With an eye on the World League semifinals to be held in June, India coach Paul van Ass has decided to give seven players, who have been on the fringes, an opportunity to stake claim to the national team.

In addition to the 18-member squad which travelled to Malaysia for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in March, the Dutchman has included six more players for the four-match test series against Japan, which begins in Bhubaneswar from May 3. Van Ass, who has insisted the need to strengthen the back line, has included three young defenders — Harmanpreet Singh, Jasjit Singh, Gurmail Singh — for the series.

Harmanpreet has been impressive in the domestic circuit and was one of the better performers for Dabang Mumbai in the Hockey India League this year. Van Ass had highlighted the defence as one of the key areas that needed immediate attention after the Azlan Shah Cup, where India conceded several soft goals. “Our easy-going days are over and we are working harder in this preparation camp. We are rectifying our loop-holes, especially in defence,” he said.

Energetic midfielder Pardeep Mor and forwards Yuvraj Walmiki and Lalit Upadhyay too have been included in the squad. Walmiki, who was among the standbys, was a last-minute inclusion after Danish Mujtaba picked up an injury during the recently-concluded National Championships. Among the notable omissions was Gurjinder Singh, but he too is believed to be recovering from an injury. Walmiki returns to the India team for the first time since last year’s World Cup. Upadhyay, who was dropped after the Champions Trophy, will hope to utilize the opportunity to cement his place in the team after being in-and-out for a while. “We are reviewing our previous performances and working on various aspects. We are trying out new players in the tournament and will give maximum opportunities to all the players to perform on the field,” Van Ass said.

Sardar, too, said he expected the young players to gel well with the team. “We have brought back few young players. It’s good to have many options, which will help us to implement our tactics on the ground,” he said.

The Squad:

PR Sreejesh, Harjot Singh; Gurbaj Singh, Rupinderpal Singh, Birendra Lakra, Kothajit Singh, VR Raghunath, Jasjit Singh, Gurmail Singh, Harmanpreet Singh; Manpreet

Singh, Dharamvir Singh, Sardar Singh, SK Uthappa, Chinglensana Singh, Pardeep Mor; SV Sunil, Ramandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Yuvraj Walmiki, Mandeep Singh, Nikkin Thimmaiah, S Singh, Lalit Upadhyay.

Yuri Ogorodnik was sacked in 2011 following the doping scandal — which involved the 4×400 metre women’s relay squad that had interestingly won gold at the CWG and the Asiad.

Ukrainian-born coach Yuri Ogorodnik, at the ripe old age of 77, remains the man with the magic wand for the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). After nearly six months during which the pros and cons of appointing Ogorodnik were weighed by the sports ministry and his return hitting a roadblock in March, AFI has got its way and the appointment of the coach is now imminent.

Ogorodnik was sacked following the 2011 doping scandal involving almost the entire 4×400 metre women’s relay squad — all his trainees — which won gold at the CWG and the Asiad. The long-standing coach has had multiple stints in the country since the early 2000s. However, with the objective of seeing the relay squad reach the finals of the Rio Olympics next year, the AFI has been untiring in its push to hire the services of the Ukrainian.

AFI president Adille Sumariwalla has called on the sports minister, the sports secretary and the director general of the Sports Authority of India to impress on them the pressing need to have the coach, who has the experience of working with the Indian relay squads in the past.

The AFI’s renewed efforts were necessary after Ogorodnik’s return to India looked unlikely in March when the sports ministry concluded that his dismissal nearly four years ago, in the light of the dope scandal, was a black mark and hence decided not to hand him a new contract. That he is nearly an octogenarian and has been ill also went against him. But now the persuasive ways of the AFI seems to have worked and Sumariwalla says Ogorodnik is on his way back, a development a top official in the sports ministry confirmed on Thursday. “The AFI has received an unofficial commitment from the sports ministry that Ogorodnik will be offered a formal contract. It is likely to happen this week. The AFI is clear about the fact that he can produce results and we have conveyed the same to the sports ministry and the Sports Authority of India. While his contract was terminated in 2011 after the athletes tested positive, he has not been indicted by the two probes conducted in the aftermath of the doping fiasco. The athletes themselves have blamed the supplements, which they bought from the market, for the positive test. Moreover, our athletes have faith in him and believe he can help them achieve their potential,” Sumariwalla said.

An AFI committee of athletes, including Shiny Wilson, Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, Bahadur Singh and Manjeet Kaur have also recommended Ogorodnik’s name. With the athletics season underway around the world, it was also difficult for India to lure an established coach as most of them would have already signed contracts and begun training other teams. “It is important that we have a coach who is familiar with our athletes and knows them well. If a new coach is brought, it will take him or her at least a year to understand the training needs of our athletes and by that time the Rio Games will be upon us,” Sumariwalla added. “Yuri has already submitted a detailed training plan from January 1, 2015 till the end of the Olympics for our individual athletes. He has been able to do that because he has worked with most of these girls earlier.” In the absence of a foreign coach, who could be the unifying figure, the core of the women 400 metre runners, who will form the relay squad, are training at two different venues with two different coaches. India is the defending champion in the 4x400m relay at the Asian Athletics Championships. But with just a month to go for the continental meet in Wuhan, China, the core group of 400 metre runners are splintered, one set training in Patiala while another trains in Thiruvananthapuram.

MR Poovamma, part of the squad which won gold at the last edition of the Asian Championships in Pune and at the Incheon Asian Games, is training under Mohammed Kunhi in Patiala. Also based there are Ashwini Akkunji and Mandeep Kaur. However, Priyanka Panwar, a gold medal winner at Incheon and Jauna Murmu, train under RS Sidhu in Trivandrum.

“Once Yuri is on board we will have one camp at one venue under one coach. When a foreign coach is around, athletes will have to train under him,” the AFI president said.

Robin Uthappa and Andre Russell put on 112 runs in no time to power KKR home at Eden Gardens on Thursday. (Source: BCCI/IPL)

Kiwi in yellow

Dwayne Smith was out first ball after Gautam Gambhir won the toss and decided to field on a good Eden Gardens pitch. Pat Cummins bowled a loosener wide outside the off stump and the Chennai Super Kings opener hit it uppishly towards cover. Ryan ten Doeschate took a blinder, diving to his left. Then, Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum took it upon himself to teach the young Aussie fast bowler a lesson. (Full Coverage| Fixtures|Points Table)

McCullum opened his account with a six over cover. Cummins over-corrected his line and bowled a wide down the leg side that went for four. McCullum charged down the wicket next ball and hit another six over the straight boundary.

Next over, Umesh Yadav was welcomed with a glorious cover drive by Suresh Raina but a turnout of over 60,000 was waiting to see McCullum in action. He didn’t disappoint.

Sixteen runs were taken from Cummins’s second over — a glance down the fine leg for four, followed by a pull to deep backward square for another boundary and then a ramp over third man for a six. It was absolute carnage.
Yadav removed Raina — caught by Piyush Chawla at mid-on — but McCullum was undeterred. He responded with two more boundaries. 52/2 after four overs and the visitors had a terrific start.

Chawla had removed McCullum with a googly at Chepauk. Here, the batsman gained an upper hand with three fours in the leggie’s first over. The fans were gasping for breath. Gambhir’s frown grew deeper.

44-year old Aussie

Under pressure, the Kolkata captain turned to Brad Hogg. The 44-year-old Aussie had an excellent game two days ago, playing as Sunil Narine’s replacement. Here, he accounted for McCullum with his first ball. The latter had misread the top-spinner and was caught plumb in front. Four balls later, Hogg fooled Faf du Plessis with a wrong’un. The batsman had walked down the wicket and attempted a push down the leg side. But the ball turned the other way and Robin Uthappa had an easy stumping. The wily old man put the brakes on.

The momentum had swung towards the hosts. Chawla went through MS Dhoni’s defence and at 72/5, Chennai suddenly had a rebuilding job to do.

But Hogg wasn’t finished yet. He came back for his final spell after Pawan Negi had clattered Cummins for three fours in an over. With two overs remaining, Chennai were aiming something in the region of 180. But Hogg dismissed a well set Ravindra Jadeja and then cleaned up Negi. Four wickets for 29 runs in four overs; it was an outstanding effort.

The finishing touch

Uthappa had thrown away a start at Chepauk. But today he was timing the ball beautifully. A four through mid-wicket off Mohit Sharma in the first over was gorgeous. Ashish Nehra was carted to the long-off boundary next over. But it was controlled aggression with Gambhir taking on the bowling at the other end.

The left-hander flattered to deceive. Then Uthappa had a reprieve with Nehra dropping a relatively easy return catch. The opener concentrated on building his innings.

Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav got out inside six deliveries; 109 runs were required from 11 overs. Uthappa was anchoring one end but Kolkata needed raw aggression at the other.

It was imperative to negate Bravo, Chennai’s best death-over bowler. Russell hammered him for two fours to lead the charge. Uthappa didn’t allow Nehra to hit the groove, taking two fours and a six in the first over of his second spell. Russell swatted Jadeja to the long-on boundary and then sent him to the ‘G Block’ top tier. The game was changing.
Bravo came back for his second over, Russell dispatched him over the deep mid-wicket boundary. The next ball went over the square leg fence. The Jamaican raced to his half-century off just 25 balls. Uthappa had reached there two overs previously – his first half-ton in this IPL.

The two remained unseparated till the end to add 112 runs (10.4 overs) for the fourth wicket. Kolkata won by seven wickets with one ball remaining. In hindsight, the missed stumping of Uthappa cost Chennai dear. Negi had beaten him in the air, but Dhoni fumbled. The batsman was on 28 then.

Robin Uthappa stroked a sublime 80 (not out) against CSK on Thursday. (Source: BCCI/IPL)

Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir said the seven-wicket over Chennai Super Kings tested the “character and temperament” of his team especially after the away loss against the same opponents a few days back. (Full Coverage| Fixtures|Points Table)

Robin Uthappa (80 not out) and Andre Russell (59 not out) struck belligerent fifties after veteran Brad Hogg’s 4 for 29 to help KKR return to winning ways with a seven-wicket win CSK at the Eden Gardens.

Playing the formidable CSK for a second time in two days, KKR, who lost by two runs chasing 135 in the first leg clash, had a stiffer target of 166 to chase after skipper Gautam Gambhir won the toss and once again opted to field.

“It was an important test for us after we missed out on the last game. It was a test of our character and temperament, coming back and performing here was a tremendous effort. I told the team it was an important test if we want to play like defending champions, I wanted them to play freely and that’s what Russell and Uthappa did,” Gambhir said after the win.

“We wanted to be positive and we picked wickets and then chased it down. At one point I thought we could contain them to 140-150 but in this format and on this quick outfield it doesn’t always happen. The firepower we have I knew we can chase it down. A lot of credit to Russell and Robin.

“One of them had to bat long, last couple of times I did it, one of the top three have to do it and that’s what happened. Robin played a very sensible role especially with Russell you can easily get carried away,” he added.

Losing captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni felt 166 was a defendable target.

“It was a very good score. We were there because of (Pawan) Negi. We lost wickets early but we are trying to explore that, we are a bit conservative,” he said.

He was little critical of Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling and said the team missed Ravichandran Ashwin.

“It was a very good effort but if Jadeja had bowled slightly better, I though this wicket would suit him, otherwise a good effort,” Dhoni said.

“Wrist spinners get more purchase on such pitches but Negi bowled well, despite giving runs, and his bowling was very good. Ashwin would’ve loved to bowl here. Once we are back in Chennai we’ll know how he is healing,” he added.

Sunil Narine was in the firing line again when he was barred from bowling his off-spinners in the ongoing IPL. (Source: BCCI/IPL)

Without mentioning any individual names, former India skipper and Rajasthan Royals’ mentor Rahul Dravid came out in full support of the BCCI move to eradicate ‘chuckers’ from the Indian Premier League. (Full Coverage| Fixtures|Points Table)

Dravid, during an interaction with reporters, said this decision of eradicating bowlers with ‘dodgy’ bowling actions should send a big message to the grassroot level, where the coaches can take corective measures so that the bowler rectifies it at an early phase of his cricketing life.

“I don’t want to focus on individuals. But I do support BCCI and ICC (International Cricket Council which has also cracked down on chucking) in eradicating bowlers with dodgy actions,” said Dravid.

He was reacting to a question on BCCI’s ban in bowling off spinners on Sunil Narine in matches conducted by it – including IPL in which the West Indian plays for Kolkata Knight Riders.

“I support it for a variety of reasons. People talk about these bowlers getting punished, but what about batsmen who face them and whose careers get ruined? What about other bowlers who have clean action but are sidelined in favour of these bowlers and are then lost to the game,” asked Dravid.

Dravid said this issue needs to be addressed seriously at the junior and schools level by the players’ coaches.

“We all can see this particular bowler has a different action, a dodgy action. What’s to be done about it. You have to correct him at the junior level. The message has to percolate to the grassroots level of the game.

“There was a time in Indian domestic cricket there were so many bowlers with dodgy action. It’s good that they have now decided to eradicate it. I welcome it,” said Dravid.

Dravid said he cannot comment on news reports tying him to an advisory job with the Indian team as he’s yet to hear anything of this nature from the BCCI.

“I have read it in the newspapers. I can’t comment on it as I don’t know anything on the issue.”

The BCCI, at its working committee meeting, had authorised President Jagmohan Dalmiya to constitute a cricket advisory committee comprising prominent cricketers who will share their recommendations on the overall conduct and development of the game.

Dravid’s name, along with those of his erstwhile India teammates Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly, were mentioned in some reports as those who would be inducted into the panel.

Shahid Afridi said his last remaining ambition was to lead Pakistan to the T20 World Cup title next year. (Source: AP)

Flamboyant Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi announced that he will retire from international cricket after the T20 World Cup to be held in India next year.

Talking to the media at a function, Afridi said his last remaining ambition was to lead Pakistan to the T20 World Cup title next year.

“I want to not only play but also captain the Pakistan team to the T20 World Cup title,” he said.

Afridi, 35, has appeared in 78 T20 Internationals, besides 27 Tests and 398 One-day Internationals.

He announced his retirement from Test cricket during the Pakistan team’s tour to England in 2010 after captaining the side in just the first Test at Lords. He has also retired from ODIs after the recent World Cup.

“Who does not want a happy ending to his career. I am looking at that in the T20 format. I never thought I would be at this level and play cricket for Pakistan team,” he added. Afridi said he had made up his mind to also quit T20 Internationals after next year’s World Cup.

“I have made up my mind but before that I want to also groom a future captain and vice-captain for this format with the Board’s support,” said Afridi.

He said that Pakistan needed to play attention to its domestic cricket structure and improve it so that more quality players could be produced in the country.

Yuvraj Singh is not complacent when taking on the bottom-placed team in the table. (Source: PTI)

Still non-committal about Zaheer Khan’s first season appearance for Delhi Daredevils, Yuvraj Singh has hinted at the left-arm pacer’s inclusion in the playing XI during the team’s last home encounter against Kings XI Punjab in New Delhi on Friday. (Full Coverage| Fixtures|Points Table)

Zaheer, who was bought by the GMR-owned unit for Rs 4 crore, hasn’t played a single game for DD due to a hamstring injury. Yuvraj though is positive about his former India teammate’s return to the IPL field after the left arm pacer played his last game for Mumbai Indians on May 3 last year.

“I don’t know about the team selection, but I think he is playing. You have to ask the coach (Gary Kirsten) and captain (Jean-Paul Duminy) about this but I think he is starting,” Yuvraj told mediapersons at the eve of their eight match of the cash-rich league.

DD have had an inconsistent run in the T20 league so far, winning just 3 of the 7 matches, but Yuvraj believes the Jean-Paul Duminy-led side has played good cricket.

“I think we won two games in a row, we lost one and then won a game and then lost another one. It’s not that we are losing games in a row. We are winning and losing. T20 is a very unpredictable format, anything can happen on a day. But the point is that we need to win few more games consistently to qualify for the last four.

“I am sure we have the guys to do that and we just need two-three special performances in the next four games. We have had good wins and lost a few bad games, so we just need to fight till the end and try and win some games,” said the left-hand batsman.

Coming at the back a decent domestic season for Punjab, Yuvraj, who has been the season’s costliest buy for 16 crores, hasn’t had the best of times with the bat, 124 runs in 7 matches. The southpaw though is not too worried.

“It’s not easy because at times in domestic level at times you don’t play the quality of international bowlers, so at times it’s hard to come in and adjust quickly. I am trying to give any excuses but T20 is a different form of domestic season, you hardly get time to get set and play your game. But that’s the nature of T20 cricket,” he said.

DD have the advantage of getting the better of Kings XI in their first game in Pune but Yuvraj is not complacent when taking on the bottom-placed team in the table.

“Kings XI haven’t had a very good season, we know that but at the end of the day they came and beat Rajasthan Royals, playing very good cricket. So as I said T20 cricket is very undpredictable. Five overs can take the game away from you and we just need to concentrate on the things that we are doing well and if we can bat, bowl and field well then I am sure we can win,” he said.

“I think when guys have been playing in a team for a longer time and have been winning then they are confident. CSK has played consistent cricket and they have the confidence that they can pull it off in a tough situation and I think they have shown it, so they say it” said the 33-year-old player.

Also giving away the ‘You We Can’ bands to the scribes before the team puts on the Lavender couloured jersey for tomorrow’s game as DD celebrate ‘Cancer Survivor Day’, Yuvraj thanked the media for their continuous support for his cancer foundation.

“Thank You all for supporting the cause and wearing the bands,” said the cancer survivor.