Viru fit to face Knight Riders

Johannesburg: Virender Sehwag has not been having a great time on the field. Criticised for his form, of late the dashing opener has often been plagued by injuries as well.

With a long season awaiting Team India, the Champions League T20 would be an excellent 'practice pitch' for Sehwag to find his strokes back. But an ankle injury had almost ruined that possibility.

However, the opener had a reason to smile when he was declared fit for the Delhi Daredevils' opening CLT20 game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, at Centurion, on Saturday.

On Thursday, Sehwag reportedly gave a fitness test. He not only cleared that scrutiny, he also went on to play in the Daredevils' warm-up game, against CLT20 competitors the Sydney Sixers.

Deccan Chargers terminated from the IPL

Hyderabad, (IANS): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday terminated the contract of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Deccan Chargers after their failure to pay the stipulated bank guarantee of Rs.100 crore.

Aussies in final as Hunter goes for the kill

Julie Hunter would hope her male counterparts do equally well in the evening.

COLOMBO: Medium-pacer Julie Hunter snared five as defending champions Australia defeated the West Indies by 28 runs to enter their second successive ICC Women's World Twenty20 final, on Friday. Australia will meet England, the 2009 winners, in the title clash on Sunday.

Tendulkar admits contemplating retirement

"When I play in November, I will reassess things," he said.

Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar admitted on Friday that he is contemplating retirement and said he would reassess his future next month.

In an interview to be broadcast on Indian television Friday, the 39-year-old said he would decide on a "series by series" basis as he acknowledged that the clock was running down on his record-breaking career.

Akhtar blames low pay for fixing

"Some are corrupt, but some cricketers are turned into criminals by the system," he said.

Controversial former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said on Friday the cricketers are being tempted into fixing matches because they are underpaid by their board.

"Fixing happens in our culture because there's less money, there are even lesser opportunities. Cricketers victimised by their boards return (to the team) to mint money," Akhtar, 37, told the Headlines Today news channel.

I am not a playboy, says Gayle

My personality is such that it’s easy for me to talk to people and vice-versa," he said.

Colombo: Chris Gayle, inarguably the most destructive batsman in ODIs and T20 Internationals, doesn’t see himself as a playboy.

“I’m not one... In fact, who is a playboy? My personality is such that it’s easy for me to talk to people and vice-versa... I’m a relaxed type of person, with an open mind,” Gayle told The Telegraph.

London s last Olympics, then and now

Looking back to London 1948

London 2012 will be Britain's third Olympic experience, after hosting the Games in both 1908 and 1948. The 1948 tournament was the first Olympics in 12 years, after World War II had called a halt to the majority of world sporting events. But just how different were the Games all those years ago? Read on to find out how the 1948 and 2012 London Olympics stack up against each other.

Athletes

London 2012 — Today's Olympic athletes are international superstars, with competitors such as Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps famous around the world for their sporting prowess. It's estimated that Usain Bolt alone has already made over £10 million throughout his career from sponsorships, endorsements and prize money, and it doesn't look like he will be stopping any time soon. Throughout the Games the athletes will be provided with everything they could possibly need from their countries and sponsors, such as equipment, food and state of the art training facilities.

World s Richest Cricketers

India may have plummeted in international rankings, but this hasn’t really hurt their pay packets. According to Forbes, the top five of the world’s highest paid cricketers are all Indians.

1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni - According to Forbes, the Indian skipper has made over $26.5 million over the past one year, with just $3.5 million of that coming courtesy of his on-field play and the rest from endorsements. He reportedly endorses as many as 25 brands including the likes of Pepsi, Reebok and Sony.

The Great Indian Odyssey

Highest Impact ODI Players from India

Continuing in our series of pieces on each country’s ODI history, we come home. From 1974 to 2012 (before the start of the current series in Sri Lanka), India played 804 matches and won 397 with a win loss ratio of 1.08. Their highest score is 418, lowest 54. They won the World Cup twice, in 1983 and 2011 and finished as runners-up in 2003.

I know what it takes to win an Olympic medal, Paes

New York, July 20 (IANS) India's ace tennis player Leander Paes has said he knows what it takes to win an Olympic medal and will not distract himself by delving into people's expectations, the negativities and the politics.

Paes, who won the singles bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games, said he would let his racquet do the talking.

When asked what he thinks about former Davis Cup captain Jaidip Mukerjea's comments that his chances of winning a men's doubles medal at the Olympics are very remote, Paes said he cannot deal with other's opinions.

Captaincy is not a big deal

Chennai, July 17 -- From being a brash kid brought up in the heart of the national capital to have emerged as the future India captain, Virat Kohli has seen a lot during his four years of international cricket.

And if you are wondering whether Virat the person is as mature as Virat the batsman, then you will get your answer in his freewheeling chat with HT during the team's preparatory camp ahead of the tour to Sri Lanka. Excerpts:

British beach volleyball pair face bikini banter

LONDON (Reuters) - Will you promise you will wear bikinis even if it rains?

That was the first question to Britain's women Olympic beach volleyball players at a pre-Games news conference on Thursday, giving a flavour of how the sport is perceived.

"We can't promise anything with the weather," said one of the players, Zara Dampney, deftly trying to evade the question with a typically British digression on the subject of rain.

This did not satisfy the male reporter from the Sun, Britain's most-read newspaper, who pleaded a second time with the pair to promise they would not cover up.

Cricket, Cancer survivor Yuvraj named in India squad

India on Wednesday picked Yuvraj Singh, who is recovering from cancer, in a 30-man preliminary squad for the World Twenty20 to be played in Sri Lanka later this year.

India s projected medal count at 2012 Olympic Games

Goldman Sachs has predicted how many medals each country will win in the imminent London Olympics. Analysts Jose Ursua and Kamakshya Trivedi use econometric models to forecast country-by-country medal count based on previous Olympic performance and economic growth, which is positively correlated with Olympic success.

India is expected to win two gold medals at the 2012 London Games. The Goldman analysts predict India will win a total of five medals in London and will be No. 39 on the medals tally at the end of the Games. At the 2008 Beijing Games, India won three medals, including one gold, and was placed No. 50 in the medals tally.

Fit again Zaheer targets Lankans

Says too early for him to prioritise formats

BANGALORE: Like beer and the inevitable belly, fast bowling and injuries go hand in hand.
 
India’s bowling spearhead for the past decade, Zaheer Khan, is no stranger to such physical inconveniences, having broken down in matches and on tours, most famously when he hobbled out of action on the opening day of India’s first Test against England, at Lord’s in 2011.

Weary Lee quits international cricket

Lee said he would continue to play the less demanding Twenty20 cricket in the Indian Premier League and the Australian Big Bash League.

Brett Lee addresses media representatives at a press conference to announce his retirement from International Cricket …

London Assembly says Dow sponsorship damages Games

LONDON (Reuters) - London politicians called on Olympic officials to rethink their sponsorship contract with Dow Chemical on Wednesday, saying the company's links to the 1984 Bhopal disaster damaged the reputation of this month's Games.

Members of the London Assembly, the body which oversees the work of the capital's mayor, said London Olympic organisers (LOCOG) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should give more weight to environmental, social and ethical records of companies when awarding such contracts.

"There is a genuine excitement and enthusiasm about the Games across London, but it is in danger of being tarnished by association with companies like Dow Chemical," assembly member Darren Johnson said in a statement.

Lightning Bolt targets breaking own 9.58 sec world record at London Olympics

London, July 11 (ANI): Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt is targeting to break his own world record and achieve new heights at the London 2012 Olympics.

The Jamaican star can attain a legendary status at the Olympics, but faces the toughest lineup of opponents ever, including himself, as he shared his plans to further push the 'boundaries of human potential'.

"I won't lie to myself, people are looking forward to me running 9.4, anything that's amazing. That's why people are coming to the Olympics. I want to do that," the Daily Mirror quoted Botl, as saying.

Gambhir, Always wanted to be a leader

India, July 12 -- He may no longer be the India vice-captain, but that does not bother Gautam Gambhir, for he aims for a much bigger role - one that can make do without an official designation. In a freewheeling chat with HT, the opening batsman speaks out about being a leader of men beyond the playing field - and explains his sullen game face.

Indian boxers at London 2012

Mary Kom, Vijender Singh and Krishan Yadav lead a strong Indian boxing contingent to the London Olympic Games.

Mary Kom (Women's Flyweight): She is a five-time successive World Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six World Championships. She came back from a two-year sabbatical to clinch her fourth successive World Amateur boxing gold in 2008, a feat that prompted the AIBA to describe her as 'Magnificent Mary'. Mary was one of the three brand ambassadors selected by AIBA to make a successful bid for the inclusion of women's boxing as an Olympics programme. Mary is the only Indian woman boxer to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the quota she achieved in the 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships after reaching the quarter-final, where she lost to world number two Nicola Adams of England.