Assam amass 420/4 against Tripura
Agartala: Dheeraj Jadhav’s epic 194-run knock put Assam in command against Tripura as the visitors reached 420/4 on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Group C match here on Friday. Resuming at overnight 85/1 in response to Tripura’s 136 all out, Assam amassed the huge total riding on Jadhav’s 301-ball knock and Tarjinder Singh’s 99. At stumps, Niraj Patel (44) and Gokul Sharma (20) were holding fort for Assam. For Tripura, Manisankar Murasingh and Rana Dutta picked up two wickets apiece in what was largely a frustrating day for the home side. Brief scores: Tripura 1st innings: 136 all out; Assam 1st innings: 420/4 in 122 overs (Dheeraj Jadhav 194, Tarjinder Singh 99, Rana Dutta 2/86). (PTI)
Torres to miss Chelsea’s derby at West Ham
LONDON: Chelsea will be without striker Fernando Torres as they try to get their Premier League title challenge back into gear with victory at struggling West Ham United on Saturday. The Spaniard had “almost” recovered from the adductor muscle injury he suffered before the Champions League game against Schalke this month but was not ready to play, manager Jose Mourinho told a news conference on Friday. Torres, who also missed Chelsea’s home draw with West Bromwich Albion a fortnight ago, has been in good form for his club this season, scoring five goals in 12 matches. Better news for Chelsea, is that Ashley Cole is available despite coming off during the second half of England’s 1-0 defeat by Germany on Tuesday suffering pain from a recent rib injury. “Ashley still feels it a little bit because it is a situation where he will have pain for quite a long time,” Mourinho said. Chelsea have managed just one point from their last two league matches and are in fourth place, four points behind leaders Arsenal. (Reuters)
Yuki in singles semi, doubles final in China
Shenzhen (China): Yuki Bhambri inched closer to a wild card entry at the Australian Open not only in the singles but also in the doubles by recording crushing victories here on Friday. He first played the singles and the second seed Indian demolished the challenge of unranked Chinese Zhicheng Zhu 6-2, 6-1. He now faces world number 205 and third seed Di Wu for a place in the final. Yuki later combined with New Zealand’s Michael Venus to reach the doubles final. The second-seeded pair routed third seeds Chieh-Fu Wang and Jimmy Wang 6-2, 6-0 in just 40 minutes. They will now fight it out with fourth seeds Mao-Xin Gong and Zhe Li. (PTI)
Horner cool on Ecclestone succession
Sao Paulo: Red Bull team chief Christian Horner distanced himself, on Friday, from the prospect of taking over Bernie Ecclestone’s role as the lynchpin of Formula One management. Speaking on the opening day of the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, he said it was flattering to be connected with the role, but he did not foresee himself leaving his team. “My focus is fully on this team and it is for the foreseeable future. I can’t see how any one individual can replace Bernie,” Horner said. “What he does is unique and it will be a sad day for the sport when he’s no longer here.” Ecclestone, the commercial boss of the sport, revealed earlier that Horner was his choice to succeed him and run F1. Ecclestone, 83, currently facing legal challenges to his grip on the business he has built and guided over four decades, named Horner, 40, as his preferred successor for the first time, according to British newspapers. (Reuters)
Flexibility and patience key in India: Walsh
New Delhi: The newly-appointed Indian men’s hockey coach Terry Walsh feels patience and flexibility are the two key ingredients which a person needs to be successful in a tough country like India. “According to my view, it’s about one’s personality and flexibility. If you come to the Indian environment without flexibility, you will stagnate and die. It’s not possible to deliver unless you are flexible,” Walsh told reporters on the sidelines of Hockey India League bidding at a city hotel here on Friday. “You also have to have a degree of patience because it takes time to mould and change things here. It’s not an instant thing.” The reputed Australian, a silver medallist in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, was appointed as Indian men’s hockey team’s chief coach last month after Michael Nobbs’ sudden ouster. (PTI)
Bolt sets sights on own world record
Tokyo: Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt has set his sights on breaking his own 200-metre world record in 2014 with no competitions to distract his focus. Bolt, who was last week named IAAF male World Athlete of the Year for a fifth time, captured yet another triple gold haul at the world championships in Moscow this summer, defending his 100 and 200m titles before anchoring the Jamaican team to victory in the 4×100 relay. But records were off the agenda for Bolt this year despite claiming the world-leading 200 time in Moscow – a situation the 27-year-old is keen to rectify as he plans his strategy for 2014. “Definitely for this season me and my coach have decided to focus on running faster because there is no championship, so we are definitely targeting the 200 metres,” Bolt said during a visit to Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium on Friday. “We’ll see what happens. Hopefully I can stay injury-free and everything will go well this season and I can break the world record.” (AFP)