FIFA World Cup: Brazil not thinking of revenge against Mexico, says Hulk

Brazil striker Hulk insists revenge is not on the agenda as the World Cup hosts bid to all but secure their place in the last 16 against rivals Mexico today.

Mexico shattered Brazil's dream of winning the only major prize missing from their honours list two years ago, when they stunned the South Americans 2-1 to claim the Olympic gold medal in London.

But Hulk insists there is no question of Brazil looking to settle a score as they face the Mexicans at Fortaleza's Castelao Stadium.

It is the same venue where they met in the group stage of the Confederations Cup last year when Luiz Felipe Scolari's side claimed a 2-0 victory.

That success means a measure of revenge has already been exacted, and forward Hulk insisted that Brazil will only have one thing on their minds come kick-off on Tuesday.

Keeping it simple
"In the Confederations Cup we tried to think only about winning the game and it will be the same this time. If we think about revenge it could cause us problems," said the powerful forward, who scored in the Olympic final clash...

Source: Sports News in Hindi

From mid-day News

Spain v Holland: Arjen Robben admits he will always be haunted by World Cup final miss

Arjen Robben has admitted he will always be haunted by the World Cup final miss against Spain which denied Holland the chance to end their misery on football’s biggest stage.

With Robben due to face Spain for the first time tonight since South Africa as the Dutch begin their Group B campaign in Salvador, memories of the second-half miss in Johannesburg have flooded back for the Bayern Munich winger.

At 0-0, Robben was denied by Spain captain Iker Casillas after finding himself one-on-one with the Real Madrid goalkeeper in the 61st minute.

With neither team able to break the deadlock during 90 minutes, Andres Iniesta’s extra-time strike ultimately won the World Cup for the Spaniards.

Source: Sports News in Hindi

From telegraph News

Andy Murray v Rafael Nadal, French Open 2014 semi-final: live

The King of Clay, Rafa Nadal, proves just too strong for Britain's Andy Murray - 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.

Nadal looks poised to win a fifth straight French Open, and ninth overall. In truth, it was a mauling. Statistically, Murray's worst result in a Slam. Nadal had a swagger, and his precision, power and spin on his treasured red surface was just too much.

Murray has had his best tournament since his back surgery, however. Nothing today - however grisly - suggests he cannot win at Wimbledon, to retain the crown he worked so hard to capture. Different surface, contrasting vibe. But Nadal - he is special, isn't he? Actually the first semi-final was more entertaining. Unfancied Latvian Ernests Gulbis lost the first two sets to Novak Djokovic but then found some inspiration.

Djokovic wilted in the heat. Both players seemed to have niggles. Gulbis won the first set. But the Serb held on. You wouldn't bet on him in the final, however... not against Nadal....

Source: Sports News in Hindi

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From telegraph.co.uk News

Andy Murray must prove he has what it takes to win Grand Slam against Rafa Nadal

John McEnroe says Andy Murray’s semi-final clash with Rafa Nadal on Friday will prove if the Wimbledon ­champion is back as a genuine Grand Slam contender.

The British No.1 has reached the last four at a Major for the first time since his Wimbledon triumph last year by coming through five-set thrillers against Philipp Kohlschreiber and Gael Monfils.

But the world No.8 has yet to beat a top 10 player since ending ­Britain’s 77-year wait for the title last July – and has lost his three matches against other members of the Big Four.

He has also had to contend with back surgery and splitting with coach Ivan Lendl since his second Grand Slam title.

Murray faces the massive mission of ending the Spanish King of Clay’s long reign at Roland Garros.

The world No.1 has won eight French Open titles while only ever losing one match here and is on a 33-match unbeaten run at the clay-court Major...

Source: Sports News in Hindi 

Watch Hindi News Videos on Videos.jagran.com

From mirror.co.uk News

Sunrisers Hyderabad Have A Tough Task At Hand Against Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League

After being outplayed by Mumbai Indians in their previous match, Sunrisers Hyderabad face another tough battle when they take on table-toppers Kings XI Punjab at the Rajiv Gandhi International cricket stadium in an IPL match on Wednesday.

The Kings XI Punjab have had a rampaging campaign in this edition of the IPL before the Kolkata Knight Riders got the better of them in a match on May 11 at Cuttack.

Having suffered a sudden setback, the Punjab side would be keen to come all guns blazing against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who cannot afford to lose any more matches in order to stay in contention for a place in the semi-finals.

Punjab's star duo of Glenn Maxwell and David Miller have been in scintillating form and the team's old warhorse Virender Sehwag has also, of late, been reminding about his batting prowess.

While batting has been the mainstay of Punjab, the bowling department is no less potent with the presence of pacer Sandeep Sharma, one of the top wicket-takers this season and Australian import Mitchell Johnson, who slowly gathered some momentum after a rather indifferent start...

Source: Cricket News in Hindi

From ndtv News

Mumbai still optimistic of hosting IPL final

It is to be noted that the IPL Governing Council on May 10 decided to shift the final of the IPL from Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The final will be played on June 1.

An emergency meeting of the MCA was held on Monday during which it was decided that the association will write a letter to the IPL GC asking for reasons for the shift. "We have not received anything in writing about shifting the final away from Mumbai," MCA joint secretary PV Shetty told dna.

"We did not know the actual reasons as to why it was shifted. Our vice-president Ravi Savant has spoken with BCCI interim president for the duration of the IPL, Sunil Gavaskar about the issue. Gavaskar will talk to the members of the IPL GC and get back to us on Tuesday. We are very optimistic of the IPL final coming back to Mumbai," he said.

Nitin Dalal, joint secretary, MCA, said: "We have asked them for the reasons. We are waiting for their reply. We can get the required permissions from the authorities. As a special case, the Mumbai police will help us with the necessary permissions including the late night noise."..

Source: Cricket News in Hindi

From delhidailynews News

Maria Sharapova joins Li Na to move into third round of Madrid Open

Johannesburg: Russian ace Maria Sharapova has joined Chinese star Li Na in moving into the third round of the women's Madrid Open following their respective second round wins on Tuesday.

Sharapova, who won her first tournament of the season on her return to clay in Stuttgart two weeks ago, reeled off five straight games to beat world number 57 Christina McHale from USA 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in fine form.

According to Sport24, Sharapova has set up a meeting with either Spain's Garbine Muguruza or 2011 US Open champion Sam Stosur in the last 16...

Source: Sports News in Hindi

From dna News

Rajasthan hold edge against Hyderabad

 Up against an outfit that is struggling to stay afloat, fancied Rajasthan Royals will look to consolidate their position in the pecking order when they lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing seventh Indian Premier League (IPL) in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Rajasthan Royals staged a dramatic fight back to down Kolkata Knight Riders by 10 runs in their last match, while Sunrisers Hyderabad were overshadowed by Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Led by inspiring Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, Rajasthan are placed third in the points table with five wins and two reverses, while the Southern team is struggling to keep their chances alive in the competition having already suffered four defeats in six games to be placed seventh in the eight-team cash-rich tournament.

Watson has always been the key man in the RR set-up and it will be no different this time around. The Aussie, who struck a 20-ball 31 to go with his 3/21 with the ball, will look to do better with the willow at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera. ..

Source: Cricket News in Hindi

From TH News

Groin Injury Rules Out Wayne Rooney Against Hull City

Wayne Rooney will miss Manchester United's final home game of the season against Hull City on Tuesday after being ruled out with a groin injury. Rooney was sidelined for Saturday's 1-0 loss to Sunderland due to a combination of the groin problem and a stomach bug.

It was initially believed the England forward would be fit for United's Old Trafford finale, but interim manager Ryan Giggs revealed on Monday that the 28-year-old has still not recovered. "Wayne is probably struggling for the game. He's not quite recovered. We'll continue to monitor him," Giggs told MUTV.

Reports last week claimed Rooney was confident his fitness problems would not affect his chances of being ready to shine at the World Cup. England manager Roy Hodgson is due to announce his squad next week for the tournament in Brazil.

Rooney's absence for the Hull game means Dutch striker Robin van Persie could make his first start in seven weeks as he has now fully recovered from a knee injury...

Source: Sports News in Hindi

From ndtv News

Virat Kohli Retains Top Spot in ODI Rankings

Virat Kohli has retained his top spot in the ICC rankings of ODI batsmen while his compatriot Ravindra Jadeja is among the top-five in the rankings for both bowlers and all-rounders.

India remained second in the list of teams with 112 points as Australia maintained their top rank with 115 points.

Kohli, with 881 points, topped the list of the batsmen, followed by South African A.B. de Villiers with 872 points.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was sixth with 783 points while Shikhar Dhawan was ranked eighth with 723 points.

In bowling, Jadeja remained at fifth position with 676 points while Ravichandran Ashwin was 14th. Among all-rounders, Jadeja is ranked fourth.

Source: Cricket News in Hindi 

From indiawest News

IPL 2014: Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab – Live Score

As expected, Kings XI Punjab are fielding an unchanged XI, while Mumbai Indians have left out left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha for talented seamer Jasprit Bumrah.

Mumbai XI:

Ben Dunk, Rohit Sharma (capt.), Corey Anderson, Ambati Rayudu, Keiron Pollard, Aditya Tare, Harbhajan Singh, Chidhambaram Gautam (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Zaheer Khan, Lasith Malinga

Punjab XI:

Cheteshwar Pujara, V Sehwag, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, George Bailey (capt.), Rishi Dhawan, Mitchell Johnson, Akshar Patel, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Sandeep Sharma

Toss:

Punjab skipper, George Bailey won the toss and have opted to bat first. Rohit Sharma also said, they would have also like to bat first as the pitch is dry.

===================================================

Mumbai: On paper, they are all tigers and lions. It`s altogether another story that only a few live up to their colours, rather stripes. The match-up between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab will pit two such teams with names and claims galore, albeit with some historical difference.

What has happened so far this season has once again underlined the fact that, past is not present. Mumbai Indians won the tournament last time around. But in 2014, they have found themselves wanting in almost every field. Whereas, Kings XI Punjab – historically one of the under-performing teams in the Indian Premier League, have won all there five matches so far and have truly blossomed as a perfect team.

But, what happened during the UAE-leg can no longer be considered the basis to out-rightly dismiss the Rohit Sharma-led squad from the reckoning. Now onwards, the tournament will be played in India, at home, with fans, noise and new zeal. In fact, the Mumbai franchise have won all their eight matches at Wankhede Stadium in 2013. And today, they welcome the pace-setters in their lair. And what spurred them to such a perfect record was the combination of these factors. So, the question is: Will Wankhede help Mumbai regain their lost touch?....

Source: Cricket News in Hindi

From Znews

Sania-Cara pair reach Portugal Open final

 Sania Mirza alongwith her doubles partner Cara Black stormed into the finals of the Portugal Open with a straight-set victory over third seeded American pair of Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond in Oeiras.

Continuing their fabulous run, the top seeded combo of Sania and Cara took an hour and 14 minutes to get the better of their American rivals, 6-4 6-3 at the $250,000 clay court event.

First set saw the Indo-Zimbabwean pair struggle a bit, as they could convert only three of the eight breakpoints they got but they managed to held their nerves to finally win it.

In the second set, two decisive breaks of serve enabled Sania and Cara to wrap up the match comfortably in their favour...

Source: Sports News in Hindi

From TH News

South African fans upset over Proteas Test squad losing number one ranking

The Proteas losing their No 1 status in Test cricket to Australia has caused somewhat of an uproar among South African cricket fans.

According to Sport 24, prior to South Africa's home Test series against Australia earlier this year, it was widely reported that the hosts would not lose their No 1 status even if they came unstuck in the three-Test series.

Australia duly won the series 2-1 to move past India into second spot, but still trailed South Africa (127 points) by 12 ratings points.

Now, South Africa finds itself ranked second, because as of May 1, a new two-year cycle in the ICC rankings has started, which saw results from the 2010/11 season dropped from the calculation. Also, results from the 2012/13 season are now reduced to a weighting of 50 percent.

This has enabled Australia to gain eight ratings points to move up from 115 to 123, while South Africa dropped from 127 to be level on 123, but Australia are ahead by a fraction of a point...

Source: Cricket News in Hindi

From BS News

Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova set for Miami WTA final rematch

Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams will have a rematch of their 2013 final in the Miami WTA semi-finals on Thursday after both advanced in formidable style on Tuesday.

Sharapova, who has not beaten the world number one American since 2004 and has lost 14 consecutive matches in the rivalry, regained her big-match confidence after twice being pushed to three sets by defeating Petra Kvitova 7-5, 6-1.

Top seed Williams pounded German fifth seed Angelique Kerber 6-2, 6-2, taking 62 minutes and ending with seven aces and four breaks of serve in windy conditions.

"When the wind picked up I just had to concentrate," said Williams, who holds six Miami titles. "I felt better today than in any of my other matches.

"When you're facing a top-10 player, you have to lift your game, That's what I was able to do."..

Source: Sports News in Hindi

From ndtv News

World Twenty20: Former Pakistan coach predicts India-Pakistan final

Former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson has tipped arch rivals India and Pakistan to play the final of the 2014 World Twenty20. Lawson, who was in charge of the Pakistan team between 2007-2008, said conditions in Bangladesh were ideally suited to both sides as was evident from their performances in the recently concluded Asia Cup.

The two rivals meet on March 21 in what is being termed as the 'real' curtain- raiser for this year's World T20.

"India and Pakistan will be playing on slow paced and low-bounce pitches and as such they may start as the two most likely to play in the final once again. Pakistan have the spin king in Saeed Ajmal and the the all-round talents of Mohammed Hafeez and Shoaib Malik and the inimitable Shahid Afridi. That's plenty of slow bowling on their preferred surface," Lawson wrote in his column for Al Jazeera.

For the talented Pakistan team, the challenge essentially will be to curb their tendency to implode if they are to repeat their 2009 World Twenty triumph. Mohammad Hafeez's men take on Australia, defending champs West Indies and a qualifier after their clash against India in what is perhaps the tougher of the two groups at the World T20.

Source: Cricket News & Sports News

From ibnlive News

FIH changes match format from two halves to four quarters

International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Thursday, announced changes to the structure of the game, moving from two 35-minute halves to four 15-minute quarters, a model that has been tried and implemented by both the Euro Hockey League and Hockey India League. The purpose of the change will improve the flow and intensity of the game and increase the fan experience and opportunity for game presentation and analysis.

Other changes include the implementation of 40-second time-outs following both penalty corner awards and the scoring of a goal. Both stoppages ensure that the 60-minute game time is maximized for actual play and not consumed with penalty corner set up or other dead time when the ball is not in play. The new regulations will be applied to the upcoming Champions Trophy, World League Round 2, World League Semi-Final and Final, all continental Olympic qualifying events as of 1 September 2014 as well as the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Leandro Negre, president of FIH, said: "The decision today demonstrates our commitment to fan engagement. With the additional breaks, fans will have the opportunity to enjoy more replays and be more engaged with the event, whether in the stadium or watching from a far, while hockey commentators will be allowed more time to provide sport analysis between plays. In addition, coaches and players will see improvement in their performance with the additional opportunities to re-hydrate and re-strategize."

The new format will result in a higher intensity, faster paced and more exciting game of hockey. It will enable event organisers and broadcasters to develop more engaging fan experiences, both at the venue, on TV and online. With an increase in opportunity to review highlights, explain the game and add colour to the play, people from all over the world can have a better lens on the exciting sport of hockey.

Following the already-existing formats of several other sports such as basketball, American football and netball, the FIH Executive Board decided to move hockey into a four-quarter format. Overall game time will move from 70 minutes (previously two 35-minute halves) to a 60-minute game with four 15 minute quarters where there is a time-out for penalty corner setup and goals. After the first and third quarters, each team will have a two-minute break, while the existing 10-minute half time will remain unchanged.

Supplementing the new 60-minute regulation, FIH also announced the implementation of a 40-second time-out when a penalty corner is awarded. Additionally, a 40 second time out will also be added when a goal has been scored. Both time-outs allow for on-field team celebration time, video replays and analysis for televised matches, as well as additional opportunities to engage fans.

The time-outs ensure that the new 60-minute format is primarily actual playing time and eliminates the dead time associated with penalty corner set up while allowing for teams to enjoy their goal..

Source: Sports News 

From ndtv News

ICC World Twenty20: India vs Pakistan - Preview

Battered and bruised in the first quarter of 2014, India will aim to take fresh guard when they open their World Twenty20 campaign against traditional foes Pakistan here on Friday in what promises to be a cracker of a contest.

While form favours Pakistan even though they were battered by South Africa in a warm-up game last evening, history would be on India`s side as they have never lost to their arch-rivals on all three meetings of the previous editions of World T20.

The Pakistan national team has played more T20 Internationals than its Indian counterparts, who last played an official T20 International against Australia in October last year.

There will be some great inner battle within the main contest. Shahid Afridi`s pyrotechnics against Ravichandran Ashwin`s variations, Umar Gul`s pace against Virat Kohli`s bravado, Saeed Ajmal`s guile against Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s flair.

But then, cricket is a fickle game and India have not had a great run this year so far. Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s side has won only two official international matches this year having beaten Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the Asia Cup last month.

They have lost to all major teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Even they lost to Sri Lanka in the first warm-up game before beating England convincingly by 20 runs in the final warm-up tie to somewhat redeem themselves.

While a victory acts as a morale booster after having inculcated the habit of losing, it would be a completely different ball-game when the `Men In Blue` take the field against Mohammed Hafeez`s men.

It is impossible to think that Afridi`s last-over exploits wouldn`t play on the Indian cricketers` minds ahead of the game although the format is completely different.

There would be immense pressure on both sides and one can expect a full house at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium as people are going crazy for the tickets of the match.

For Dhoni, there are a number of issues that he needs to fret upon although yesterday`s England game was an indication as to what kind of line-up he is planning to field tomorrow.

There are still some concerns with both batting and bowling. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan`s performance in shorter versions hasn`t been good enough but the skipper is not known to tinker too much with his side.

Also the fact that Ajinkya Rahane, who can be an option as an opener having done the job for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, is also not inspiring confidence of the highest order.

While critics have panned Dhoni for not being flexible with his team selection, he did try something `Out of the Box` during the last edition in Sri Lanka where Irfan Pathan came in as an opener.

His run-a-ball 31 was one of the primary reasons that India lost to Australia and were subsequently knocked out of the tournament. Dhoni has never really experimented big time after that.

A good start is always crucial as it helps to seize the initiative early on in the match. Both Rohit and Dhawan would be aware that a couple of defeats could mean end of the road for India in this edition...

Source: Cricket News

From Zee News

Hockey India Senior Men Championship: TN beat FCI by 4-3

After suffering a loss in their first game against Uttar Pradesh 5 -2, Hockey Odisha today registered their first win by defeating Karnataka by an impressive 3- 1 on board. Tamil Nadu saw a similar fate as they too register their first win in the 4th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2014 (Division A) played at Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium in Lucknow today, as they defeated Food Corporation of India 4-3.

Hockey Odisha clearly learned from their previous mistakes and played an inspiring game against Karnataka. Committing one error Hockey Odisha lost a chance to win by a clean 3-0 as Karnataka?s Biddappa B.S successfully cashed on to the opportunity of converting the penalty corner in the 24th minute of the game. On the other hand, Hockey Odisha?s Amon Mirash Tirkey, Deepak Kullu and Dispan Tirkey penetrated a goal each in the 12th, 56th and 60th minute of the match and led the team to a fantastic 3-1 win over Karnataka.

The last match of the day of Division A, motivated with yesterday?s success, Food Corporation of India displayed a confident attitude and showed brilliant skills in the first half of the game as they dominated the match with 2-1 on board with successful strokes by Ganendrajit Ningomban in the 15th minute and Munish Rana in the 23rd minute, till the half time.

The second half of the game saw Munish Rana converting a penalty corner in the 45th minute and banking another goal to his credit, but the team ultimately failed to leverage on the opportunities. Alternatively, S. Monoj of Tamil Nadu tried leveling the scores with Food Corporation of India in the 21st minute in the first half itself, but it was V. Vinod Rayer?s and V. Raja?s field goals in 43rd and 63rd minute respectively and B Laxman Karan?s penalty corner conversion in the 61st minute which turned the tables of the match and led the team to a charming 4-3 win.

Source: Sports News

From newstrackindia News

Pujara the bowler: Why is Indian cricket penalising specialists?

You know Indian cricket is in a strange place when batsman Cheteshwar Pujara takes up bowling to try and get into the ODI team and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh talks about the need to out-bat Ravichandran Ashwin (another off-spinner) in a bid to break in. Once upon a time, the way to get into the team if you were a batsman was to score tons of runs – force your way into the team with the sheer weight of runs. And similarly for the bowler, picking up bagfuls of wickets was the only way to convince selectors of your quality.

But now having multiple-facets to your game seems more important. Specialisation can take a back seat simply because you have nothing to fall back on if you fail in your chosen area, which will make it easier for you to be knocked out of the team. Greg Chappell first introduced Indian cricket to the concept of three-dimensional players – players who are good batsmen, fielders and bowlers; who provide tremendous value to the team while batting and bowling. 

But he promptly forgot to mention that such players are rare or else every second player would be a Garry Sobers or a Kapil Dev. In the last two series – we have seen Ambati Rayudu (who has also donned the keeping gloves for Mumbai Indians in the past) get a bowl. Suresh Raina, struggling with his batting, turns to bowling. Rohit Sharma bowls as well. Yuvraj Singh’s bowling is almost as important to the team as his batting now. Virat Kohli gets a bowl from time to time and so does Mahendra Singh Dhoni. 

Then come the bowlers who can bat. Ashwin and Jadeja are leading the way in that department. During the tours of South Africa and New Zealand, Ashwin’s batting seemed to be keeping him in the team as he just wasn’t able to take any wickets – so much so that he seemed to be morphing into the next coming of Ravi Shastri (who went from left-arm orthodox spinner to opening the batting). Jadeja, on the other hand, is a scorer of triple-centuries at domestic level who only managed to get into the team as a bowler. Even now, it is as a bowler that he makes the cut...

Source: Cricket News

From firstpost News

IPL first half goes to UAE, final leg may be in India

 The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to hold the first leg of the slam-bang T20 tournament IPL in UAE from April 16 to 30 while the second leg could be played from May 1 to 12 in either Bangladesh or India if the home ministry grants permission to the board to bring back the T20 tournament to its home country after the end of the seventh phase of elections on April 30.

"We had to decide on dates for the tournament but we are still hopeful that the home ministry will allow us to bring back IPL to India early so that over 70 per cent of the matches are held here," said IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal.

The home ministry, he said, is yet to take a decision on BCCI request allow the IPL to be held in India from the first week of May by when seven of the nine phases of elections will be over.

The final phase of the IPL, which will include the all crucial playoffs and the final, when viewership is at its highest, will be played in the country.

The home ministry had confirmed to BCCI that it will have no objection if the IPL is held after the final leg of the elections are over on May 12. it had, however, also made it clear that the cricket board will have to take prior permission from state governments because of security issues.

A senior BCCI official, who did not wish to be named said the board will also work out the details of a compensation package for IPL teams.

If more than half of the IPL matches are moved to an overseas location, it would mean a loss of 40-50 per cent in revenues for IPL teams as a considerable chunk of their revenues come from ticket sales on their home grounds. Even sponsorship and merchandising opportunities will get impacted due to the move...

Source: Cricket News

From indiatimes News