Sachin should be given Bharat Ratna: Ganguly

KOLKATA: Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday joined the chorus in demanding Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, to batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.

"Sachin is a Bharat ratna. There is no doubt that he should be conferred the Bharat Ratna award," Ganguly told reporters after the practice session of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eden Gardens.

The KKR skipper denied observation from some quarter that his side was weak in the bowling department.

"On the contrary, we have a strong bowling side. We have Shane Bond, Brad Hogg, Ishant Sharma, Ajantha Mendis, Ashok Dinda, Ajit Agarkar and Lakshmi Ratan Shukla."

On the third wicket keeper of the IPL franchise, the KKR skipper said it would be decided soon.

Besides Brendon Mccullum, the Kiwi wicket keeper batsman who is expected to join late in the tournament, KKR have Bengal's Wriddhiman Saha as their second keeper.

The decision would be taken in couple of days and third wicket keeper could be one among Deep Dasgupta, Tilak Naidu and Rohit Sabharwal, Ganguly said.

After a disastrous campaign in the earlier edition last year in South Africa, KKR will feature in the inaugural match against Deccan Chargers in Mumbai on March 12.

Tiger Woods' caddie "mad" at his boss over scandal

WELLINGTON: Tiger Woods' caddy is mad at his golfing superstar boss over a string of adulterous affairs and said he would have blown the whistle if he had known about them.

"I'm a straight-up sort of person. If I had known something was going on, the whistle would have been blown," Steve Williams said.

Williams said he was angry after the revelations about the golfing superstar emerged but said his role was to be a friend to Woods.

"Of course I'm mad at him, why would you not be?" Williams said.

"I'm close with his wife and he's got two lovely children and he's let them down.

"When a guy's having a tough time, it's not up to me to beat him with a stick right now. He's getting enough grilling from everybody else.

"Tiger's one of my closest friends and he needs my support right now and I'd never think of walking away."

The New Zealander said he had not talked to Woods about the scandal since it engulfed the player in November, when reports of infidelity threatened his marriage, destroyed his clean-cut image, and put his spectacular career on hold.

"When I talk to him, I don't talk to him about what's happened. I talk to him about the future and about what we're going to try to accomplish and how we're going to get over it."

Woods announced an "indefinite break" from the game in December, and last month in a televised statement said he did not know when he would return to competition.

Williams said Woods had recently hit balls on the practice range but would only return to competition when he felt he was back in top form.

We are no pushovers, can upset Russia: Somdev

MOSCOW: Packed with higher ranked players, Russia will start overwhelming favourite in the Davis Cup World Group tie on Friday but top Indian player Somdev Devvarman said his team is no pushover and can well pull off an upset.

There is no comparison as far as ranking is concerned between the players of the two teams as India do not have a single top-100 players while the hosts have world number 13 Mikhail Youzhny and number 38 Igor Andreev in their ranks.

Teimuraz Gabashvili is Russia's lowest ranked player at number 109 and India's top player Somdev is at 128.

"They're all going to be tough opponents. I am focussing on preparation for myself rather than worrying about the other guys right now. I feel like if I am playing well I'll be a tough guy to beat, so I'm trying to get best prepared for the tie," Somdev said.

"We're obviously in this to win it. there's no doubt that they're the favourites but we've all seen upsets in Davis Cup before and our team is very capable of making that happen," said the wiry youngster with a penchant for stunning top players with his never-say-die spirit.

Russia would miss world number six Nikolay Davydenko in the tie but even that doesn't make India's job easy.

"Not really. It definitely helps us that he's not playing but the guys they have as back up are very very good and we'll have to bring our A game to stand a chance to win," he said.

The tie will be played on slow indoor courts and Somdev says the team is comfortable with the conditions.

"It's quite cold but the tie is being played indoors where it's really nice. We're all quite used to playing indoors on tour and we've also had a few really good days of practice so we're ready for some good matches," he said.

Karun Chandhok becomes second Indian driver to race in Formula One

NEW DELHI: Karun Chandhok's long wait seems to be over as he becomes the second Indian to drive in Formula One after signing the deal with Hispania Racing team for the 2010 Formula One season, when the season starts in Bahrain next week.

The Campos Formula One team has been renamed Hispania Racing (HRT F1) after being taken over by Spanish financier Jose Ramon Carabante.

The Spanish-based team has not taken part in any pre-season testing, with their future in doubt due to a lack of funding until Spanish businessman Jose Ramon Carabante took over last month

Narain Karthikeyan was the first Indian to drive in Formula One in 2005 when he signed for Jordan. Bruno, the nephew of the late F1 legend Ayrton Senna, signed for Hispania Racing last year. Karun has won two GP2 races in the last three years.

After reality check, Spanish flair awaits India in World Cup

NEW DELHI: Bruised and battered by Australia, India will have to regroup their forces when they take on Spain in a crucial Pool B encounter of the hockey World Cup on Thursday.

After drubbing Pakistan 4-1 in their tournament opener, the Indians were given a reality check by Australia.

The hosts were surprised by the pace and verve of the Kookaburras, who completely outplayed them in all departments of the game in their 5-2 win last night.

Jose Brasa's men were taught a good hockey lesson by Australia and showed that only control over the mid-field was not enough to win a game.

If pace and fitness was all about Australia, world number three Spain is known for its flair and one-touch hockey and the Indian defence cannot afford to relax at any moment and repeat the mistakes they committed against Australia.

A defeat on Thursday will severely dent India's semi-final chances.

Against the Australians, the Indian defence wore a sorry look from the onset, conceding two goals within the first 10 minutes. Sandeep Singh-led backline had no answers to the speed and angular passes of the Australians.

Such was the Aussie domination that even India coach Brasa admitted his players were not used to such fast nature of hockey.

"We did not play bad, we played at our level much better than what we had in Salta. But Australia played at a different level of fast-paced hockey. We were not used to that kind of fast hockey," Brasa said.

The Indian forwardline, which missed the banned Shivendra Singh, completely looked off-colour with Prabhjot Singh and Deepak Thakur doing very little to prove their presence in the game.

But with the two-match suspension ruling Shivendra out of the next match, the trio of Deepak, Prabhjot and captain Rajpal Singh will have to rise to the occasion and come out with more innovative ideas to beat the Spanish defence.

"Playing without Shivendra and with just 15 players is our main concern," Brasa said.

Sandeep had a bad day in office against Australia as he could not convert even a single penalty corner out of three that India earned, and the ace drag-flicker will have to pull up his socks against Spain as short corners are one of the strong points of the home team.

"We were not lucky with penalty corners against Australia. We didn't succeed and that was the reason we couldn't get closer," Brasa said.

The Indians will also have to do away with their perennial habit of holding on to the ball for longer, a mistake which proved costly against Australia.

But notwithstanding all the flaws, Brasa will draw heart from the fact that the Indian mid-field sparkled yet again. Arjun Halappa and Sardar Singh were as cool as cucumber even under tremendous pressure.

But what they lacked is support from the forwardline and they will be eagerly looking forward to the strikers to deliver the goods against the Spaniards and see that their hardwork does not go waste.

Another and most important heartening factor for the eight-time Olympics champions ahead of the Thursday's game is the presence of Brasa up their ranks as he knows more than enough about the Spaniards.

"Spain are a good team but of our level. I say this because they don't have two key players in their side - Santi Freixa and Eduard Tabau.

"I had trained them for many years. Freixa is not with the current squad due to injury. He is one of the best players in the world. Tubau is injured (in the first match here). Without the two I think we can beat Spain," he said.

"I don't think they can beat us easily. They are not of Aussie level. I hope my knowledge of the Spanish team will help us. We are in a better position than Spain," he added.

However, he said that in Pol Amat, Spain has got one of the best strikers of the world and his defenders will have against the Spanish captain.

"Pol Amat is a quality player. We will have to mark him closely," the Indian coach said.

Meanwhile in other matches of Pool B on Thursday, Australia will look to consolidate their position in the points table when they take on a lowly South Africa, while Pakistan will look to play out of their skin to keep their winning momentum intact against an unbeaten England.

Australia thrash India 5-2 at hockey World Cup

NEW DELHI: A dismal India were jolted out of their euphoria as Australia spanked them 5-2 in the hockey World Cup on Tuesday night.

Points Table | Schedule & Results

On a high after Sunday's fairytale 4-1 victory against Pakistan, the Indians were in for a shock as Olympic silver medallist Australia opened their account as early as in the second minute and there was no stopping them.

The mighty Australians toyed with the Indian defence and scored through Glenn Turner (10th minute, 43rd), Liam De Young (2nd), Desmond Abbott (26th) and Luke Doerner (42nd).

For India, Vikram Pillay (35th) and captain Rajpal Singh (53rd) sounded the board.

The defeat saw India drop down in the points table to the fourth spot with England on top with two wins, followed by Australia and Spain.

India face Spain in their next Pool B encounter at the same Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Thursday.

Australia could have won the match 6-2 had it not been for Adrian D'souza, who stopped a Jamie Dwyer's penalty stroke five minutes from the hooter.

With this victory, Australia has not only earned three full points but also the Ajit Pal-Ric Charlesworth Trophy as the match was designated as a friendship match between the two countries.

The Indians were completely outplayed in all departments of the game as Australia scored goals almost at will to bring the hosts down to the earth after their 4-1 victory over Pakistan in the first match of the quadrennial event.

The Indian defence looked in complete disarray, while the forwardline lacked purpose and were guilty of holding on to the ball. The mid-field looked off-colour and failed to create chances unlike the Pakistan match where they controlled the proceedings.

Ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh who dazzled against Pakistan, converting two penalty corners, failed to find the net once out of the three short corners India earned in the match.

Australia played like a wounded tiger after their shocking 2-3 loss at the hand of England and scored two goals within the first 10 minutes of the match.

The Kookaburras surged ahead in the second minute of the match when Liam De Young scored from a rebound after his initial shot had clashed against the crossbar.

The Aussies caught the Indian defence napping with quick moves and earned three penalty corners in the first 15 minutes.

Ric Charlesworth's boys earned back-to-back penalty corners and doubled their lead in the 10th minute when Tuner slammed home from the second set-piece, much to the disappointment of the near-capacity crowd.

Australia went 3-0 in the 26th minute through Desmond Abbott, who pushed the ball over the goal-line after he was set up by a well-created move from De Young and Robert Hammond.

Down by three goals, the Indians went into all-out attack in the last stages of the first half and earned their first penalty corner in the 27th minute but the opportunity was wasted as they opted for variation.

With a minute to go before the break, the home team was awarded another short corner but the video umpire overruled the decision after Australia appealed against it.

Nine seconds before the lemon break, India finally pulled one back through Vikram Pillay who slammed the ball home after receiving a cross from Gurbaj Singh from the right wing.

Down 3-1 at the halfway mark, the Indians were expected to come out all guns blazing in the second session but it was not to be and Australia scored another through a short corner from Luke Doerner in the 42nd minute.

Turner scored his second of the day and Australia's fifth when he converted yet another set-piece two minutes later.

The Indians subsequently lost cool which resulted in green cards for Deepak Thakur for a face-off with Robert Hammond and Arjun Halappa, who argued with on-field umpire.

The Indians reduced the margin in the 53rd minute when Rajpal scored after Halappa's individual brilliance set it up for the Indian skipper.

The match was also attended by Australian foreign affairs minister Stephen Smith and India's HRD minister Kapil Sibal.

Focusing on cricket, not Bharat Ratna award: Tendulkar

MUMBAI: Milestone man Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday said he would like to be on the list of 'Bharat Ratna' awardees but he is not thinking about the highest civilian honour as of now and would leave it on destiny.

Former cricketers Ajit Wadekar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar after Tendulkar's record breaking double hundred had said that he deserves the honour.

"It's a rare honour and whosoever have got it are not only my heroes but the heroes of the entire country. Who would not like to join that list, but my focus is on cricket. If it has to happen it will happen," the champion batsman said at a media conference.

After his historic knock of unbeaten 200 at Gwalior, a host of current and former cricketers had said Tendulkar was greater than legendary Australian Sir Don Bradman but the Indian batting ace refused to be drawn into comparisons.

"I never believed in comparisons. I respect every individual off the field too and it's not about only Sir Don. I respect them all. I'm happy to play for the country and am particularly happy when I do well and the team wins," he said.

Tendulkar was addressing the gathering as the brand ambassador of "Give India' - an NGO headed by former ICICI chairman N Vaghul.

Tendulkar's masterpiece had set up India's huge 153-run win against South Africa on February 24.

Tendulkar was delighted at Indian hockey team's superb 4-1 victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the ongoing Hockey World Cup in New Delhi.

"Day before yesterday I also watched the match. It was an exciting match and the Indian team did very well. In the closing stages like everyone else I was also very tense. I'm very happy the team won," said the batting maestro.

Tendulkar wished the team well for the remainder of the tournament and promised them full support.

"On every Indian's behalf, I would say that we are always with you. Performance keeps fluctuating but our support for them remains consistent.

"In fact, the support should be stronger in times when the team is going through tough phases. We will support them during that time," he said.

Tendulkar said since he was not an expert on the ball and stick game, India's national sport, he would not comment on India's chances against Australia in today's match.

"I'm not a hockey expert but will always support the team. My good wishes are always with them whether they perform or fail to live upto expectations," Tendulkar said.

Talking about his double hundred, Tendulkar said he considers the record as a national mark and not an individual one.

"When I started the innings I did not know I will get 200. I will say it is an Indian record and will be happy it stays as an Indian record," he said.

The master batsman said he was sure the entire country was waiting to support the Indian cricket team when the 2011 World Cup unfolds in the sub-continent.

"I'm (eagerly) waiting for it. The entire country would be rooting for us," he said.

Tendulkar lost his cool when a scribe sought his reaction on Virender Sehwag's recent statement the Delhi batsman wants to take over his mentor's the number four spot in the Test line-up when he quits the game.

"Once I'm done (called it a day) I will let you know," he quipped.

Tendulkar sounded very happy with the time he spent today giving tips to underprivileged children as part of the charity he supports.

"When I knew I could do this camp I was very happy. I can't improve technique in one day but can talk on basics. I'm extremely proud to be part of this incredible movement," he said about his association with "Give India".

Shivendra's suspension reduced to two matches

NEW DELHI: Indian centre forward Shivendra Singh's suspension from the ongoing Hockey World Cup has been reduced from three matches to two, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) said on Tuesday.

Blog: Shivendra's ridiculous suspension. Indian hockey misses the clout of BCCI

Shivendra had been served the three-match ban by tournament director Ken Read on Monday for "deliberately hitting" Pakistan's Fareed Ahmed during Sunday's match between the sub-continental rivals which India won 4-1.

But following an appeal by the Indian team management, the three-member Appeal Jury ruled on Tuesday that Shivendra's action in raising his stick was "reckless but that he did not deliberately intend to cause injury".

"The Jury considers that it constitutes physical assault as referenced in the FIH Code of Conduct Guidelines of Offences and Penalties.

"The Jury concluded that the offence was Level 2 (under Article 15 of the tournament regulations), was reckless but not deliberate and therefore requires the minimum penalty of a two-match suspension," Antonio von Ondarza, president, FIH Appeal Jury, said in a statement.

Shivendra, who scored the first goal against Pakistan, now has to sit out India's crucial Pool B matches against Australia on Tuesday and Spain on Thursday.

Indian team manager and national coach Harendra Singh said Shivendra had pleaded that his action was not deliberate and assured that he would be "more careful" in future.

Terming Shivendra's absence in the two games as "a big blow" to the team, Harendra said: "He would have been crucial against Australia and Spain and we will go back to the old times where we used to play with 14 players"

Woods back from family counseling

JACKSONVILLE: Tiger Woods is back at home after a week of family counseling in Arizona and is trying to get into a routine that includes golf and fitness, a person with knowledge of his schedule said on Tuesday.

Blog: Taming the Tiger within

Woods returned to his home near Orlando on Saturday and has been hitting balls on the range at Isleworth, not far from where he ran his SUV into a tree in a middle-of-the-night accident on Nov. 27 that set off revelations of his extramarital affairs.

The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because only Woods is authorized to release information about his schedule, said there is still no timetable for golf's No. 1 player to return to competition.

Woods was photographed hitting golf balls at Isleworth on Feb. 18, the day before he ended nearly three months of silence by speaking to a small group of associates in a 13{-minute statement that was televised around the world. Those photos of Woods were arranged to counter the paparazzi trying to follow his every move since Thanksgiving.

Woods has not practiced in earnest since winning the Australian Masters in Melbourne on Nov. 15 for his 82nd victory worldwide.

News of him getting back into a routine is sure to begin speculation when he might return to the PGA Tour. Woods announced on Dec. 4 that he was taking an "indefinite break" to try to salvage his marriage.

"I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don't know when that day will be," Woods said Feb. 19 in his statement at Sawgrass. "I don't rule out that it will be this year."

Woods said he was leaving the next day for more therapy, without saying what kind. The person who spoke to The Associated Press said he went to Arizona for a week of family and marriage counseling with his wife, Elin.

Woods said at Sawgrass of his infidelity, "As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words; it will come from my behavior over time. We have a lot to discuss; however, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us."

Woods is not likely to play next week in the World Golf Championship at Doral, where he has won three times.

His next possibility on the PGA Tour is the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where he is the defending champion and a six-time winner. The Masters, which Woods has played every year since 1995, would follow. Augusta National officials have not indicated whether they expect Woods to compete.

The fallout from Woods' sex scandal has been immense. He already has had three sponsors drop him -- Accenture, AT&T and, most recently, Gatorade -- while other companies like Gillette have suspended promotions of Woods while he takes his break from golf.

When he does return, he will have a different logo on his golf bag, replacing AT&T, if he can find a deal.

Pakistan clinch thrilling 2-1 win over Spain

NEW DELHI: A nervy Pakistan put behind their defeat against arch-rivals India to eke out a narrow 2-1 win against Spain in a hard-fought Pool B encounter of the hockey World Cup on Tuesday.

A defeat on Tuesday would have virtually shut the semifinal door on Pakistan after their 1-4 defeat against India but Abdul Haseem Khan (30th minute, 70th) sounded the board twice to see them through.

David Alegre scored the lone goal for Spain in the 67th minute.

As expected, the match started on a fast pace with Pakistan going for the attack right at the beginning.

As early as in the ninth minute of the game, Pakistan got a great opportunity to go ahead but Waseem Ahmed's shot, after dodging some Spanish defenders in side the D, was saved by goalkeeper Francisco Cortes.

But Spain seemed in no mood to sit back and got their first scoring opportunity in the next minute.

A quick through ball from captain Pol Amat found Rodrigo Garza right in front of the goal but his shot was cleared by Pakistan custodian Salman Akbar.

Pakistan's experienced centre forward Rehan Butt also wasted an opportunity in the 11th minute as he failed to touch the ball with only the Spanish goalkeeper to beat.

Abdul Haseem Khan finally opened the account in the 30th minute, deflecting a high cross into the cage to give Pakistan a 1-0 lead during the lemon break.

After the change of ends, Pakistan created a chance in the 42nd minute when Akhtar Ali found an unmarked Rehan Butt inside the D but the Pakistani striker's reverse shot from an acute angle missed the goal by inches.

Down by a goal, Spain upped the tempo with frequent raids of their opponent's citadel but Pakistani defence thwarted their attempts till the 67th minute of match when the Spaniards equalised from a goal-mouth melee through David Alegre.

Pakistan appealed against the goal and asked for video referral but the video umpire upheld the on-field umpire's decision.

In the dying stages of the match, Pakistan went all out for the all-important winner and earned their first penalty corner but failed to convert it.

But as luck would have it, with little over three minutes to go for the hooter, the sub-continent giants got their second short corner of the match.

Sohail Abbas' flick found Khan in the right place and the latter got the vital touch to sent the crowd, which rooted for Pakistan, in a frenzy.

Pakistan will take on England in their next match on Thursday, while Spain will face off against India the same day.