NEW DELHI: What was suspected after Tuesday’s auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is now confirmed - there was indeed a consensus among the team franchisees that none of them would bid for the Pakistani players.
Blog: No Pakistani in IPL is a matter of shame
Underlying this consensus were ambiguous signals from officialdom. Union sports minister MS Gill went on record on Wednesday insisting that neither his ministry nor the government had in any way nudged IPL teams to treat Pakistani players as untouchables. However, sources in the Indian cricket board (BCCI) gave TOI details of what transpired in the run-up to the auction, which suggest a more nuanced reality.
According to the sources, the BCCI initially told the franchisees that they could bid for Pakistani players and treat them just like cricketers from any other part of the world. Around the middle of December, the board also assured the teams that it would chip in with help for visas and other diplomatic clearances from the government.
However, when team owners asked the board "what guarantee will the franchisees have?", the board spoke to some government officials in the last week of December and reverted with the message that the government - understandably - couldn’t give "any guarantee". The prospects of possible terror attacks clearly contributed to this message.
Hence the IPL teams ignored the Pakistan players in auction as there was "no guarantee" from the government that these players would get visas and other clearances.
Also adding to the jitters of the IPL teams were apprehensions of possible disruption of IPL matches by parties like the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena in the event of Pakistani players participating. With Mumbai slated to host a major chunk of IPL matches in the forthcoming season - including seven home matches of the Mumbai Indians in the league and some knock-out matches - this became a major concern.
In fact, team managements said they were already getting calls from Australian players asking how seriously they should treat the threat by the Shiv Sena that it would not allow Australians to play in India in retaliation for the racist attacks on Indians Down Under.
"Security is a huge factor and it’s only the team owners who will have to take up the responsibility. BCCI is not responsible for internal security in the IPL. The board had asked the government if the Pakistanis would be safe in a place like Mumbai. The answer wasn’t too convincing with a senior state government functionary pointing out that barely a year had elapsed since the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai," a BCCI insider told TOI on Wednesday.
"There was no direction from the board. The indication from the board was that the Pakistani players are shortlisted and you guys can bid for them. But they may not be welcomed in a place like Mumbai," a team official added. That, it appears, was enough to spook the franchisees into steering clear of Pakistani players.
The reputation of some of the Pakistani cricketers who had participated in the first season of the IPL in 2008 didn’t help either. The Delhi Daredevils were put off by Mohd Asif’s antics, while Shahid Afridi did not have a great relationship with Deccan Chargers.
The sources also said the ‘boycott’ of Pakistani players was likely to continue for similar reasons till such time as India and Pakistan resume bilateral cricketing ties. In other words, despite the homilies often trotted out about separating sports and politics, this is one case where politics will remain a determining factor.
BANGALORE: In the Bollywood flick ‘Chak de India’, women hockey players overcome the indifference of their association and other adversities to lift the World Championship under the stellar leadership of coach Kabir Khan, memorably played by Shah Rukh Khan.
In the real version, players of the Indian women’s hockey team, incensed by Hockey India’s apathy, have decided to take things in their own hands. Four players opened a joint bank account in Bhopal on Wednesday to seek monetary contributions from the public to help players in distress.
The girls, outraged by the way Hockey India ignored their claims while rewarding the men’s team for its performance in 2009, said they had decided to help themselves than seek the federation’s help.
‘‘Our self-respect is far more important to us than the financial incentives,’’ a senior player told TOI. ‘‘Our prayers for rewards as well as better exposure tours have been rejected time and again. We’re not beggars. There’s no point in approaching Hockey India for help.’’
After having given away almost Rs 1 crore to the men’s team for its podium finishes in 2009, HI said on Tuesday that it couldn’t meet the demands of the women’s team owing to a severe cash crunch. ‘‘They would be compensated in due course but we cannot set a timeframe to it,’’ HI president Vidya Stokes told TOI.
On Wednesday, four seniors - Surinder Kaur, Dipika Murty, Mamta Kharb and Subhadra Pradhan - opened a joint account with the Syndicate Bank in Bhopal, with a mandate from other girls in the camp. They made token contributions, too, before requesting hockey-loving public to join the cause.
In the coming weeks, once the camp ends, the girls will start a fund in the name of Indian women’s hockey and register it. ‘‘We wanted to open the account in the name of women’s hockey but were told it would have to be registered. We did not have time for that. Once we open the fund, this account will dissolve. But our assurance to those who contribute is that their money will be used to help the needy among us,’’ the player said.
The team has contributed Rs 20,000 to a junior player whose relative is ill. Nothing new really as it has done this earlier as well, buying another junior player air tickets so that she could be with her ailing father. All this encapsulates the plight of the women’s team. With just about half of the 40-odd probables at the camp employed, others, particularly juniors, are virtually penniless. With the federation unable to provide financial incentives despite commendable achievements, the girls have found it difficult to make ends meet.
‘‘The girls come from very humble backgrounds. One girl’s father is a rickshaw puller, another’s a poor farmer. Their dream was too see the girls do well in the game. With no jobs and the game giving nothing in return, it isn’t easy surviving,’’ the player said.
The entire team will train under protest. ‘‘We’ll wear black armbands while practising. Hockey India is biased towards men’s hockey. The discrimination - not merely in terms of incentives but equipment and exposure tours - has made us feel that we are not part of HI,’’ she added.
The player contended that they were hard-hit by lack of exposure tours ahead of the Bangkok Asia Cup 2010 in the run-up to the World Cup in Argentina this year.
MELBOURNE: Former finalist and world number one Ana Ivanovic flopped out of the Australian Open on Thursday, losing to experienced Argentinian Gisela Dulko in the second round.
The error-riddled performance by a frustrated Ivanovic was a far cry from the glamour girl's form in 2008, when she lost the Australian Open final to Maria Sharapova and won the French Open.
The 20th seed recovered from 1-4 down to take the first set against the 36th-ranked Dulko, but struggled with her serve and eventually succumbed, 6-7 (6/8), 7-5, 6-4.
The Serb had all sorts of problems on the serve, countless times aborting her service action after an errant ball toss, and faced 28 break points, nine of which Dulko converted.
Her groundstrokes also deserted her after the first set, hitting just three winners on her forehand and backhand in the second set, while Dulko hit 12.
Ivanovic did have a break point in the second set to go ahead 5-4 and serve for the match, but Dulko staved off the challenge and then won three straight games to turn the match.
Fittingly, successive double faults handed Dulko the leveller.
Although Ivanovic fended off five match points in the third set, Dulko finally prevailed after two hours and 42 minutes.
The disappointing exit for Ivanovic came as she tries to rejuvenate her career after battling indifferent form and injuries last year.
She slipped down the rankings to be outside the top 20 for the first time in five years, finishing the season at 22.
Her best performances were reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon and the French Open, making the third round here and bowing out in the first round at the US Open.
It was the sixth time in her past seven tournaments where she had failed to advance beyond the second round.
Ivanovic clashed with Australian umpire Kerrilyn Cramer over line calls several times, although she was unlucky to be on the wrong end of a poor call to hold serve in the fifth game of the deciding set.
The error helped Dulko hold serve to lead 4-1 and all but sealed the Serbian's fate, and she was broken again in the next game as the 24-year-old took an iron grip on the match.
While it was another dark day for Ivanovic, it is the first time Dulko has advanced beyond the second round here in seven attempts.
LONDON: Arsenal fought back from two goals down to go top of the Premier League with a controversial 4-2 win over Bolton at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
EPL Points Table
Arsene Wenger's title chasers were stunned when Gary Cahill put Bolton ahead before Matthew Taylor increased the visitors' lead with a first-half penalty.
But Tomas Rosicky's strike brought Arsenal back into the match and a piece of debatable refereeing from Alan Wiley allowed the Gunners to equalise through Cesc Fabregas.
Wiley waved play on despite William Gallas's ugly stamp on Mark Davies and Arsenal, ignoring Bolton's protests, took full advantage as Fabregas levelled.
Thomas Vermaelen's goal completed Arsenal's revival before Andrey Arshavin struck to send the north Londoners above previous leaders Chelsea on goals scored.
Chelsea have a game in hand on Arsenal, but Wenger's men will fancy their chances of winning the title race if they continue to play with this kind of spirit.
With pole position up for grabs, Arsenal needed a repeat of the dominant display that saw them cruise to a 2-0 win at Bolton on Sunday.
But the Gunners were caught cold in the seventh minute as woeful defending allowed Bolton to snatch a shock lead.
French left-back Gael Clichy started the comedy of errors when he miscued a clearance high into the air, then Vermaelen allowed Kevin Davies to out-jump him on the edge of the area and the rest of the Arsenal defence stood statuesque as Cahill pounced to drive the knock-down past Manuel Almunia.
Fabregas should have equalised moments later when Rosicky's pass picked out the Arsenal captain but, with only Jussi Jaaskelainen to beat, he shot weakly at the Finn.
While Arsenal were beginning to carve open Bolton's back four, their own defence still looked far from impregnable and it needed a fine stop from Almunia to keep out Taylor's low free-kick.
Even the warning of that narrow escape went unheeded and the Gunners pressed the self-destruct button again in the 28th minute.
Lee Chung-Yong posed no immediate threat when he took possession inside the penalty area, yet Denilson betrayed his lack of recent action with a poorly-timed lunge that floored the South Korean and left Wiley with no option but to award a penalty.
Almunia, diving low to his left, got both hands to Taylor's spot-kick but couldn't stop it trickling in.
Wenger must have feared Arsenal's luck was out when Kevin Davies accidently headed Fabregas's free-kick past Jaaskelainen, only for the ball to hit the crossbar and bounce to safety.
But Rosicky gave Arsenal a lifeline on the stroke of half-time. Taking Fabregas's flick in his stride, the Czech midfielder burst into the penalty area and, from an acute angle, smashed a fierce strike past Jaaskelainen at his near post.
Wenger's side may have been poor at the back but there was never any question that they were capable of fashioning an equaliser. It came in controversial circumstances in the 52nd minute.
Gallas caught Mark Davies on the ankle with a crude challenge that left the Bolton midfielder writhing in agony.
It looked a clear foul but Wiley played on and, despite Bolton's protests, Gallas did just that.
The ball was eventually worked into Fabregas via Arshavin and a fortunate deflection and the Spaniard calmly placed his shot through Jaaskelainen's legs.
As Fabregas and company celebrated, Bolton's players surrounded Wiley to complain. Their anger only increased when Davies was eventually stretchered off.
Arsenal were an irresistible force now. In the 65th minute, Diaby headed a corner down towards Vermaelen and the Belgian defender had time to pick his spot and smash Arsenal into the lead.
Bolton's spirit had been shattered and Arshavin ensured Arsenal would take first place when he took Eduardo's flick and fired gleefully past Jaaskelainen in the 85th minute.
MIRPUR (Bangladesh): In-form Virat Kohli hammered his second ODI ton to script India's facile six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a dead rubber of the ongoing tri-series on Monday.
Scorecard | Match in Pics | Points Table
With India and Sri Lanka having already booked their place in Wednesday's final, Monday's match was of merely academic interest.
India first restricted the hosts to 247 for six and then chased down the target with seven overs to spare.
Dinesh Karthik (34) and Gautam Gambhir (41) gave India another brisk 64-run start before Kohli took over to complete the formality in Suresh Raina's (18) company.
Kohli's unbeaten 95-ball 102 included 11 hits to the fence.
Batting on 94, Kohli hit back-to-back fours off Shakib Al Hasan to reach his century and score the winning runs.
Chasing a modest 248, India got just the kind of start they needed with Karthik and Gambhir finding boundaries at regular intervals.
Karthik sent the first ball of the second powerplay - Abdur Razzak was the bowler - out of the park before perishing caught behind in the next over.
As if to take revenge, Gambhir hit Shafiul for three fours on the trot in his next over before Naeem Islam breached his gate.
Left-handed Gambhir danced down the track to hoist Naeem only to be beaten by the flight of the delivery that disturbed the stumps. Gambhir hit five fours in his 46-ball innings.
Yuvraj Singh (25-ball 13) then came in and he was trying to give his partner Kohli more strike but he failed to fend off a Naeem delivery that straightened after pitching to be out LBW and India were in a spot of bother at 133 for three in the 24th over.
The script looked like going the way of the earlier match between the two sides on January 7 when India lost the two openers and Yuvraj for Kohli and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to revive the run chase.
Kohli carried on from where he left on Sunday against Sri Lanka, mixing caution with aggression as he picked gaps and ran hard for the ones and twos and scoring occasional boundaries to race to his fifty in 47 balls with the help of five fours.
Dhoni, who scored a hundred in their earlier match against the same opponents, played in the same fashion as his junior partner and as India scored at a brisk pace.
But just as India were cruising to the target, Dhoni perished in the 37th over while trying for big shot by dancing down the track although he could only offer an easy catch to Imrul Kayes at mid-on off Shakib Al Hasan.
The Indian captain, who hit three fours in his 35-ball 32, shared a 68-run stand for the fourth wicket from 75 balls with Kohli and when he was out India needed 47 runs from 13.5 overs.
Kohli and Suresh Raina (18-ball 18) then completed the formalities without any hiccup.
For Bangladesh, Naeem was the most successful bowler with figures of two for 35 while Shakib and Shafiul Islam claimed a wicket apiece.
Earlier, Bangladesh batsmen struggled against Indian bowling attack but the hosts rode on a late flourish to inch close to the 250-mark in front of 5,000-odd spectators at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Captain Shakib top-scored with a 96-ball 85 which he made with the help of eight fours and a six while in-form Mohammad Mahmadullah chipped in with an unbeaten 80-ball 64.
The duo's 106-run stand from 128 balls for the sixth wicket was the cornerstone of the Bangladesh innings which was tottering at 95 for five in the 24th over.
Shakib, who came in the 14th over when his side was three down for 60, kept one end together till the 46th over when he was out while trying to play a scoop shot off Ashish Nehra only to mistime it as the ball landed into the gloves of Dhoni.
Nehra, who came in for Zaheer Khan today, was the most successful Indian bowler with two wickets though he was a tad expensive, conceding 58 runs from his 10 overs.
India bled 95 runs in the last 10 overs but later tightened the noose to restrict Bangladesh to 247 for six.
Part-timer Yuvraj Singh (1/33), Sudeep Tyagi (1/24) and S Sreesanth (1/53) also chipped in with good performance for India.
NEW DELHI/PUNE: Indian hockey players were on Monday served with a 24-hour deadline to resume practice or face disciplinary action as the entire squad began an indefinite boycott of the World Cup preparatory camp over a payment dispute.
Peeved by the fresh strike, Hockey India, the game's governing body, threatened to crack the whip by warning the players to return to the camp by Tuesday evening but the players seemed to be in no mood to relent till their demands were met.
A top HI source said that the players have been given a 24-hour deadline to return to the camp or face disciplinary action but senior player Prabhjot Singh, who has been appointed by his teammates as their representative for the negotiations, said they had not received any such ultimatum.
"The ultimatum is all hypothetical. Till now we have not received any ultimatum. We were told that HI officials were coming here tonight. Let us see what happens, we are waiting for their arrivals", Prabhjot said.
A high-level HI delegation headed by President AK Mattoo, Harish Sharma, Narender Batra and Jagbir Singh will leave for Pune either Monday night or Tuesday morning to hold discussions with the striking players who are demanding their match dues, incentives and a graded payment structure among other things.
"We have communicated our views to them and we are hopeful that the players will see a reason to solve the problem. Antonio (FIH vice-president) will advice us at to what needs to be done in such a situation." Mattoo said.
While the players went ahead with their threat to stay away from the camp until their dues and incentives were paid, Hockey India too made it clear that boycotting a national camp for pending payments was akin to blackmail.
Frustrated with the turn of events, Mattoo, who had only on Saturday night said that all issues had been resolved, threatened the players with suspension if they failed to report to the camp.
"If you ask me it is an option. I can use it today, tomorrow or any other day but I feel they are being misled and wrongly advised. I don't want this to happen," Mattoo said when asked if suspending the players is an option for Hockey India.
"We have taken note of their issues and I have opened up about whatever (money) we have with us, which has never been done before. They know we do not have a sponsor. I see no reason why they have taken this route," he said.
The players also came under attack from FIH, the game's world governing body, with its vice president Antonio von Ondarza saying the players had got their priorities all wrong.
Ondarza, also the world body's observer for Hockey India elections, said staying away from training camp before an important event like World Cup was unheard of in the game's history.
"I came here yesterday and came to know about the players' strike from television. I am very sad at what is happening, this shouldn't have happened. This is completely unheard of in hockey circles," Ondarza said.
"We want India to comeback. India has been a traditional hockey nation in the world and for a player wearing India shirt should be his priority," he said.
On a day of high drama, the players stayed away from the camp, prompting the HI to send its representative Ikram Khan to negotiate with them in the morning.
"We are not training from this morning. We are waiting for Hockey India officials to arrive. We came to know that Hockey India officials are coming to meet the team. The team will have a meeting with them and let's see what happens," Prabhjot said.
Ikram Khan, however, insisted that boycotting a national camp was not right way to assert demands.
"They should not have boycotted the camp. They should respect their coaches, after all they are very senior players. They should start their practice and the other process will continue," Khan said.
Sources in Pune said that HI had an additional list of 22 players and had bluntly told the players to give in writing whether they would be attending the camp.
"The players were told that another squad had been prepared and those who wanted to continue playing should report to the camp. But the players refused to do so," the source said.
The standoff is likely to have a bearing on the preparation for the World Cup to be held in Delhi from February 28 to March 13.
Chief coach Jose Brasa again sought to steer clear of the controversy which has rocked the preparations for the mega event, saying it was a matter between the players and HI.
Brasa, however, pleaded for an early settlement of the issue.
MANCHESTER: Carlos Tevez scored his first Manchester City hat-trick as they went fourth in the English Premier League table with a 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers at Eastlands on Monday.
Victory meant City maintained their perfect record under Italian manager Roberto Mancini with their fourth straight success, even if they did concede their first goal under the former Inter Milan boss when Morten Gamst Pedersen scored for Rovers to make it 3-1.
But the match belonged to Argentina's Tevez who was in brilliant form as he made it 11 goals in his last nine games.
The former Manchester United striker opened the scoring in the seventh minute and, after Micah Richards's superb second, Tevez struck two expert curling shots, the second in stoppage time, to seal City's win.
City are now just seven points behind leaders Chelsea and the big-spenders, backed by their billionaire Abu Dhabi-based owner Sheikh Mansour, could yet have a big influence on the destiny of this season's title.
By contrast, defeat left Rovers just three points above the relegation zone with all the teams below them having games in hand.
Mancini, while pleased with the victory, was "angry" at seeing City concede a sloppy goal which came from a poor first touch by Vincent Kompany after goalkeeper Shay Given cleared a back-pass.
"It was a good night for us. The players played very well in this match," Mancini said.
"Carlos Tevez played very, very well. All the team concentrated for 90 minutes but I'm angry because we conceded a goal. Our gift. I think it's most important we stay focussed all the time.
"We must continue to play well and not concede one goal."
Meanwhile, Mancini tried to keep City's victory in perspective by insisting: "We don't watch the table. We watch the table (in) two months. Now it is not important”, he said.
"There are 17 games to the end. Now it's important that we continue this way, we continue to play well and we continue to improve."
As new City signing Patrick Vieira, the former Arsenal midfielder who signed from Serie A champions Inter Milan last week, watched on from the stands, the hosts wasted little time in taking the lead.
Rovers and England keeper Paul Robinson's poor punch from Martin Petrov's corner fell to City striker Benjani Mwaruwari and the Zimbabwean's mishit shot went into the net off Tevez's thigh.
Rovers looked as if they might go in at half-time just a goal behind until, six minutes before the break, Richards started and finished a fine move with Benjani again involved in the build-up.
Richards ran some 50 yards from the heart of City's defence, beating several retreating Rovers players, before passing to Benjani inside the box.
Benjani's shot hit the post but Richards, who'd continued his run, slotted home the rebound.
Rovers manager Sam Allardyce sent on strikers David Hoilett and Nikola Kalinic at half-time but it was City who scored next, just four minutes into the second-half.
Tevez started the move from inside the City half before finding Benjani, a rejuvenated figure under Mancini, who pulled the ball back to his onrushing fellow striker, who unleashed a magnificent 20-yard curling shot past Robinson.
Tevez might have had a hat-trick in the 57th minute but his header from eight yards out was narrowly off-target.
Rovers pulled a goal back 19 minutes from time when Pedersen made the most of Kompany's mistake to score from 16 yards.
City fans then had to endure a few nervous moments but, importantly, their defence held firm for the remainder of the match and then, in the first minute of injury time, Tevez wrapped things up with a sublime finish.
MUMBAI: BCCI's newly appointed bowling consultant, Eric Simons, knows very well that his current stint with Indian cricket is strictly limited to a month from now. The 47-year-old South African is also the first to admit that nothing much can be achieved in a month's time. He is also of the opinion that the team is certainly in need of someone with a longer stint (in a coach's role) to take things forward.
"From what I understand, this (Indian) team has a great urge to get better, improve in all departments. That is a nice way of looking at things for a side which ranks as the world's best right now. My assignment here is to add my share of expertise and it's a great privilege," Simons told TOI on Monday.
"In the current scenario, there is space for a specialist. It is not in my capacity to talk about the (length of) time I spend but in my discussions (with coach Gary Kirsten), the idea has been to assess situations," he says.
Simons says coaching is a tough job, especially at the senior-most level because the challenges are varied and of a highly demanding nature.
Right now, the idea is to just "spend time" with the team and see in what way help can be offered. "Nothing will make sense if we speak about the immediate results we're expecting. It's a long and continuing process," he says.
Simons' most important assignment - post the India-Bangladesh Test series - will be to help the Indian attack bowl to its strengths against South Africa, the coach's home country. There's no doubt why he sees a challenge ahead.
NEW DELHI: Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu's self-belief has touched a new base. After all, attaining the rare feat of being the only Indian women to conquer the South Pole against all possible odds, natural or otherwise, is a remarkable one.
"It's a journey of a lifetime. It's a totally different world there with no life form around you except your team members. The team was very happy and relaxed. A lot of hard work went into the whole exercise. There was pressure on us to succeed. It was an emotional moment after we reached our destination, a sense of accomplishment overtook us," an elated Reena told TOI on phone from the Madrid airport.
Looking back at the starting point, Reena said that the biggest challenge for her was arranging finance for the expedition. "This could never have been possible without the support of my sponsors, Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) and Bajaj Group, who helped me during training in Norway and New Zealand and of course, the Kaspersky Group who sponsored the expedition."
The Kaspersky Lab Commonwealth team was scheduled to interact with the media in London, it's first such interaction after the successful expedition, at the Commonwealth Club on Monday but their flight to London was delayed. Commonwealth secretary general, Kamalesh Sharma, was to host the girls at the press meet.
The seven-member team walked for 38 days continuously for eight to ten hours a day, pulling 80kg sledges loaded with food, fuel and equipment in arduous conditions. Blinding blizzards, winds in excess of 80mph and temperature below -40 degrees - they confronted it all.
"We started skiing for eight hours a day which increased to ten as the expedition went on. We used to take a fifteen minute break after every 1-1/2 hours of skiing. One of the team members, Kim-Marie Spence had to return due to frostbite on her fingers during the mini expedition, which is a acclimatisation exercise, near the base camp. It was a jolt because she was a good team member. But we had a very strong leader in Felicity Aston, who is a very good polar explorer and had enough experience to command such an expedition," said Reena.
Reena also celebrated the new year twice as the team reached the pole. "As we reached the South Pole I thanked the almighty. It was the first time that I celebrated the new year twice. We had two teams, the US team at the base camp and the Chilean team involved in the operations. So we celebrated the new year according to the US time (they follow New Zealand time) and once according to the Chilean time."
Reena's busy schedule recently has not allowed her to track the response to her achievement in India. "I was never expecting a huge response but I was surprised by the congratulatory messages I got. I haven't been able to track it personally but from what my family has told me the signs looks encouraging."
Reena, who hails from Punjab but lives in Delhi, is returning to India on January 15. Hopefully, her singular feat will not be completely lost on Indian sports fans.
MIRPUR: Thilan Samaraweera's second ODI century and Thissara Perera's gem of a cameo tilted the balance as India slumped to a five-wicket defeatagainst Sri Lanka in their tri-series opener on Tuesday.
Scorecard | Match in Pics
Defending a 279-run total, India fancied their chances in their first outing of the new year but the 122-run stand between Samaraweera (105 not out off 106 balls) and Kumar Sangakkara (60), followed by Perera's breath-taking unbeaten 15-ball 36 turned the match on its head.
The spirited Lankans cruised to 283 for five in 48 overs and their second successive win in the tournament would be some solace for the islanders who had lost both the Test and ODI series in India before coming to this tournament.
Put into bat, India earlier rode on fit-again Yuvraj Singh's well-paced 74 to recover from a top-order wobble to post a competitive 279 for nine.
Virender Sehwag (47), MS Dhoni (37), Suresh Raina (35) and Ravindra Jadeja (39) chipped in with useful cameos but India missed the 300-mark, managing just 20 runs from the last five overs and that proved costly in the end.
Chasing 280 for a win, Sri Lanka got off to a brisk start and Sangakkara and Samaraweera raised 122 runs at a rapid clip to prop up the innings.
Sehwag, who made a quickfire 31-ball 47 and Jadeja, who contributed a 34-ball 39, were the other main contributors.
At one point of time India looked like they would cross 300 but they added just 20 runs from the last five overs, losing four wickets in the process.
Raina, Harbhjan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Jadeja fell in a heap towards the close.
For Sri Lanka, Chanaka Welegedara was the most successful bower with figures of five for 66 while his pace colleagues Thissara Perera and Thilan Thushara chipped in with two wickets each.
Playing their first One-Day International of the year in search of a consistent performance to become world number one in the 50-over format, the strong Indian batting line-up made a shaky start against an inexperienced Sri Lankan bowling with three top order batsmen back to the pavilion by ninth over.
Gautam Gambhir (8), who opened the innings along with Sehwag in absence of Sachin Tendulkar, was done in by a Welegedara yorker.
An unperturbed Sehwag hit three consecutive fours in the sixth over off Suranga Lakmal but was lucky to escape in the next over when Kumar Sangakkara caught him off a Welegedara delivery which was adjudged a no ball.
Welegedara responded by claiming Virat Kohli (9) in that eventful over and returned to see Sehwag's back.
NEW DELHI: Allan Donald could well be Indian cricket team's next bowling coach with the BCCI showing interest in the retired South African pacer.
Donald said he had an informal discussion with a cricket board official during the Champions League in October - where the former pacer was part of the commentary team - and he was told that the process might take some time.
"Yes, I had an informal chat during Champions League Twenty20 with an Indian board official," the former pacer said.
"I would be interested to talk to the BCCI regarding the bowling coach job that is currently vacant and I'm keen (on the job)," he said.
Donald, who is waiting for the BCCI to formally approach him for the job, said he was told in October that the process might take some time.
After India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that chief coach Gary Kirsten was overburdened and the team was missing a bowling coach, BCCI is expected to complete the process before South Africa arrive here next month for a series featuring three One-dayers and two Test matches.
Fellow South African Shaun Pollock is also being tipped as a possible candidate, having coached the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League where the former Protea captain worked with Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh.
Pollock, however, refused to comment on it. India remains without a bowling coach since the BCCI sacked Venkatesh Prasad - along with fielding coach Robin Singh - in October after the team's poor performance in the Twenty20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy.
Since his 2003 retirement, Donald had a short stint as England's bowling coach in 2007 before he spent a year with Warwickshire as the head coach there.
At Warwickshire, Donald coached S Sreesanth during the Indian speedster's two-month stint with the county.
CHENNAI: Somdev Devvarman took care of his unfinished business from last Chennai Open in style when he dismantled German Rainer Schuettler in the first round on Tuesday.
The Indian wild card, runner up last year, played some lovely tennis to send the World No.85 crashing 7-5, 6-2. Earlier, the Chennai Open suffered a serious setback when it lost its top seed in the first round, Robin Soderling losing to American Robby Ginepri.
"Robin and I share a somewhat similar first name, so every time the crowd shouted 'Rob' it thought it was for me," Robby Ginepri said playfully, after packing off the No.1 seed and another crowd favourite Robin Soderling 6-4, 7-5 in the first round.
The world No. 8 came to tournament on the back of a sparkling 2009. He had started 2009 also in fine fashion, beating Roger Federer at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, the crowd got a scare and so did Somdev when the German broke him in the very second game of the match. But soon the cheers were back as Somdev broke him back right away. In fact, breaking serves was the order that game as Schuettler broke the Indian again in the sixth game.
But Somdev had by then got the measure of the German and the break came soon. And he did it without conceding a point. From 2-5 down, Somdev went on to win the set.
While Schuettler's game was dropping, Somdev was soaring. He broke the German again in the first game of the second set and then easily held his serve to go 2-0 up. Schuettler held on to his serve with great difficulty and won his first game in the set.
The German was playing inconsistently. He played some lovely points, especially at the net, but lost some pretty ordinary ones. Somdev broke the German again in the fifth game and then it was just a matter of time. Somdev was serving for the match. After going 30-0 up he made some unforced errors which briefly allowed Schuettler to come back in to the match.
At deuce, there was still work to be done. Then came a backhand winner and Schuettler was nowhere in the picture. Matchpoint. Schuettler just about managed to return the serve but Somdev was there, waiting. An emphatic volley finished off the match.
CHENNAI: Struggling paceman Ishant Sharma was on Tuesday recalled to India's 16-member Test squad for the two-match series against Bangladesh starting from January 17 in Chittagong.
Ishant, the gangling Delhi speedster who has been struggling to find his rhythm of late, gets another opportunity to prove his worth with the national selectors reposing faith in him.
Tamil Nadu middle-order batsman S Badrinath, who featured in India's squad which played the last Test against Sri Lanka at home, has been dropped from the team announced by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan after a brief meeting of the selection committee.
The selectors barely took 15 minutes to finalise the squad, to be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, which expectedly had no major surprises.
Sachin Tendulkar, who was rested from the ongoing ODI tri-series, will return to action for the two Tests to be held in Chittagong (January 17 to 21) and Mirpur (January 24 to 28).
Uttar Pradesh paceman Sudeep Tyagi also made his way into the team which has four specialist pacers with Zaheer Khan being the spearhead.
As expected, veterans like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, regarded as Test specialists, found a place in the side.
Tamil Nadu opener Murali Vijay has also been included as a reserve opener with Virender Sehwag and Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir being the regulars.
The middle-order has the ever-reliable Dravid, Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and skipper Dhoni, making it a solid line-up.
Harbhajan Singh, the gutsy off-spinner, will shoulder the spin bowling responsibility along with leg-spinner Amit Mishra and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha.
Dinesh Karthik has been included as the second wicketkeeper.
The Squad: MS Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Sudeep Tyagi.
NEW DELHI: The Indian hockey players have threatened to pull out of the ongoing national training camp in Pune if they are not paid their match fee for the recently concluded Champions Challenge I tournament in Argentina.
The senior players are annoyed by the delay in payment and have written a letter to Hockey India President A K Mattoo demanding that money be paid within seven days.
The letter has no mention about the pull out but sources say that the players have actually made up their mind to withdraw from the camp if they will not get payment in a week's time.
When contacted Mattoo confirmed that he had received the letter from the players.
"I have received a letter from the players. We are looking at the possibilities for making the payment early," Mattoo said.
The players said that on the previous occasions they were paid money in advance but this time the fee has not been paid even after the conclusion of the tournament.
"We would like to be paid our money for Champions Challenge in Argentina. In the previous three years we were paid Rs. 25,000 each for every tournament before we left India. We would like to be paid this time too and as for the future tournaments, please make arrangements to pay well in advance," the players have demanded in the letter.
India had won bronze medal in the tournament, held in Salta, Argentina last month.
DHAKA: Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan says his team will be looking to show its progress in international cricket when it takes on Sri Lanka in the opening match of a One-Day International tri-series on Monday.
"We are excited about the match," Shakib said on Sunday, adding that he expected a "competitive" match against the Sri Lankans. "It is a good opportunity for us to show that we are an improving side and playing good cricket against the giants."
Bangladesh's Australian-born coach Jamie Siddons said his team was ready for the series, which also features India.
"We have got enough preparation before the tournament," Siddons said.
Bangladesh announced its starting XI, leaving out allrounder Aftab Ahmed, opening batsman Shahriar Nafees, and bowlers Syed Rasel and Nazmul Hossain from the 15-man squad.
Ahmed and Nafees had only recently had their bans lifted for having played in the Indian Cricket League, which was not recognized by the International Cricket Council.
Shakib said the team has a good bowling combination with the inclusion of Rubel Hossain and uncapped fast bowler Shafiqul Islam.
Squads:
Bangladesh team: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Ashraful, Tamim Iqbal, Raqibul Hasan, Mahmud Ullah, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Imrul Kayes, Shafiqul Islam.
Sri Lanka squad: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Thilina Kandamby, Lahiru Thirimanne, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Thissara Perera, Malinga Bandara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Suraj Randiv, Suranga Lakmal, Chanaka Welegedara.
Match Name: 1st ODI
Teams: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium
Time: 1400 IST
Channel: Neo Cricket
BRISBANE: Third seed Ana Ivanovic survived a big scare against Australia's Jelena Dokic to move into the second round of the Brisbane International on Monday.
Ivanovic claimed a tight first set, suffered a huge lapse of concentration in the second, then regained her composure in the third to win 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in front of a large crowd seemingly unsure as to who to support.
Former world number one Ivanovic is using the Brisbane tournament as a stepping stone in her bid to regain her place in the sport's elite following a poor 2009 marred by injury and a loss of form.
She said she started nervously but was happy with her form thereafter.
"I had a really good preparation and that gave me a lot of confidence," she said.
"I thought I was serving a lot better and moving better since the last match I played, which has been a while.
"In the second set I thought I lost a bit of intensity and started defending more and I stepped back, but then (coach) Sven (Groeneveld) pointed out I had to step up a little more and I tried to do that and dominate -- I was really pleased with the result."
After a gruelling physical conditioning programme in last year's off-season, Ivanovic completely changed her preparation leading into this Australian summer and said she was reaping the rewards.
"It's my goal to get back to the top 10 and play the championship at the end of the year," she said.
"Last year was a tough year, but I learned a lot from it and I think it helped me a lot to be mentally stronger and to know more what I want and not take anything for granted.
"This has made me appreciate it more and realise I have to work hard for every match and not just expect it to come."
She will now play Timea Bacsinszky in the second round following the Swiss player's 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) win over Russian qualifier Alla Kudryavtseva.
NEW DELHI: Even as Ferozeshah Kotla's fate hangs in balance after the ODI fiasco, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) is preparing a 'strong' reply to the ICC in the venue's defence following strong censure by Alan Hurst, match referee for the India-Sri Lanka ODI on December 27 which had to be abandoned due to poor pitch conditions.
BCCI bigwigs met in Mumbai on Sunday and discussed the draft of the reply. BCCI president Shashank Manohar and DDCA president Arun Jaitley were present in the meeting.
Source said BCCI will stress that "while the pitch might be poor it was not unfit for playing." Hurst had labelled the pitch 'unfit' in his report after the abandonment, the lowest rating given to a ground. As reported by TOI earlier, BCCI is also planning to request the appeals commissioner to consider a three-month suspended ban and a fine of $15,000.
The BCCI, it's learnt, is going to argue that T20 Champions League matches and an ODI against Australia were played at the same venue just a few weeks back 'without any hiccups'.
ICC's chief match referee, Ranjan Madugalle, and general manager (cricket), Dave Richardson, will decide on the sanctions after they receive BCCI's response. If the BCCI is successful in convincing the duo that the track was only 'poor', then Kotla may escape with a just a fine and a directive for appropriate corrective actions. Otherwise, a ban on holding international games for a specified period is likely.
