Relief for tainted trio! Sreesanth, 17 others get bail in IPL spot-fixing scandal

A Delhi court on Monday granted bail to suspended cricketer S. Sreesanth and his Rajasthan Royals teammates Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila who have been booked under the provisions of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the IPL spot-fixing scandal.

Additional Session Judge V.K. Khanna also granted bail to 15 bookies on personal bonds ofRs.50,000 each.

Ravindra Jadeja: More than just a bits and pieces man

CARDIFF: Talk about capturing the moment of an entire one-day match by simply fielding a ball and throwing it back to the wicket-keeper from midwicket. Ravindra Jadeja effected a run-out and it became the turning point of the game between India and South Africa, changing a close-on the-heels chase into a one sided drubbing.

Given the analogies mentioned in recent past to describe his many talents, only Jadeja could perhaps steal Shikhar Dhawan a

nd Team India's moment of glory with just one act of smart fielding.

Robin Peterson struck the ball and ran for a single without a second thought, but even before AB de Villiers - at the non-striker's end - could warn him, Jadeja was at it in a flash, picking the ball with his left (throwing) arm and using great presence of mind to send it to the 'keeper and not the other end. The keeper's end wasn't where he was facing, but he did it, and the way broadcasters kept showing the clip again and again, it could only mean great respect for Jadeja's skills.

The joke, it turns out, is now on those who've been ridiculing Jadeja ever since he made the Test team. But be it bat, ball or simply in the field, whenever the team or skipper MS Dhoni have looked up, Jadeja has only left them overwhelmed.

Dhoni had been consistently mentioning that the format of the Champions Trophy would force him to play five specialist bowlers. However, given his penchant for all-rounders or preferably an extra batsman, his five bowler theory has worked best only when somebody, who can bowl, also contributes with the bat.

It is also a good clue to perhaps why he and Jadeja have started to get along so well. Dhoni and some of the other members of the team have had a lot of fun at the expense of Jadeja. But the Saurashtra all-rounder may not mind the banter simply because he also realises the amount of faith his skipper has in him.

Unlike the various social networking platforms, where he's the butt of many jokes, within Team India, Jadeja sits comfortably knowing his value.

A 29-ball 47 against South Africa on Thursday boosted India's total to an eventual 331. Given the manner in which de Villiers & Co began the chase, Jadeja's little cameo proved decisive.

"Babu" they call him, by his nickname, and he seems to respond well every time they do. On wickets like the one in Cardiff, he's effective because he doesn't try too much. Targeting the middle and off-stump, bowling at good length, varying his pace, he tries to get through his quota of overs with minimum fuss. By keeping it simple, Jadeja has survived and how.

In the current scheme of things, Dhoni while having to play five bowlers, needs a batting order that runs deep too. That flexible option is someone like Jadeja.

Next time a tweet appears on Jadeja's 20-run knock pointing out how he's missed his triple ton by another 280, bear in mind that the little contribution may have done enough to help India win. The bits and pieces man is fast becoming a protagonist in key victories.

Conspiracy against me by anti-South lobby: Srinivasan

CHENNAI: BCCI president N Srinivasan on Friday said the charges made against him and his family were part of a conspiracy by a north Indian lobby in the cricket body to malign south Indians and Tamils in particular.

Asked about a tweet by Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy, who alleged that a north Indian lobby was targeting south Indians in the BCCI, Srinivasan said it was obvious. "It is an open secret that there is a conspiracy against south Indians," he said in an interview to a Tamil TV channel.

Forced to step aside for 'interim president' Jagmohan Dalmiya over the spot-fixing scandal and betting allegations against his son-in-law and former Chennai Super Kings principal Gurunath Meiyappan, Srinivasan said: "There is no charge against me but a lobby within the BCCI, which wanted to head the organisation but failed, has worked behind scenes to malign me. I will answer any number of questions. I have also the numbers within the BCCI. The truth will come out soon."

Srinivasan said the BCCI had no connections with bookies and he was shocked when Rajasthan Royals player S Sreesanth was linked to the betting scandal.

"Gurunath, for all the charges levelled against him, did not flee to another country," he said. "I have trust in him and believe that he will come out unscathed. The charges against him will be disproved."

Hitting out at the media for its coverage of the case, Srinivasan said: "There is absolutely no truth in the charges levelled against Gurunath."

Why does Valentino Rossi hold such intense pre-race set of rituals? Read on and find out.

Listening to the same song, straddling the bike from the same side every time, performing a particular stretch routine, making the sign of the cross or putting a certain glove or boot on first. Riders employ many methods in order to maintain focus, many of them with no logical basis.
The objective is to try to block out the environment, focusing all thoughts into one, and above all reinforce the idea that everything is under control. Some of these gestures are virtually copyrighted and are sometimes copied by novices. Who is not curious to see Valentino Rossi always watching the Moto3 race start from the wall as a spectator, or bending his knees and clutching them before getting on his bike?
Manias, superstitions, fixations, ideas or routines, call it what you want, but all riders need a ‘safe place’. They need to repeat a sequence of actions, however insignificant, to help them concentrate and stay focused. If you did a comprehensive survey many of them would admit to the same procedures, but each uses his own mechanism of concentration to try to have a sense of control over something that is beyond control. The rain, contact from a rival, a breakdown. . . These are just some of the drawbacks of motorcycling beyond the control of anyone, but still most riders convince themselves that they can be mastered.

Contrary to general thinking, concentration, disconnection, abstraction, responses to fear. . . these are all parameters that can be trained and over in a race weekend are almost evenly combined. Unfortunately, while the riders are elite athletes and act as such to many extents, they neglect to take care of certain aspects that are more important than their skill. Especially in the early days. Many extremely talented riders have been left behind due to their bad habits, which they try to cover up when their performance slumps. Training daily, eating a healthy diet and resting is the bread and butter of an elite athlete. Training the mind in order to face the pressure of the big occasion is also fundamental to optimizing performance. Being able to concentrate and manage intense moments of concentration is basic. The rider must know how to structure the weekend in terms of priorities and focus to perform at their highest level in each session.
There are two types of concentration: introspection, used to loosen up, and fixation on outside factors. Rest is also crucial to avoid excessive mental fatigue, which can affect physical performance. The better the results are, the easier it is to rest. If the rider is too self-critical and has not scored a good result, they will analyse all the reasons why and will not disconnect.
Do not confuse rest with isolation, which can sometimes form part of the period before concentration can begin. Finding a place to eat alone, escaping to the motorhome for a game on the console, or just a nap, are some basic mechanisms to release tension and drive away negative thoughts. There are riders who must be completely exhausted at the end of a Grand Prix weekend. Who has not asked for a picture with their favourite rider and the most they have managed is a posed shot. Some riders reach such levels of concentration that they are little more than zombies, their bodies roaming the paddock but their thoughts elsewhere.

‘Controlling the uncontrollable’ also applies to fear, the riders’ biggest enemy. In sport there are many types of fear and one of the most significant is the fear of failure. In riders the most ‘logical’ fear is that of a big crash. The natural human response to fear is paralysis, avoidance and struggle. ‘These riders who crash at 200km/h and ten minutes later get back on the bike are crazy!’ It is a common remark but there is little truth to it. The accumulated level of adrenaline is such that a rider’s first thought after a fall in the middle of a session is ‘quick, I need to get back out because the session is nearly over,’ not ‘oh dear, I crashed.’ Fear can appear later when in the cold light of day they think again about the damage they could have possibly done. This fear is more a friend than foe, as it helps to recognize the limits and impose a specific prudence in future. In contrast, excessive fear or panic may block logical though, becoming a handicap for a rider or indeed any other person.
In order to understand a little more the grey matter of motorcycle racers we see self-belief as another way to face reality. Very important indeed. There is scientific evidence that positive or indeed negative thinking influences brain responses. But be careful, your self-belief must come from an objective place. And humility must be your universal force. Think that it is best to be positive, without losing sight that in order to win every battle must be fought first. Arrogance and overconfidence are a fast track to failure.
That said, when you see an athlete doing some strange gesture or following a curious ritual, do not be surprised, it is their way of trying to get a sense of control over something that is basically uncontrollable.

Vettel, Rosberg clash over 'tyre-gate'

Jun.6 (GMM) Germans Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg on Thursday revealed their vastly different opinions about the 'testgate' saga that has gripped formula one.
Mercedes is being hauled before the FIA tribunal to face possible sanctions for breaching the rules about in-season testing, after running its 2013 car during a test with Pirelli recently at Barcelona.
World champion Vettel, whose Red Bull team lodged the original protest together with Ferrari, said Mercedes obviously got an unfair advantage.
"I see it as a critical issue," he told Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
"Each test kilometre is an advantage, and Mercedes had the opportunity to test tyres that we will probably race at Silverstone.
"I think this is an advantage over all the other teams," added the triple world champion.
Monaco winner Rosberg, however - who actually drove at the Barcelona test with his teammate Lewis Hamilton - disagrees, insisting Pirelli had full control of the running.
"We have no say whatsoever -- they (Pirelli) say 'you are doing that, that, that and that' and the engineers that they have run our programme," he told Sky Sports.
"So it is not for us to learn anything or to decide on anything that we do."
Vettel also scoffed at Pirelli's decision to merely test proposed changes to the tyre design this weekend in Canada, because of the lack of unanimity up and down pitlane.
"The tread completely falls off," said the 25-year-old. "This is a safety risk for all of us.
"That we won't have these (revised) tyres for the race on a fast track like Canada, for me is inexplicable," added Vettel.

Pak vs WI: West Indies beat Pakistan by 2 wickets in ICC Champions Trophy

LONDON: West Indies just did enough to see off Pakistan as they opened their Champions Trophy campaign with a thrilling two-wicket Group B win at The Oval on Friday.

When man-of-the-match Kemar Roach took the first three wickets to fall, Pakistan were 15 for three.

In the end they were all out for 170 with only captain Misbah-ul-Haq, whose 96 not out was his highest score in 118 one-day internationals, and Nasir Jamshed (50) making it to double figures.

But the West Indies suffered a collapse of their own before tailender Roach hit the winning boundary with more than nine overs remaining.

"I let the ball do the work and got the early wickets for the team," Roach said at the presentation ceremony.

West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo added: "Kemar Roach set the tone getting the wicket in the first over.

"Pakistan bowl in the right areas and it was difficult to play against. I am very happy with the win."

Meanwhile Misbah said Pakistan's poor start to the match had been decisive.

"I think the plan was to see off the new ball but we did the opposite and lost too many wickets at the top.

"Credit goes to them because they bowled well.

"The (Pakistan) bowlers bowled their heart out...A little bit more effort could have taken us home."

On the ground where they won the 2004 Champions Trophy, West Indies slumped to 15 for two after giant left-arm quick Mohammad Irfan removed Johnson Charles and Darren Bravo.

Chris Gayle typically drove Irfan, world cricket's tallest player, for six, only to be bowled for 39 trying to slog off-spinner Saeed Ajmal.

The match was in the balance at 81 for four after Ramnaresh Sarwan was caught behind off left-arm quick Wahab Riaz.

Kieron Pollard took 18 balls to get off the mark as the West Indies crawled towards victory in front of a crowd of more than 20,000.

But when Pollard was caught behind off Riaz for a 58-ball 30, his side were still 34 runs short of victory.

Sunil Narine soothed West Indies' nerves with two fours.

But when he fell to Irfan, West Indies were still six runs adrift before Roach slammed the clinching boundary off Junaid Khan.

Earlier, after Roach's initial burst, off-spinner Narine took three wickets for three runs in 10 balls.

Misbah survived two close calls off successive balls on nought that, had they gone against him, would have left Pakistan 17 for four.

But the 39-year-old went on to surpass his previous ODI best of 93 not out against New Zealand at Napier in 2011.

Dwayne Bravo won the toss and six balls later took a fine second slip catch to dismiss Imran Farhat off Roach.

Hafeez was clean bowled by Roach and when Asad Shafiq fell for nought, after an uppercut to third man, the paceman had taken three for five in 14 balls.

Misbah, on nought, survived a West Indies reviewed appeal for lbw from Roach.

Next ball Roach thought he had Misbah caught behind with umpire Steve Davis giving him out.

But square leg umpire Nigel Llong told Misbah to wait while the catch was checked on replay and wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin was ruled not to

have had full control of the ball before fumbling it.

Misbah, on 67 when last man Irfan came in, went into the nineties with a six off Narine.

But he was denied a maiden century when Irfan mistimed a slower ball from Rampaul to Bravo at short mid-on. Misbah faced 127 balls including three sixes and five fours.

Pakistan and West Indies are in the same group as India and South Africa, with only the top two sides going through to the semifinals.

India beat the Proteas by 26 runs in the tournament opener in Cardiff on Thursday.

Pakistan next play South Africa at Edgbaston on June 10 with the West Indies facing India at The Oval on June 11.

IPL team owners may lose the dug-out view

NEW DELHI: With two IPL team owners - Gurunath Meiypappan of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals' Raj Kundra - getting embroiled in the betting row, the cricket board (BCCI) is now thinking of reigning in the franchise owners and curb their movement during matches.

Ahead of the crucial emergent Working Committee meeting on Monday, there are suggestions to shift the owners from the dug-out to the galleries even though it may not go down well with some of the team owners. The board feels that the measure will get the support of the team owners as the credibility of the game and the league is in question.

"The owners generally enter the field of play to sit in the dug-outs. If their seats are shifted somewhere else, then they won't enter the field while a match is on. After all, what can the players learn from the owners during matches? They don't have anything to contribute. There should be less crowd in the playing areas," a BCCI official told TOI.

When TOI contacted BCCI's interim president Jagmohan Dalmiya, he said, "We haven't discussed any such restriction so far in regard to IPL. Once the members meet we will know and decide on the issue."

When asked if the BCCI was mulling to discontinue IPL for a year to clean it up in the light of recent unsavoury developments, Dalmiya said: "The situation is not as bad for the league to be stopped. The Working Committee has given us a chance to clean up cricket and we will do our best."

It was also learnt that the board will issue a strict Code of Conduct for all IPL players. The BCCI may also decide to reduce the total strength of an IPL team squad from 33 to 23. Then, there are suggestions to allow only 15 players per side in the dug-out during matches and reduce the number of support staff in the playing area.