WTA ranking: Venus Williams makes top 20 return.......

Former world no.1 Venus Williams has returned to the top 20 in the latest WTA rankings published on Monday that sees her sister Serena stay on top ahead of Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova.

Venus, 32, climbed to 20th spot, despite not winning more points, as Germany's Julia Goerges dropped to 24th.

In other movements, former world no.1 Jelena Jankovic, of Serbia, rose three places to 21st after winning the Bogota Open on Sunday -- her first victory since 2010 and the 13th of her career.

In the top 10, Czech player Petra Kvitova jumped one place to seventh after her victory in Dubai against Italy's Sara Errani, who dropped to eighth.

Latest WTA world rankings:

1. Serena Williams (USA) 10.365 pts

2. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 10.325

3. Maria Sharapova (RUS) 9715

4. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 7505

5. Li Na (CHN) 6130

6. Angelique Kerber (GER) 5400

7. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 4980 (+1)

8. Sara Errani (ITA) 4915 (-1)

9. Samantha Stosur (AUS) 3835

10. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 3570

11. Marion Bartoli (FRA) 3265

12. Nadia Petrova (RUS) 3050

13. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 2836

14. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 2695 (+1)

15. Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 2671 (-1)

16. Roberta Vinci (ITA) 2665 (+1)

17. Sloane Stephens (USA) 2535 (-1)

18. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 2065

19. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 1950

20. Venus Williams (USA) 1810 (+1)

Alleged spy accused of sharing 'Iron Fist' info with Pakistan..........

Jodhpur: Barely two days after the conclusion of Indian Air Force's air exercise 'Iron Fist' in Pokhran, a suspected spy has been caught passing information of the war games to an ISI operative in Pakistan.

Sumer Khan (34), a computer expert, was taken into custody by army intelligence from his house in Pokhran on Sunday and was being grilled by security agencies, SP Jaisalmer Pankaj Kumar Chaudhary said on Monday.

Intelligence sources said that Mr Sumer was sharing information of the IAF's exercise with his maternal uncle in Rahim Yar Khan in Pakistan for the past few days. His uncle has been working for Inter-Services Intelligence for the last few years, they said.
Mr Sumer is currently under the custody of the Joint Interrogation Cell in Jaipur where the security agencies are questioning him.

The sources said he was caught after his calls to Pakistan were intercepted by the army intelligence and Intelligence Bureau.

They claimed that Mr Sumer had been working for his uncle for the past two years and had been sharing vital information related to all the exercises, which have taken place in the region in the past two years besides the various defence installations in the region.

Following interception of his calls to Pakistan, he was caught from his home in Pokhran on Sunday morning.

A 10th class passout, Mr Sumer is an expert in computers and would talk to his uncle over phone in code words.

He would frequently travel to Pakistan and is believed to have passed on maps and other documents pertaining to defence structure in the western sector. 

PSLV-C20 blasts off from Sriharikota.......

The 23rd Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) mission, the PSLV-C20, with the 409 kg Indo-French Joint Venture satellite Saral (Satellite with ARgos and ALtika) along with six auxiliary satellites, has blasted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh at 6.01 pm.

The launch was delayed by five minutes from the actual launch time of 5.56 PM to avoid any debris in the flight path.

President Pranab Mukherjee witnessed the launch of 101th mission of ISRO.

It may be noted that the organisation had plans to launch Saral, in December 2012, which was then postponed to conduct some additional tests to address technical issues for ensuring reliability.

Saral is the first mission under Indian Mini Satellite (IMS) Bus series-2, configured for 400 KG class satellite with miniaturisation techniques.

The Saral mission, a joint venture of ISRO and French space agency Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), has two payloads- Payload Interface Module (PIM) containing ALtika and ARgos from CNES and Solid State C Band Transponder (SCBT) from VSSC, ISRO - to study the ocean from space using altimetry system and in promoting maximum use of the ARgos Data Collecting System.  

The six smaller payloads include two from Canada, two from Austria and one each from Denmark and UK.

Sapphire (148 Kg), a satellite built by MacDonald, Dettwiler and Association (MDA), Canada, is a space based optical sensor system aimed at an operationally acceptable space based surveillance to contribute to the US Space Surveillance Network (SSN).

NEOSSat (Near-Earth Object Surveillance Satellite) (74 kg) is built by Microsat Systems Canada Inc (MSCI). The Satellite has a space telescope dedicated for detecting and tracking asteroids and satellites in Geo-stationary orbit.  

NLS 8.1 (UniBRITE) (14 Kg) and NLS 8.2 (BRITE) (14 Kg) are two scientific satellites launched and operated by Austria. UniBRITE is built for the University of Vienna with a mission to photometrically measure low-level oscillations and temperature variations in stars brighter than visual magnitude with unprecedented precision and temporal coverage not achievable through terestrial based methods, BRITE is similar to the UniBRITE spacecraft, with the expectation of the optical flter within the payload, which is used to observe the blue region of the light spectrum.

NLS 8.3 (AAUSAT3) (3Kg) is the third student cubesat from Aalborg University in Denmark, which has device for feasibility study of receiving AIS signals from ships in arctic regions and a Phoenix GPS receiver from DLR, Germany.

The vehicle also carried STRaND-1, the first satellite in the series of Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Development programme, built by SSTL (Surrey Training Technology Ltd), UK, to fly state-of-the art technologies and new developments in low Earth orbit.

This is the ninth mission of ISRO using PSLV Core Alone variant (without solid strap-on motors). There had been 21 continuously successful flights of PSLV, till September 2012, according to ISRO.

The Space Research Organisation has launched its 100th mission on September 9, 2012, launching PSLV-C21 taking a French satellite Spot-6 and a Japanese student satellite Proiteres into space from Sriharikota. The missions include 62 satellites, 37 launch vehicles and one space capsule recovery experiment.

PSLV-C20 launches 7 satellites....

Indo-French oceanographic study satellite 'SARAL' and six foreign mini and micro spacecrafts were succesfully launched on Monday by ISRO's PSLV-C20 rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) workhorse Polar Satellite Launch 

Vehicle(PSLV) lifted off from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre at around 6 pm at the end of the 59-hour countdown and placed in the orbit the satellites about 22 minutes later.

President Pranab Mukherjee witnessed the launch from the mission control centre in Sriharikota, about 110 km from Chennai.

The lift-off was rescheduled to 6.01 pm, a five-minute delay, to avoid probability of collision with space debris, a normal precautionary step in a launch mission, ISRO sources said.

The 410-kg SARAL with payloads - Argos and Altika - from French space agency CNES is meant for study of ocean parameters towards enhancing the understanding of the ocean state conditions.

Besides SARAL, two micro-satellites UniBRITE and BRITE from Austria, AAUSAT3 from Denmark and STRaND from United Kingdom as also one micro-satellite (NEOSSat) and one mini-satellite (SAPPHIRE) from Canada were launched by PSLV, which yet again proved its versatality recording its 22nd succesful flight in a row in its 23 missions of which the first one had failed.

SARAL was injected first into the space about 18 minutes after the lift-off followed by other satellites in the space of about four minutes.

PSLV: India's 101st space mission successful, President Pranab Mukherjee witnesses launch........

New Delhi:  In an important landmark for the Indian space program, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV today placed the second Indo-French satellite 'SARAL' and six other co-passengers or small satellites from Canada, Austria, Denmark and the UK in orbit.

Here's a 10-point cheat-sheet on the launch:

1. The PSLV-C20, which was earlier slated for blast-off at around 6 pm local time from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, was delayed by five minutes.
2. President Pranab Mukherjee witnessed the launch, the first of the 10 planned events of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) this year. Mr Mukherjee is the second President after Dr APJ Abdul Kalam to witness a PSLV launch; Dr Kalam was present in Sriharikota during one such launch on May 5, 2005.
3. It is the 23rd consecutive launch for the 44-metre-tall rocket; it sequentially dropped off the satellites in space in less than half an hour after the lift-off. Later this year, a similar rocket will ferry India's maiden mission to Mars, Mangalyaan.
   1. PSLV has an impeccable record of 21 consecutive successful flights. The successful launch takes ISRO's tally of launching foreign satellites to 35.
   2. The ISRO-built SARAL is a 410-kg satellite with payloads - Argos and Altika - from French space agency CNES for enhancing the understanding of the ocean state conditions.
   3. Altimetre (Altika) would help study the sea surface heights while Argos payload is a satellite-based data collection platform. The satellite will also be useful in tracking resident space objects, including space debris.
   4. ISRO started putting into space third-party satellites for a fee in 1999 on its PSLV-C2 rocket. Since then India has been successful in launching medium-weight satellites for overseas agencies.
   5. Initially, ISRO started carrying third-party satellites atop its rockets as co-passengers of its own remote sensing/earth observation satellites.
   6. Later in 2007, ISRO launched an Italian satellite Agile as a standalone luggage for a fee.
   7. India began its space journey in 1975 with the launch of Aryabhatta using a Russian rocket and till date, it has completed 100 missions.

another milestone by MSD....

attitude........

pslv c-20 successfully launched.......

PSLV launch: India's 101st space mission set for 6 pm lift-off............

New Delhi:  In an important landmark for the Indian space program, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV will today place the second Indo-French satellite 'SARAL' and six other co-passengers or small satellites from Canada, Austria, Denmark and the UK in orbit.

Here's a 10-point cheat-sheet on the launch:

1. The PSLV-C20 is slated for blast-off at around 6 pm local time from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
2. President Pranab Mukherjee is expected to be present at the first of the 10 planned events of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) this year. Mr Mukherjee will be the second President after Dr APJ Abdul Kalam to witness a PSLV launch; Dr Kalam was present in Sriharikota during one such launch on May 5, 2005.
3. The 44-metre tall rocket, headed towards its 23rd consecutive launch, will sequentially drop off the satellites in space in less than half an hour after the lift-off. Later this year, a similar rocket will ferry India's maiden mission to Mars, Mangalyaan.
4. PSLV has an impeccable record of 21 consecutive successful flights. The successful launch will take ISRO's tally of launching foreign satellites to 35.
5. The ISRO-built SARAL is a 410-kg satellite with payloads - Argos and Altika - from French space agency CNES for enhancing the understanding of the ocean state conditions.
6. Altimetre (Altika) would help study the sea surface heights while Argos payload is a satellite-based data collection platform. The satellite will also be useful in tracking resident space objects, including space debris.
7. ISRO started putting into space third-party satellites for a fee in 1999 on its PSLV-C2 rocket. Since then India has been successful in launching medium-weight satellites for overseas agencies.
8. Initially, ISRO started carrying third-party satellites atop its rockets as co-passengers of its own remote sensing/earth observation satellites.
9. Later in 2007, ISRO launched an Italian satellite Agile as a standalone luggage for a fee.
10. India began its space journey in 1975 with the launch of Aryabhatta using a Russian rocket and till date, it has completed 100 missions.

Earthquake shakes buildings in Tokyo........

Tokyo: A 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit Japan on Monday, setting buildings in the capital swaying but causing no risk of a tsunami, seismologists said.

National broadcaster NHK said there had been no abnormalities detected at nuclear power plants near the epicentre, which was north of Tokyo, where buildings rocked for upwards of half a minute.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had hit at 16:23 (0723 GMT), with its epicentre 57 kilometres (36 miles) north-northeast of Maebashi and around 143 kilometres north-northwest of Tokyo.


The agency said it had struck at a depth of nine kilometres.

The Japan Meteorological Agency had earlier put the magnitude at 6.2

Takayuki Fukuda, an official at the Nikko city fire department in Tochigi prefecture, near the epicentre, told AFP by telephone that the quake had rocked the city, a popular spot on the tourist trail.

"It shook vertically for about 10 seconds. Nothing fell from shelves and window glass was not shattered. There was no report of fire and we are preparing to patrol the city," he said.

He said there had been preliminary reports that a wall in the city had tumbled, injuring an unspecified number of people.

NHK said several bullet trains had been temporarily stopped, but service had resumed moments later.

Japan is regularly hit by powerful earthquakes and has largely adapted its infrastructure to tremors that can cause widespread damage in other, less developed countries.

However, a huge undersea quake with a magnitude of 9.0 in March 2011 sent a towering tsunami into the northeast of the country, devastating coastal communities and killing nearly 19,000 people.

It also sparked the world's worst atomic accident in a generation when waves knocked out the cooling systems at Fukushima nuclear plant.

That disaster, which is officially recorded as having claimed no lives, caused widespread mistrust of nuclear power generation in a country that had previously relied on the technology for around a third of its electricity needs.

Cuban President Raul Castro announces he will retire in 2018..........

HAVANA: Cuban President Raul Castro announced on Sunday he will step down from power after his second term ends in 2018, and the new parliament named a 52-year-old rising star to become his first vice president and most visible successor.

"This will be my last term," Castro, 81, said shortly after the National Assembly elected him to a second five-year tenure.

In a surprise move, the new parliament also named Miguel Diaz-Canel as first vice president, meaning he would take over if Castro cannot serve his full term.

Diaz-Canel is a member of the political bureau who rose through the Communist Party ranks in the provinces to become the most visible possible successor to Castro.

Raul Castro starts his second term immediately, leaving him free to retire in 2018, aged 86

Hyderabad blast could be a reaction to Afzal, Kasab executions: Shinde.............

Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde has said that the government was apprehending some trouble after the executions of Afzal Guru and Kasab

Crutches don’t slow down KStew at Oscars....

ISRO chief seeks divine help before PSLV launch............

TIRUPATI: Ahead of the launch of the Indo-French satellite 'SARAL' onboard Isro's workhorse rocket PSLV from Sriharikota, Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan today offered prayers at the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara near here.

Radhakrishnan offered prayers this morning for the successful launch of PSLV-C20 tomorrow, temple sources said. An ardent devotee, Radhakrishnan visits the shrine to seek divine blessings ahead of every satellite launch and makes another trip after its success, the sources said. The chairman was accompanied by his wife Padmini.

Since the last two decades, heads of the space agency have made it a practice to visit the over 2000 year-old Tirumala hill temple to seek divine blessings before every satellite launch, the sources said.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C20 is scheduled for blast-off at 5.56 PM from the spaceport at Sriharikota, 110 km from Chennai, carrying 'SARAL', aimed at oceanographic studies,and six foreign mini and micro satellites.

PSLV to blast off today with 7 satellites...........

CHENNAI: Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K Radhakrishnan on Sunday offered prayers at Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirupati for the successful launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C 20) scheduled to lift off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 5.56pm on Monday. 

If things go as he'd like, the 23rd mission ofPSLV will blast off safely and put seven satellites in space. These include an Indo-French satellite, SARAL, and NEOSSAT from Canada which will detect and track either near-earth asteroids or satellites in the geostationary orbit. Scientists are stepping up efforts to detect such asteroids. The 229.7-tonne, 44.4-metre tall, four-stage rocket will carry a primary pay load of Indo-French satellite SARAL along with six commercial payloads from Austria, Britain, Canada and Denmark. The 59-hour countdown for the launch began on Saturday. 

Officials of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that with fine weather, the vehicle would lift off on schedule. The mission will put the satellites in an orbit of 781km and will have a life of five years. 

With a lift-off mass of 407kg, SARAL is the 56th satellite to be launched by PSLV. The six commercial payloads from abroad have a combined lift-off mass of 259.5kg. 

The SARAL mission is a result of the common interest of ISRO and CNES, France, to study the ocean from space using altimetry system and Argos data collecting system. It will be useful for operational as well as research communities in fields like marine meteorology and sea state forecasting, operational oceanography, seasonal forecasting, climate monitoring, ocean, earth system and climate research, continental ice studies, protection of biodiversity, management and protection of marine eco system, environmental monitoring, improvement of maritime security, animal migration, locating buoys and fishing vessels, tracking animals, birds and seals. 

ISRO has launched four student satellites and 29 satellites for foreign countries. If successful, PSLV-C20 will be India's 39th satellite launch vehicle to lift off from Sriharikota. India has so far put in orbit 62 Indian satellites.

MULTICOLOUR PEN........

The color picker pen is a concept that would enable colors in the environment to be scanned and instantly used for drawing. 

The sensor detects the color and matches it to the color display, then the RGB cartridge located within the pen mixes the inks together to create the color that has been scanned.

MSD TO PEAKS.......

Some Records Today by MSD ♥

●► Maiden 200* Up For Our Champ in Tests ♥ !

●► MS Dhoni become 1st Indian Wicket Kepper to Score 4000+ Runs In Test Cricket.

●► MS Dhoni now has the highest score by an Indian Captain against Australia.

●► MS Dhoni becomes the first captain in Test history to score 200 Vs Australia, batting at No. 6.

MSD TO THE PEAKS..........

224 - the highest Test score by an Indian captain. 

SCIENCE ALERTS.......

This colourful ribbon eel is not like other eels: each one changes both its colour and its sex during its lifetime. They start out pitch black and male, and as they mature, become bright blue and yellow. Once they reach 1.3 m long and mostly yellow, these eels become females, and start laying their eggs

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.....

VIRAT ON DHONI....

Stop watching TV mommy... :P

FORGIVENESS.......

China football corruption - mend it like Beckham.....

Many said installing Beckham - currently with French club Paris Saint-Germain - as an "international ambassador" will do little to address the core problems of the competition, which is battling to overcome match-fixing and bribery scandals.

Beijing:  Former England captain David Beckham is being lined up to promote Chinese football, state media said on Friday, but fans say rebuilding the sport's shattered image may be too big a challenge even for him.

Officials have confirmed the superstar will make a highly anticipated tour of China "in which he will be appointed the CSL's (Chinese Super League's) ambassador", the state-run China Daily said.

The Chinese Football Association is not expected to confirm the trip until next week, but sports fans took to Internet message boards in droves to criticise the decision.

Many said installing Beckham - currently with French club Paris Saint-Germain - as an "international ambassador" will do little to address the core problems of the competition, which is battling to overcome match-fixing and bribery scandals.

"This is a superficial change by the CFA. Even if Beckham comes, what exactly is he going to do?," said one poster on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter.

"Chinese football will become even more rotten. Its prospects are bleak."

Another addressed the player himself: "Want to discredit yourself, or to launder money? You have come to the right place. You could spend half a lifetime disgracing yourself, handsome guy."

A CSL source told the official Xinhua news agency on Thursday it was "almost certain" the 37-year-old would take up the new role.

An official at IMG, which is described in Chinese media as a CSL "marketing partner", was quoted in the China Daily Friday saying: "Yes, we are indeed organising his visit to China as the ambassador."

None of the media reports signalled how much Beckham, who is known as "little Becks" in China, would be paid in the position.

Football in the country is reeling after years of corruption involving officials, referees and players.

A three-year investigation into match-fixing led to 33 people being banned for life and Didier Drogba's former club Shanghai Shenhua being stripped of the 2003 league title earlier this week.

The arrival of the Ivory Coast striker and Nicolas Anelka, his former team-mate at English Premier League side Chelsea, last year signalled to some commentators that Chinese football had turned a corner.

But both players have since left Shenhua, with Drogba going to Turkish league leaders Galatasaray in disputed circumstances and Anelka signing for Juventus on loan.

Iran selects 16 sites for new nuclear plants.........

Tehran,Iran: Iran has selected 16 locations for the construction of nuclear power plants as part of a plan to generate 20,000 megawatts of electricity at multiple sites over the next 15 years.

State TV says on Saturday that experts at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran have finished studies to select the best locations across the country. It added that sites were chosen in part for their resistance to earthquakes and military air strikes.

The Islamic republic says it needs 20 large-scale plants to meet its growing electricity needs over the next one-and-a-half decades.

State TV also says that Iran has discovered new uranium resources in the country that will put its reserves at 4,400 tons compared to 1,527 tons three decades ago.

Kohinoor diamond in royal crown is ours, British PM David Cameron tells India.......

Amritsar: British Prime Minister David Cameron says a giant diamond his country forced India to hand over in the colonial era that was set in a royal crown will not be returned.

Speaking on the third and final day of a visit to India aimed at drumming up trade and investment, Cameron ruled out handing back the 105-carat Kohinoor diamond, now on display in the Tower of London. The diamond had been set in the crown of the current Queen Elizabeth's late mother.

One of the world's largest diamonds, some Indians - including independence leader Mahatma Gandhi's grandson - have demanded its return to atone for Britain's colonial past.

"I don't think that's the right approach," Cameron told reporters on Wednesday after becoming the first serving British prime minister to voice regret about one of the bloodiest episodes in colonial India, a massacre of unarmed civilians in the city of Amritsar in 1919.

"It is the same question with the Elgin Marbles," he said, referring to the classical Greek marble sculptures that Athens has long demanded be given back.

"The right answer is for the British Museum and other cultural institutions to do exactly what they do, which is to link up with other institutions around the world to make sure that the things which we have and look after so well are properly shared with people around the world.

"I certainly don't believe in 'returnism', as it were. I don't think that's sensible."

Britain's then colonial governor-general of India arranged for the huge diamond to be presented to Queen Victoria in 1850.

If Kate Middleton, the wife of Prince William, who is second in line to the throne, eventually becomes queen consort she will don the crown holding the diamond on official occasions.

When Elizabeth II made a state visit to India to mark the 50th anniversary of India's independence from Britain in 1997, many Indians demanded the return of the diamond.

Cameron is keen to tap into India's economic rise, but says he is anxious to focus on the present and future rather than "reach back" into the past.

Aryan makes SRK a proud dad........

Aryan surely makes Shah Rukh Khan a very proud father. This picture, taken during one of the IPL matches in 2010, shows ther young boy on the field with his super dad. SRK cheers his son, as little Aryan displays some great fielding skills on the ground. 

If Sachin Tendulkar retires, Test cricket will die: Arjuna Ranatunga.....

Bangalore: Sri Lanka`s World Cup-winning former captain Arjuna Ranatunga feels Test cricket would "die" if players like Sachin Tendulkar call it quits.
"If players like him (Tendulkar) don`t play the longer version of the game, Test cricket will die. I pray to God he continues to play Test cricket. I was very happy to know he has retried from ODIs. For me Test is education and the shorter versions are entertainment," Ranatunga told PTI.

Ranatunga, who guided Sri Lanka to their first and only World Cup title in 1996, said Tendulkar still has a lot of cricket left in him.

Bangalore: Sri Lanka`s World Cup-winning former captain Arjuna Ranatunga feels Test cricket would "die" if players like Sachin Tendulkar call it quits. "If players like him (Tendulkar) don`t play the longer version of the game, Test cricket will die. I pray to God he continues to play Test cricket. I was very happy to know he has retried from ODIs. For me Test is education and the shorter versions are entertainment," Ranatunga told PTI. Ranatunga, who guided Sri Lanka to their first and only World Cup title in 1996, said Tendulkar still has a lot of cricket left in him.
Instead of blaming the BCCI for the non-implementation of the controversial Decision Review System to avoid umpiring mistakes, Ranatunga turned his ire on the ICC.

"I am not blaming BCCI, but blaming ICC for not making DRS compulsory. They should not allow home countries to take decisions on the matter," he said on the sidelines of Sri Lanka Tourism promotion event here.

"They (the ICC) shout, but hardly bite. I have always said that they haven`t changed. ICC should protect the game not individual countries on the DRS issue," he suggested.

Ranatunga said even if the Indian Board pushes the ICC into a corner, it should have the spine to take bold decisions and make it mandatory for all nations to use DRS.



"This system is the best thing that has happened to

cricket in the last 20 years and I feel DRS should be adopted by all countries. We would have been better batsmen, bowlers and fielders if the DRS was there in our time," Ranatunga opined.

Ranatunga said Twenty20 has ruined cricket as it does not create technically sound players such as Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Gundappa Vishwanath, Mohammad Azharuddin or Dilip Vengsarkar.

"They are more concerned about playing the shorter version of the game, earning money, not playing for the country," he said.

"I still remember it was a great concern for us to get India out because they had quality batsmen like Rahul Dravid, Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly. Within four days we couldn`t get them out.

"But now, we get to see a side folding up before lunch as it lacks technique. They are interested in hitting the ball rather than concentrating on technique," he argued.

On chances of India winning the ongoing four-match Test series against Australia, Ranatunga said the hosts` prospects are decent as the touring side is weak.

"Without technique you cannot survive in Test cricket. India have very good hitters but they need to concentrate on technique," he said.

"Technique of first six Indian top batsmen, barring few, is abysmal. Australia, on the other hand, is an inexperienced side," he said.

Asked about Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s captaincy, Ranatunga said nobody should comment on his leadership because he is the only Indian who has won two World Cups.

"I think India should allow Dhoni to captain," he said.

Sri Lankan public don`t like juniors playing IPL: Sanath Jayasurya....

Bangalore: Former Sri Lanka captain and present chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya feels that it will be better if junior Sri Lankan players are kept away from IPL although it remains an "individual decision".
The dashing opener feels that Sri Lankan people don`t like young players participating in the IPL because they adopt different technique which is detrimental to their game.

"However, experienced cricketers playing in IPL is infact good. But it is left to individual player`s discretion which of the two games is better for him," he added.

Jayasuriya said that the national captaincy has been handed over to Angelo Mathews for the smooth transition of the team.

"We have picked up some young players and also appointed Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal as captain and vice-captain for smoother transition of the team. We need to get youngsters groomed by playing alongside senior players, before they quit," the prolific opener of yesteryears told mediapersons on the sidelines of a promotional event for the Sri Lanka tourism.

"In few years time, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillekratne Dilshan Thilan Samaraweera and Mahela Jayawardene will not be there on the scene," he stated.

Asked why Sri Lanka hardly win matches overseas, Jayasuriya said it was unfortunate that the team lost in recently concluded Australia series, but they played well in the third Test at Sydney.

"There is a need to concentrate more on Test cricket and strengthen the bowling department," Jayasuriya said adding that the selectors have picked up Chaminda Vaas as Sri Lanka`s bowling coach.

Woods is a player from another planet: Barack Obama.....

Washington: The US President Barack Obama said Tiger Woods came across as a player from "another planet" when he played golf with the legend of the sport, last weekend.
"I don`t think either party was nervous. He knew that I wasn`t a big threat to his world ranking and I knew that I better keep my day job," Obama said in an interview in San Francisco.

"He plays a different game than I do. He`s on another planet," Obama said sharing his experience of playing golf with one of the top golf players of the world.

Obama played gold with Woods over the weekend in Florida.

Woods said the President "hit a few" good shots and the experience was "pretty cool."

"He hit the ball well, and he`s got an amazing touch. He can certainly chip and putt," Woods said of Obama.

"If he spends more time playing the game of golf, I`m sure he can get to where he`s got pretty good stick," he said.

Mahindra Racing finalise new riding pair for 2013 season.....

New Delhi: Mahindra Racing today announced signing of 16-year-old Andrea Locatelli and 17-year-old Michael Rinaldi as the team`s new riders for the 2013 season of the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV), beginning in Mugello on April 6.
The riders will represent Mahindra Racing in the Moto3 (250cc, 4 stroke) class of the championship.

Mahindra Racing became the first team from India to win an international motorsport championship in Europe, when they won the Constructors` Title in the 125GP class of the CIV in th eir debut year - 2012.

The team recorded six victories from eight races, with three spectacular double podium finishes.

Mahindra Racing had recently announced the rider pairing of Spaniard Efr?n V?zquez and Portuguese teenager Miguel Oliveira for the 2013 Moto3? World Championship, which begins on April 7 in Qatar.

"I am thrilled to have joined a committed Indian team like Mahindra Racing for the CIV Season 2013. I have been following their development in the past and I am impressed by the progress they have made in such a short span of time," Locatelli said.

His teamate Rinaldi said,"Mahindra Racing enjoys considerable support from the motorsports community in India and I look forward to working along with Locatelli and doing really well for the team in the coming months. Though the championship is highly competitive, we are confident of a strong performance on a good machine."

Saina Nehwal seeded second at All England......

New Delhi: World No.2 Saina Nehwal is seeded second behind Olympic champion Li Xuerui in the women`s singles at the All England Badminton Championships, starting in Birmingham March 5.
Saina`s best performance at the Premier Super Series tournament came in 2010 when she reached the semifinals. The Hyderabadi will have adequate rest before reaching Birmingham as she is skipping the German Open Grand Prix Gold, beginning Feb 26.

No other Indian has been seeded, though P.V. Sindhu (women`s singles), Ajay Jayaram and Parupalli Kashyap in the men`s singles are in the main draw.

Jwala Gutta will be making a comeback after a six-month sabbatical following the London Olympics. Jwala will play mixed doubles with her long-term partner V. Diju while in the women`s doubles she and controversial Mumbai girl Prajakta Sawant in the qualifiers.

Ashwini Ponnappa, who had paired up with Jwala to win the World Championships bronze and the Commonwealth Games gold, is playing with Pradnya Gadre and she is playing the mixed doubles with Tarun Kona.

Ricky Ponting rules out Australia return for Ashes......

Sydney: Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has ruled out the likelihood of making a remarkable return from retirement during the Ashes after agreeing to join English county club Surrey this northern summer.
Ponting, who retired from international cricket in December, will join the English county side on a two-month deal from June, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The Australia-England series begins at Trent Bridge on July 10, and with the Oz set to take an inexperienced batting line-up into the five-match series, Ponting``s knows he could be missed.

The veteran of 168 Tests said it would be strange to be watching the Ashes contest after leading Australia``s past two failed tours to England, but he confirmed he was committed to Surrey only.

Ponting said it will be a very strange experience, adding at some stages only a few hundred miles, or a couple of hours, away there will be a Test match going on between Australia and England and he won``t be a part of it.

Ponting added he has had opportunities to think through those scenarios since he has been retired from international cricket, adding just to be in the country while a series like that is happening will be a lot of fun.

Ponting added once he would be there he would be absolutely 100 per cent dedicated to making sure he does the best he can for Surrey County Cricket Club.

Sachin Tendulkar strikes form, India on even keel against Aussies....

Chennai: Sachin Tendulkar showed glimpses of his vintage form with a fluent unbeaten half-century as India recovered from two early jolts to leave the first cricket Test against Australia evenly poised here on Saturday.

The 39-year-old veteran, who had been struggling for form for a long time, played with decisive footwork and a positive frame of mind to guide India to 182 for three in 52 overs on the second day at the M A Chidambaram Stadium, which saw local boy R Ashwin grab a career-best seven-wicket haul.

Tendulkar (71 batting) and Virat Kohli (50 batting) were at the crease when stumps were drawn with India still trailing by 198 runs. The two have so far added 77 runs for the fourth wicket.

Tendulkar, in the course of his 67th Test half-century, touched another milestone by surpassing 7,000 runs on home turf. Kohli, on the other hand, completed his seventh Test half-century at the fag end of the day.

Resuming at the overnight score of 316/7, the Australians continued to frustrate the Indians with captain Michael Clarke (130) and the tailenders combining to score 64 more runs to take the score to a competitive 380.

Ashwin, who had scalped six wickets on the opening day, cliamed the wicket of last man Nathan Lyon to return with figures of 7/103, while left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2/71) and Harbhajan Singh (1/87) were the other wicket-takers.


The Indian reply was disastrous to start with as openers Virender Sehwag (10) and Murali Vijay (2) departed in close succession, falling to tearaway pacer James Pattinson, who was used in short spells.

But Cheteshwar Pujara (44) and Tendulkar steadied the innings to some extent with a 93-run third-wicket partnership. Both the batsmen launched a brilliant counter-attack to unsettle the Aussie bowlers.

Tendulkar hit two glorious fours off first two balls he faced from Pattinson and clobbered another majestic boundary off the fourth ball, making his intentions clear.

Just when the duo seemed to be crusing along comfortably, Pattinson provided the breakthrough when he came back for his second spell by accounting for Pujara.

Pujara fell to a off-cutter in the 29th over after striking six fours in his 76-ball stay at the crease.

With three days left in the game, India will look to come close to the Australian total and then push to seize the initiative.

Earlier, both the openers were out bowled. Vijay was the first to go after a 15-ball stay, which included two fours, done in by Pattinson`s pace.

Sehwag quickly followed his partner back to the pavillion, failing to spot a slower one from Pattionson which bounced inside the crease and dislodged the bail of his leg stump.

But Pujara and Tendulkar steadied the rocking boat, bringing up the team`s 50 in the 13th over. The two displayed patience but at the same time kept the scoreboard ticking.

They completed a half-century stand for the third wicket in 68 deliveries to rescue India from the precarious position.

Tendulkar was then joined by Kohli, who had a disappointing series against England, unleashed a flurry of shots to announce his return to form.

Earlier, in the morning session, Australian batsmen frustrated Indian bowlers with determined batting before being bowled out for 380 in their first innings.

Resuming at 316 for 7, the visitors resisted the home attack for 38 overs and added 64 runs. They were also helped to an extent by a few decisions that went in their favour much to to India`s frustration.

Since the last-wicket pair of James Pattinson and Nathan Lyon was at the crease at the official lunch time, the morning session was extended and at the fall of the latter, the break was taken.

Indian off-spinner R Ashwin registered his career-best figures (7/103) while Ravindra Jadeja (2/71) took two wickets.

Michael Clarke and Peter Siddle kept the Indian bowlers at bay for about 90 minutes before the Australian captain went for an extravagant shot off Jadeja, miscued it and gave the hosts a chance to clean up the tail.

Clarke stepped out to loft Jadeja over his head for a straight six but just managed an edge that flew to the hands of Bhuvneshwar Kumar at long-off.

Clarke`s splendid 130-run captain`s knock came off 246 balls with 13 boundaries including one shot over the fence. It also ended 54-run fighting stand between him Siddle (19).

Soon, Harbhajan Singh`s long wait to get a wicket ended when he had Siddle caught at first slip.

Playing his 100th Test and going wicket-less on the opening day, it took the off-spinner the last ball of his 24th over to get his first.

There was only frustration for Indian bowlers after that as the last-wicket pair of Pattinson and Lyon batted for another 12 overs.

Ashwin had Lyon plumb in front of the wicket but yet again Dharamsena thought otherwise. However, four balls later, Lyon swept, found an edge and Virat Kohli took an athletic catch at backward short leg to end the Australian innings.

Earlier, neither the spinners nor medium-fast bowlers could trouble the batsmen much until Clarke lost focus and tried to push the accelerator button on.

The chances were far and few as Clarke and Siddle batted with determination. The nearest Clarke came close to getting out was when while coming forward his uppish defensive shot went towards silly point Cheteshwar Pujara, who could not held on to the half-chance.

Then Siddle edged one behind off Harbhajan but that was a tough chance for wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

TENDULKAR BACK AGAIN..... :)....

INDIA Score: 182/3 II Overs: 52 (Tendulkar: 71*, Kohli: 50*)
That’s Stumps on Day 2! Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli are still at the crease for India. Kohli completed his Test fifty in the final over of the second day with a single off Lyon. India were given early setbacks in Vijay and Sehwag by charging Pattinson. However, first Pujara and tendulkar and then Tendulkar and Kohli led the counterattack driving India safely out of the danger zone. India have avoided follow-on. The good news is that Tendulkar and Kohli have looked good today. Especially Tendulkar who was right on the money from the word go! Pattinson took all three wickets in Indian innings and was bowled for short bursts. He bowled just six in the 52 overs bowled today.