stop the match because of the dangerous and unplayable conditions. The match has now been shifted to MA Stadium Jammu and would be played from 2pm tomorrow. The Jury comprised of Dr Swaran Singh Chib, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Reasi, Major Aditya including the technical officials Rajesh Dhar, Saleem-ur-Rehman, Sadiq Hussain and Pankaj Sasan.
Singh takes over as Zonal Manager North Zone
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 21 : A P Singh, a Direct Recruit Officer of the 10th batch has taken over as Zonal Manager (I/C) of LIC North Zone.
A Post Graduate in English Literature from Allahabad University with PGDHRM, Mr Singh has held various important positions such as Senior Divisional Manager at Meerut and Delhi DO -I, Chief Executive Officer / MD LIC Nepal Ltd, Joint Director – Management Development Centre, Chief Executive Officer of LIC HFL Care Homes Ltd and Zonal Manager, Central Zone prior to his current assignment.
He was associated with Professor Ishwar Dayal, Founder Director of IIM Lucknow for 5 years with regard to Corporate HRD / OD initiatives of LICI.
Better amenities in rural areas priority of Govt: Dy CM
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 21 : Reiterating resolve of the Government to develop rural and far flung areas on modern lines, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand said Coalition Government is keen to provide all basic amenities to the people living in far-off areas at par with those living in urban areas, for which various development projects have been launched in rural areas.
Tara Chand was holding a public meeting at Pargwal in which Sarpanchs, Panchs, prominent citizens, senior officers of various departments and a large number of people participated.
On the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister impressed upon the executing agencies engaged in cluster model village Pargwal project to speed up the pace and progress of the work, so as to complete the project within the stipulated time frame besides ensuring quality work with judicious use of funds.
He assured people that model village, Pargwal being developed under cluster area approach of Border Area Development Project (BADP) would be completed at the earliest, adding that the model village project will include creation of modern infrastructure and after completion will have facilitates like mobile dispensaries with potable equipments, educational infrastructure in primary and middle schools will be upgraded by constructing hostel facility, better lanes and drain facilities, augmentation of drinking water supply, bus stops at various locations, Mini Mandis at various villages, play fields, eight Community cum facilities Centres (CFC), Anganwari centres, guest house and various other developmental infrastructure.
On the occasion, the Sarpanches, Panches apprised the Deputy Chief Minister about their grievances and demands of their respective areas which mainly include interrupted power supply, safe drinking water, road connectivity, upgradation of schools, benefits under various state and centrally sponsored government schemes, assurance for adequate water availability for irrigation purpose in coming summer season, etc.
Responding to their demands, Mr. Tara Chand assured that all their genuine demands would be redressed in a stipulated time frame.
While directing PHE authorities, the Deputy Chief Minister said that keeping in view the coming summer season all the completed lift irrigation schemes in the area should be tested and commissioned at the earliest for benefit of the people of the area.
PSGA symbolizes transition from public administration to public service: Rather
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 21: Asserting that all possible resources are being mobilized to provide improved services to the general masses, the Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs, A.R. Rather today vowed to uphold the trust and confidence of the people reposed in the coalition Government led by Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah.
Addressing a public gathering at Tulsi Bagh, Mr. Rather said giving every citizen a say and voice in the State’s governance was the primary objective of the government, adding that empowerment of people by strengthening the basic units of democracy is a landmark initiative taken by the Government in this regard.
He said Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA) passed by the State legislature is a historic decision of the Government to ensure time bound delivery of services to the people, adding that the Act has made concerned officers accountable to provide required services to the people in a fixed time frame, failing which concerned officers will be liable to imposition of fine besides disciplinary action under rules.
“Forty services of 6 major departments including Power, CA&PD, Housing and Urban Development, Revenue, PHE and Transport have been brought under the ambit of the Act, Mr. Rather added.
“The Act is a bold initiative towards making administration responsive and accountable and eradicates corruption”. Mr. Rather said, adding that Right to Information (RTI) Act is another landmark public initiative which guarantees quick response to the grievances of the people. He said some more vital services including issuance of character verification certificate by Police Department are also being brought under PSGA shortly to provide relief and convenience to the people. “In fact the Act symbolizes the transition from public administration to public service, which will bring transparency and accountability in the administration”, Mr. Rather said.
The Finance Minister said the massive developmental schemes underway in nook and corner of the State has steered the State towards a major socio-economic revolution. “These people friendly measures have raised the popularity graph of National Conference among the people which has unnerved the opposition”, Mr. Rather said.
He cautioned the people about the disinformation campaign of the opposition and asked them to supplement Government efforts by monitoring execution of works in their respective areas to ensure judicious use of funds and quality of building material.
Saying that the unemployment problem is the biggest challenge which cannot be overlooked, Mr. Rather said Government is keen to remove the feeling of despair among the unemployed youth. He said despite limited resources, the present Government has recruited about 40,000 educated youth in a transparent manner through different recruitment agencies, adding that exploration of more job opportunities for the unemployed educated youth would continue in future also. However, he asked the youth to venture in self employment schemes for earning a dignified livelihood, adding the J&K EDI has been established to provide free basic training and guidance to the entrepreneurs for establishing their income generating units besides providing 30 percent of the total cost of the unit as seed capital fund which shall be free and non-refundable.
“An MoU has been signed with J&K Bank to ensure lending facility for the entrepreneurs sponsored by EDI within two months”, the Finance added.