Dazzling Kohli ton keeps India alive

India 321 for 3 (Kohli 133*) beat Sri Lanka 320 for 4 by seven wickets

Virat Kohli was "in the zone" during his 133 not out off 86 balls © AFP

Turnarounds don't come any better. Fortunes don't change more dramatically. And emotions don't bear a starker contrast. At the halfway stage, Sri Lanka would have felt they had one foot in the final, having left the India bowlers deflated after a dominating performance with the bat. And they would have been right to think that way, the Indian batting having shown little promise in the series and the team on the brink of elimination.

But Virat Kohli put on an imperious display of strokemaking, his malleable wrists powering an Indian fightback conspicuous in its absence on what had been, until now, two forgettable overseas trips. Kohli's innings made a mockery of an imposing score, kept India's finals hopes alive and left Sri Lanka with the unenviable task of beating the form team in the tournament to knock India out.

Given India's poor outings with the bat in their recent games, one would have expected them to struggle to chase a target of 321 in 50 overs. They achieved it in 36.4 - needing to chase it in 40 to stay alive in the series - and did so with Kohli finishing things off in a blaze of glory. Kohli was, as Nathan Astle said after his whirlwind 222 against England in 2002, "in the zone". He dismissed anything that came his way with clinical precision, found the boundary at will whether the field was in or pushed back, ran swiftly between the wickets to catch the fielders off guard and middled the ball with scarcely believable consistency.

While Kohli was the protagonist in India's successful chase, the other characters played their due part. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar would have wanted to do more but gave India the explosive start they desperately needed to stage a counterattack; Gautam Gambhir continued to be fluent, just four boundaries in a knock of 63 in 64 balls showing the toil behind the runs and Suresh Raina, under pressure to perform, gave Kohli valuable company in a match-winning stand with a spunky cameo.

If the Indians were insipid with their bowling, the Sri Lankans were far worse as wides flowed, gift balls were doled out on the pads with regularity and the fielding buckled under the pressure of an unexpected fightback. Both innings were replete with fumbles, misfields, wayward throws - one of them, had it been on target, could have got Kohli run-out - making batting even more profitable on the easiest track in the series thus far. The brisk start to the chase and the subsequent consolidation by Gambhir and Kohli meant India were in with a fighting chance with two Powerplays still remaining, and both proved highly lucrative.

Kohli made both his own, first targeting Nuwan Kulasekara in the 31st over - which began with India needing 91 in 10 overs for a bonus point - carting three consecutive fours as attempted yorkers failed to meet their desired lengths and served as tempting length balls. Two were whipped - in trademark Kohli fashion, a momentary turn of the wrists imparting tremendous force on the ball - and the other, sliced over point in an act of improvisation.

The Sri Lankan seamers misfired badly but even when they got it right, like an accurate yorker from Malinga, Kohli was able to shuffle across and expertly work it past the short fine fielder. He took 24 from Malinga in the 35th over, flicking him for six and picking four fours past short fine, and finished the game with two thunderous drives through the off side, the second being the clinching blow. A pump of the fists was followed by a roar of elation and relief as a perennially inanimate MS Dhoni calmly trudged on to the field to join in the celebrations.

A win this dominating still seemed a distant possibility when Kohli joined Gambhir at the fall of Tendulkar's wicket. Tendulkar had walked across too far to be caught plumb by Malinga, ending an innings that seemed devoid of pressure and completely uninhibited in its approach. Sehwag and Tendulkar batted with freedom, the former smashing Malinga into the grassbanks behind deep midwicket in a fiery opening stand of 50, and Tendulkar going over the top on the off side and displaying an adeptness in picking Malinga's variations, launching him over mid-on. But at 86 for 2 in the 10th over, with India's two most experienced batsmen back in the pavilion and the required rate still very high, Kohli and Gambhir faced an ardous task.

That both took little time to get going was crucial in maintaining the tempo that had been set. Gambhir steered Kulasekara for four off his third delivery before punching one past midwicket, and Kohli warmed up with one of several whips off Malinga off his second ball. The pair didn't get bogged down despite a 35-ball boundary drought, running swiftly between the wickets, converting ones into twos by putting the outfielders under pressure and making the fielders inside the circle appear redundant by stealing quick ones.

Kohli broke that drought with a drive off Thisara Perara past extra cover and later clobbered Angelo Mathews over the wide long-off boundary. At the halfway stage in the chase, the pair had notched up half-centuries, laying a solid foundation for the onslaught to follow with ten Powerplay overs still remaining. Though Gambhir fell to an accurate throw while trying to steal a second, Raina ended infusing the innings with greater urgency, providing a quicker partner at the other end to Kohli and indulging in some powerplay of his own to help hasten the finish.

The Kohli show overshadowed an assured and commanding performance by Sri Lanka with the bat, with centuries from Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara who capitalised on a palpably below-par show from India's bowlers who lacked intensity.

Dilshan shrugged off his initial unease against the swinging ball to gradually open up and march towards his 11th ODI century and Sangakkara played an innings as attractive as several of his abruptly-terminated cameos this tournament, only longer in duration this time, full of confidence and more pleasing to the eye. The determination and focus of trying to bat India out of the game was unwavered in their innings, and the smiles on their faces and the Indians' drooping shoulders suggested a one-way traffic. But body-language is not always a reliable indicator, for it had taken an about turn in three hours' time. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Sandeep’s five goals send India to the Olympics

A huge crowd turned up to support India. Reuters

Sandeep’s Singh’s five goals propelled India to an impressive 8-1 win over France in the final of the Olympic Qualifiers in Delhi and helped his team qualify for London 2012 as well.

The first half was a closely fought affair, with India banging in the first two goals only to see France come back with a brilliant field goal. But then India got another one to go into half-time at 3-1.

However, two goals within five minutes early in the second half sealed the deal. Sandeep was unstoppable in the penalty corners and after missing the first PC, he converted all his remaining attempts to almost single-handedly send India to the Olympics. The big-built sardar scored in the 19th, 26th, 37th, 49th and 51st minutes.

The other scorers for India were Birender Lakra, who opened the scoring in the 17th minute, Sunil made it 5-1 in the 43rd and VR Raghunath, with a powerful drag flick, made it 8-1 in the 56th.

The lone goal scorer for France was Simon Martin, who scored in the 24th minute completely against the run of play.

India's Singh celebrates with teammates after scoring goal against France in New Delhi. Reuters

“I can’t explain my feelings. I’m just really happy,” said Sandeep, who was adjudged the Hero of the match, after the game. The drag-flicker scored a total of 16 goals during the tournament.

India had failed to qualify for Beijing Olympics in 2008 and that is one of the reasons why this tournament was so important for the future of the sport in India. For now, however, Michael Nobbs and his wards have booked their tickets to their 19th Olympic Games — the most by any hockey-playing nation.

But remember this was just the first hurdle. Now, comes the real challenge. How do we become good enough to beat Australia, Germany, and Holland?

However, we’ll save that argument for another day. For now let’s just celebrate a team that has outdone itself and taken the first step towards becoming major force again in hockey.

Australia in finals after 87-run win

Australia 9 for 252 (Warner 68, Wade 56, D Hussey 54, Sehwag 3-43) beat India 165 (Ashwin 26, Watson 2-9) by 87 runs

It was another struggle for India's batsmen on tour © Getty Images

India succumbed meekly to the pressure of a chase of 253 - a chase they were required to nail to remain in serious contention in the triangular series - and were bowled out for 165 by an Australia side that eagerly grabbed the chance to seal its own spot in the competition deciders.

Short of a bonus-point victory in their final match against Sri Lanka and a subsequent loss to the hosts by Mahela Jayawardene's flourishing side, India will fly home earlier than desired from an Australia tour that peaked all too early with Rahul Dravid's Bradman Oration and has disintegrated steadily ever since.

Australia's stand-in captain Shane Watson compensated for a poor showing with the bat by nipping out Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, and generally led his team soundly in the field in the absence of the injured Michael Clarke. He had a bonus point victory in front of 33,639 spectators to show for it.

The folding of India's batting was a familiar tale of patterns and misadventures. Virender Sehwag extended his horrid run on tour by punching a return-catch to Ben Hilfenhaus, Sachin Tendulkar found another way to fall short of 100 international centuries when he was run-out after a mid-pitch collision with Brett Lee, and Gautam Gambhir battled for fluency then dragged Clint McKay onto the stumps.

All this rather undercut the efforts of the touring bowlers, who had done well to restrict Australia to 9 for 252. India were given a fine start by the intelligent and miserly bowling of Praveen Kumar, whose opening spell of six overs harvested two wickets at a cost of 14 runs, including only one boundary. Umesh Yadav also made a mark with his speed and aggression.

Praveen's victims included Shane Watson, playing his first international of the summer as Australia's stand-in captain while Michael Clarke recovers from a flare-up of the back trouble that has been an intermittent problem across his career. Australia have now had four captains of the national side in various formats this summer - Clarke, George Bailey, Ricky Ponting and Watson.

David Warner fared the best of the batsmen, striking his way to 68 from 66 balls before skying Ravindra Jadeja. Suresh Raina claimed the catch despite a heavy collision with Irfan Pathan that left both fielders laid out on the outfield. Matthew Wade and Hussey also chimed in, but the latter was perhaps fortunate to get past 17.

Running a single, Hussey held out his hand to block Suresh Raina's return from the edge of the fielding circle - whether this was an attempt to simply prevent getting hit was unclear - and MS Dhoni immediately appealed either for handling the ball or the recently changed laws for obstructing the field, which forbid a batsman from changing his running line to intercept a ball headed for the stumps. After a lengthy television consultation the appeal was rejected, much to the consternation of the visitors. They exchanged plenty of words with Hussey when he was dismissed, 37 runs later.

On a night when a rapid half-century might have set his side on the path to victory, Sehwag's exit in the second over arrived courtesy of a fine Hilfenhaus take, scooping up a low catch near his ankles. Tendulkar and Gambhir prospered briefly against the new ball, but when the former was called through for a single, both he and Lee ran in more or less the same direction. Lee's pursuit of the ball ended when he saw David Warner in better position, and Tendulkar had his path interrupted by the bowler as Warner threw down the stumps.

Kohli again hinted at a decent score, only to be undone when Watson introduced himself to the attack. Following Lee, Watson's seamers were noticeably slower, and the reduction in pace had Kohli playing too early as he looped a catch to Daniel Christian.

McKay ended Gambhir's cussed stay, and Watson struck again when he angled the ball across Raina to induce a simple edge to Matthew Wade. Ravindra Jadeja fell in a similar manner, though his edge from Daniel Christian flew to Watson at first slip, where he held on to the catch having earlier grassed a chance to pouch Dhoni.

For as long as Dhoni remained at the crease India had a chance, however slight, so there was plenty of relief in Australia's huddle when Hilfenhaus pinned him in front of the stumps for a painstaking 14. The rest melted away.

The match appeared destined for a closer contest when Australia's early progress was slowed by Praveen's wiles, though more runs were collected from Pathan at the other end. Watson pulled at a delivery shaping away from him and managed only to spoon a catch to mid-on, while Peter Forrest fell to a slower delivery that he dragged onto the stumps.

Warner's innings provided the hosts with some momentum, but he lost Michael Hussey due to a running mix-up, and his own bright stay was ended by Jadeja. David Hussey's reprieve offered him and Wade the chance to regather the innings, which they did well enough in a stand of 94.

Wade's stay was ended when he steered a swift Yadav delivery into Dhoni's gloves, before Hussey fell to the same combination, snicking behind in his attempt to pull Yadav from outside off stump. The fact that Hussey appeared to walk did little to soothe India's frustration about the earlier incident.

Clint McKay was not long in staying before he wafted at Virender Sehwag and was stumped, and late blows from Christian and Xavier Doherty took the tally past 250. It looked a mediocre total, but then there have been times on this tour when India would have given much to achieve such mediocrity. So it would be again this night. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Indian women's hockey team misses London Olympics berth

South African players celebrate their victory after defeating India in the final of the women's hockey Olympic qualifiers at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi. (AFP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Indian women team's hopes of qualifying for the London Olympics went up in smoke after suffering a crushing 1-3 defeat against top-ranked South Africa in the finals of hockey Olympic qualifiers on Saturday.

Results | Points Table

World number 12 South Africa scored through Shelley Russell (4th minute), Pietie Coetzee (30th) and skipper Marsha Marescia (57th) to qualify for the London Olympics.

They remained unbeaten in the tournament and had defeated India 5-2 in the league stage.

India paid the price for their defence lapses and lack of finishing as South Africa rode on their better co-ordination, agility and solid defence to crush the hosts at their home ground.

India conceded an early goal in the fourth minute with Ritu Rani being the culprit as she failed to clear the ball from a back pass inside the D in the left flank, allowing Shelley Russell to steal it and comfortably slot it home.

Stung by the goal, India tried to attack from the left flank with Anuradha Devi Thokchom, who was back after missing two matches due to a hamstring injury, being in the action but they failed to penetrate the South African defence.

The Indians crumbled under pressure as they fumbled with the ball and lacked co-ordination. Even though they penetrated the rival camp, the hosts failed to build a single concrete attack.

India earned their first penalty corner in the 10th minute but Sushila Chanu failed to stop the ball cleanly to squander the opportunity.

South Africa then earned three short corners in the space of six minutes between 23rd and 29th minute, and the visitors made use of the third with the experienced Pietie Coetzee sounding the board with a direct hit.

India came out with all guns blazing in the second half and made regular forays into the rival camp in the first 10 minutes. India came close to scoring when skipper Asunta Lakra made a direct hit from the center but a diving Anuradha failed to connect.

After a couple of minutes, Anuradha was once again in action when she was in a one-to-one situation with South African goalkeeper Mix Mariette but she hit it straight to her.

In the 40th minute, South Africa earned their fourth PC but Joydeep Kaur and Chanu cleared the ball successfully.

However, the visitors piled on agony on India once again when skipper Marsha deflected Coetzee's grounded flick on South Africa's fifth penalty corner in the 53rd minute to almost seal the match.

India scored a consolation goal in the 56th minute with Jaspreet Kaur converting a short corner with a powerful sweep. The Indians tried to create pressure on South Africa but they failed to penetrate the rival defence.

India thus had to settle for the silver to continue their 32-year-old jinx of not qualifying for the Olympics.

Indian women had played in the Olympics in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the year the game was introduced, on an invitational basis.

Earlier in the day, Italy won the bronze medal after beating Ukraine 2-1, while Canada finished at the fifth position after notching up a 3-0 victory over Poland.

Australia hold on for five-run victory

Australia 231 (Clarke 57, Mathews 2-37) beat Sri Lanka 226 (Mathews 64, Doherty 2-24) by 5 runs

Michael Clarke was Man of the Match for scoring 57 and taking a wicket and a catch © Getty Images

Angelo Mathews narrowly failed to deliver victory to Sri Lanka at the WACA, where the Australians held on by five runs in a thrilling finish. Sri Lanka needed 18 from the final over bowled by Mitchell Starc, and Mathews gave them every chance by pulling the first ball for four and driving the next delivery over long-off for six, before a pair of singles left the visitors needing six from two balls.

But Mathews skied the next delivery to long-on, where Daniel Christian held his nerve to take the catch, ensuring Australia remained unbeaten in the Commonwealth Bank Series. And while the Australians did, for the most part, bowl and field well, they could consider themselves fortunate to have escaped with victory after posting what appeared to a sub-par 231, with Michael Clarke (57) the only man to score a half-century.

Initially, Sri Lanka were on track in the chase before a middle-order collapse left too much to Mathews and the tail. That Mathews nearly got them home was remarkable, as was his 46-run tenth-wicket stand with Dhammika Prasad, but his dismissal for 64 should at least mean the rest of the batting order is held accountable for a disappointing effort that undid the fine work of the bowlers.

The Australian bowlers were also impressive. Xavier Doherty was the standout with a miserly 2 for 24 from his ten overs but there were other positives from the hosts in the field as well. Starc hooped the new ball and claimed an early wicket, Christian picked up two victims to add to his handy 33 with the bat, Clint McKay completed a terrific run-out from side-on and Matthew Wade enhanced his reputation with a stumping and a wonderful diving catch.

Despite the early loss of Upul Tharanga, who edged a Starc outswinger to Clarke at slip in the fourth over, Sri Lanka seemed to have the chase in control as Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Dinesh Chandimal all looked comfortable at the crease. It was a Sri Lankan error - and a great throw from McKay - that led to Sangakkara's dismissal for 22 when he pushed into the leg side and took off for a single.

But both he and his partner Dilshan hesitated after a few steps, and the stop-start confusion resulted in Sangakkara trying to return to his crease only to be beaten by a side-on direct hit from the bowler McKay, who had collected the ball from short midwicket. As he walked off, Sangakkara directed a glare towards Dilshan, knowing that if their 50-run stand had continued a while longer, Sri Lanka would have been in a terrific position.

Instead, Dilshan's scoring rate slowed - he had struck three searing boundaries through the off side early in his innings - and on 40 from 57 deliveries he was caught behind off Ryan Harris when the ball tickled the inside edge. Another straightforward catch to Wade followed when Mahela Jayawardene tried to steer Christian to third man but succeeded only in feathering behind.

In the next over Doherty struck the first of his two blows. The WACA is not known as a spinner's paradise but Doherty extracted severe turn in to the left-hander Lahiru Thirimanne, who saw the ball pitch outside off and sneak between bat and pad to take the leg stump. Impressed by what he saw from Doherty, Clarke decided to bowl some left-arm spin himself and broke through first ball when from around the wicket he skidded one on and struck Chandimal in front for 37.

That was followed by an excellent catch from Wade, who dived to his right in front of first slip to snare Nuwan Kulasekara off the bowling of Christian. At 7 for 143, Sri Lanka's hopes seemed to have disappeared, a feeling that was only enforced further when Doherty turned a ball past the outside edge of an advancing Sachithra Senanayake, who was stumped by Wade, and when Lasith Malinga edged behind off McKay.

At that stage, Sri Lanka still needed 52 runs, and through Mathews and Prasad they nearly got there. At the change of innings they deserved to be favourites. Jaywardene had sent Australia in, and while it was an unexpected decision it proved not a bad one as Sri Lanka's sharp fielding helped restrict Australia to 231 as they were dismissed from the first ball of the 50th over.

Clarke (57) had assistance from Christian during the only half-century partnership of the innings but when the offspinner Sachithra Senanayake broke that stand in the 40th over Australia faced the prospect of not batting out their time. Christian was stumped for 33 when he failed to pick the straighter delivery and Clarke fell in the following over.

He was the victim of an excellent catch by the opposing captain as Jayawardene moved low to his right to snaffle the chance at midwicket off the bowling of Angelo Mathews. Clarke hadn't found it easy to keep the scoring rate up and had struck only four boundaries in his 88-ball stay, but until that moment he had at least provided an anchor for the innings

Some useful late runs came from McKay and Starc, and Sri Lanka would ultimately rue the 39 runs added by the last two pairs. McKay had survived an edge behind on 15 when Sangakkara didn't cleanly pouch a low ball, and it was a rare miss for the Sri Lankans in what was generally an impressive fielding effort.

Several Australians fell to fine catches: David Hussey's leading edge off Malinga was collected at cover by Thirimanne, who had to dive forward and to his left, and Clarke was snapped up by a quick-moving Jayawardene at midwicket off the bowling of Mathews. But the best was Kulasekara's return catch to get rid of Michael Hussey for 23. He pushed at a fuller ball from Kulasekara, who dived to his right to take a wonderful one-handed catch.

Kulasekara had also been the man who gave Sri Lanka their positive start, when he picked up a wicket in the fourth over, when Wade prodded outside off and edged behind for 1. Wade was the quiet partner in the opening stand as David Warner played a few shots that encouraged the Perth crowd to think a repeat of his blazing Test hundred at the venue might be in the making.

His lofted six off over long-on against Malinga was the standout stroke, but on 34 from 29 deliveries he played on to Mathews, who got a ball to straighten just enough. It was the first of several good things Mathew did for the match. Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, they needed one more. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

All-round Ashwin stars in hard-fought win

India 234 for 6 (Kohli 77, Ashwin 30*) beat Sri Lanka 233 for 8 (Chandimal 64, Dilshan 48, Zaheer 2-44, Ashwin 3-32) by four wickets

R Ashwin enjoyed his best day in what's been a long, hard tour © Getty Images

India's feted openers exited too early, and the inexperienced middle order succumbed to old failings, but their bowling allrounders Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin showed admirable poise to steer a wobbly chase home. Virat Kohli's authoritative 77 set the agenda, but India began to falter when he contracted cramps around the mid-point of the innings. His exit, run out while attempting a hopeless single, left India's lower order 53 tricky runs to get. Ashwin and Jadeja did the rest, braving the Lasith Malinga threat and the epidemic bout of nerves that had blighted the middle order.

For some reason Sri Lanka did not go hard enough at India after Kohli's fall. Malinga, who yorked the stumps with a typical sling-shot throw from mid-on to catch a diving Kohli short in the 36th over, had four overs left. Mahela Jayawardene brought his trump card on quickly, but didn't provide him with the Test-match fields that the situation demanded. Malinga was off after two quick overs that were handled well, and by the time he returned for the 45th over, India needed only 17 more runs. It was too late - Ashwin and Jadeja had played themselves in, and ticked the runs away with composure.

The only moment of indiscretion came when India needed one run to win. Ashwin tried to loft Angelo Mathews down the ground and mis-hit it straight up in the air. Three men converged, and mid-off, who should have taken it easily, backed off following some miscommunication, as India scrambled through for the win. The fielder at mid-off was Malinga.

The batting effort capped Ashwin's best day on tour, when he reduced his pace, tossed up the ball, and extracted a lot more spin than is the norm at Perth. He came into the attack at an ideal moment, soon after Zaheer Khan had extracted Kumar Sangakkara in the 17th over with a peachy away seamer. That was Zaheer's second moment of excellence against a left-hand batsman, after he took just 10 balls in his opening spell to work over Upul Tharanga. Thereafter, Ashwin suffocated Sri Lanka's momentum in partnership with Zaheer. Between them, they reaped combined returns of 20-2-76-5. That included 14 of the 20 Powerplay overs, which yielded 4 for 42.

Tillakaratne Dilshan fought through Zaheer's opening burst, and was primed to take off after beavering his way to 48, but gifted his wicket away. Dinesh Chandimal took charge, walking across his stumps to clip Praveen fine, steering with soft hands into the covers and setting himself up early for swings to the leg side. He had added 52 in 11.2 overs with Jayawardene, at which point Ashwin began to wield his influence.

The carom ball was scarcely used, as Ashwin focused on loop, drift and traditional turn to good effect. He first induced Jayawardene to top-edge a sweep to fine leg in the batting Powerplay. He then dented hopes of a quick recovery by weaving a sharp offbreak past Thisara Perera, before dismissing Chandimal in the 44th over. That put paid to Sri Lanka's prospects of a flying finish, though Mathews slogged hard and ran harder to provide some late succour.

Sri Lanka's all-seam attack, in contrast to their opponents earlier in the day, attempted to use pace and bounce to unsettle India. Virender Sehwag perished attempting his patent upper-cut, which did not carry beyond third man. Sachin Tendulkar's fans enjoyed 48 runs of sublime batting, before he once again succumbed without completing the most eagerly anticipated century in cricket history. Until he played on to Mathews, attempting a cheeky dab to third man, Tendulkar lined up a bunch of pleasing shots, with head stationary and feet moving well. A firm front-foot push off Malinga was as good as any stroke played until then in the day, until Kohli began to dazzle.

Kohli imperiously flicked his second ball through square leg for four. The extra pace on the pitch seemed to play into Kohli's hands, as he pranced into position early to play attacking shots on either side of the pitch. His control was epitomised by the ease with which he pulled a pacy Dhammika Prasad bumper through square leg. Rohit Sharma's lethargic movements at the other end were only accentuated by Kohli's quick feet and hands.

India were coasting when Rohit played a loose cut to be caught at point. Suresh Raina kept the flag aflutter with a couple of pleasing cover drives, but the threat of the short ball was imminently around the corner. With Kohli cramping, Raina took it upon himself to go for the boundaries, and holed out while trying to pull Mathews. MS Dhoni too returned without making a dent, late on a pull that spiralled to mid-on. When Kohli ran himself out, India had lost three big wickets for 24 in 3.5 overs. Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, that was the last time Malinga hit the stumps. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Yuvraj Singh's cancer is curable - doctor

Yuvraj Singh's cancer is curable and the hard-hitting Indian batsman is likely to be back in training in May, a New Delhi oncologist said on Monday.

The 30-year-old was told last year that he had a golf ball-sized non-malignant tumour but that diagnosis was changed at the weekend to a condition called "mediastinal seminoma."

"Yuvraj Singh has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy in the United States," Dr Nitesh Rohatgi of the Max Cancer Centre told reporters.

"We are very lucky this is a seminoma. These are mostly curable with chemotherapy and ... unlikely to affect Yuvraj's career.

"His doctors in the U.S., working in collaboration with us, are confident of his recovery. Most likely Yuvraj ... will be back on the field by the first week of May."

One of the cleanest strikers of a cricket ball, the middle-order batsman is not a regular member of India's test team but is an automatic choice in their limited-over sides.

Yuvraj was instrumental in India's 2007 World Twenty20 victory in South Africa and hit England fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in one match.

He was also named player of the tournament in India's successful 50-over World Cup campaign on home soil in February, March and April last year.

Yograj Singh, the cricketer's father, said his son was responding well to treatment.

Last month Yuvraj said on his Twitter account he was reading Lance Armstrong's 2000 autobiography 'It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life'.

"I'm sure it will motivate me and pull me through," the Indian said.

American cyclist Armstrong is one of sport's best-known cancer survivors.

The latest news on Yuvraj has triggered a wave of sympathy across cricket-crazy India with the government leading the messages for a speedy recovery. Reuters

IPL Auction: Jadeja, Vinay pocket millions

Bangalore: Indian allrounder Ravindra Jadeja was the biggest grosser at the Indian Premier League auction on Saturday, bought for a whopping $ 2 million by the Chennai Super Kings on a day that saw 69 of the 144 players listed to be auctioned getting sold. The remaining went unsold.

Besides Jadeja, the other Indian who raked in the moolah was R Vinay Kumar, who also had bidders fighting for him - with Royal Challengers Bangalore bringing the hammer down at a price tag of $ 1 million. Both Jadeja and Vinay had come to the table with a base price of $ 100,000.

West Indies' Sunil Narine was surprisingly one of the top-earners with a purse of $ 7,00,000 shelled out by Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders. But disappointment was in store for VVS Laxman as none of the franchises raised the flashlights for him, possibly because of an unreasonable base price of $ 400,000 and a poor run of form in Australia.

English players, among whom was arguably the world's best offspinner Graeme Swann, were given a cold shoulder by all the franchises due to a question mark over their availability, courtesy national commitments.

The good news for Pakistan came with a UK passport when veteran all-rounder Azhar Mahmood, who is now a British citizen, was lapped up by Kings XI Punjab for $ 200,000.

The day broke out with the shocking news of Sahara India withdrawing its sponsorship of the Indian cricket team and Pune Warriors hours ahead of auctioneer Richard Madley announcing the list of marquee players, who were the first to be auctioned.

New Zealand's Brendon McCullum was the first player to be sold when KKR bidded successfully for him, making the Kiwi richer by $ 900,000. McCullum will now play for the same franchise he represented in the league's inaugural season.

But there was a dog-fight for Jadeja, who it seems topped the priority lists of CSK and Deccan Chargers. Both the franchises bidded with the maximum cap of $2 million, after which a secret bid decided Jadeja's fate, where CSK snatched the deal from the Chargers.

Among the other former Kochi players, Sri Lankan stalwarts Mahela Jayawardene went to Delhi Daredevils for $ 1.4 million and Muttiah Muralitharan was picked up by the Royal Challenges Bangalore for $ 2,20,000.

Veteran Australian batsman Brad Hodge was bought by Rajasthan Royals for $ 4,75,000, while another South African veteran Herschelle Gibbs was sold to Mumbai Indians for $ 50,000.

In the wicketkeepers' draw, Parthiv Patel was bought by Deccan Chargers for $ 6,50,000. Young Sri Lankan glovesman Dinesh Chandimal was pocketed by Rajasthan Royals for his base price of $ 50,000. Meanwhile, Matt Prior (England), Brendon Taylor (Zimbabwe) and Mark Boucher (South Africa) remained unsold.

In the allrounders' list, West Indies' Andre Russell was picked up for $ 4,50,000 by the Delhi Daredevils, while Australian Mitchell Johnson was bought by Mumbai Indians for $ 3,00,000.

Kevin O'Brien of Ireland, who made ripples in the World Cup last year, too surprisingly remained unsold.

In the pace bowlers' draw, RP Singh was taken by Mumbai Indians for $ 6,00,000. Kerala pacer S Sreesanth was sold to Rajasthan Royals for $ 4,00,000.

In the spinners' section, Australian Brad Hogg, Indian Ramesh Powar and South African Robin Peterson were picked up for $ 1,80,000 (Rajasthan Royals), $ 1,60,000 (Kings XI Punjab) and $ 1,00,000 (Mumbai Indians) respectively.

Based on the preference of various franchises, a total of 34 players were shortlisted for the auction after lunch when good news came Azhar Mahmood's way.

Hard-hitting Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera was bought by Mumbai Indians for $ 650,000. South Australian batsman Daniel Harris was sold to Deccan Chargers for $ 70,000, while Australian all-rounder James Faulkner was bought by Kings XI Punjab for $ 1,90,000.

Darren Bravo became second time lucky as the classy West Indies batsman was sold to Deccan Chargers for $ 1,00,000 when the players who remained unsold in the morning session went up for sale again. Doug Bracewell went to Delhi Daredevils for $ 50,000 in the re-draw.

Unsold Players:

James Anderson (base price $ 300,000), Tamim Iqbal (base price $ 50,000), Adrian Barath (base price $ 50,000), Ramnaresh Sarwan (base price $ 100,000), Ian Bell (base price $ 200,000), Owais Shah (base price $200,000), Upul Tharanga (base price $50,000), VVS Laxman (base price $400,000), Matt Prior (base price $200,000), Brendan Taylor (base price $100,000), Mark Boucher (base price $100,000), Justin Kemp (base price $100,000), Marlon Samuels (base price $100,000), Steven Smith (base price $200,000), Ravi Bopara (base price $100,000), Luke Wright (base price $200,000), Kevin O'Brien (base price $50,000), Dwayne Smith (base price $100,000), Lonwabo Tsotsobe (base price $50,000), VRV Singh (base price $100,000), Vernon Philander (base price $200,000), Fidel Edwards (base price $100,000), Ravi Rampaul (base price $100,000), Peter Siddle (base price $200,000), Tim Southee (base price $100,000), Graeme Swann (base price $400,000), Rangana Herath (base price $50,000), Ajantha Mendis (base price $50,000), Steve O'Keefe (base price $100,000), Xavier Doherty (base price $100,000), Michael Klinger (base price $50,000), Richard Levi (base price $50,000), Alviro Petersen (base price $100,000), Lendl Simmons (base price $50,000), Farveez Maharoof (base price $50,000), Jacob Oram (base price $100,000), Moises Henriques (base price $50,000), Ben Laughlin (base price $50,000), Ryan McLaren (base price $100,000), Nicky Boje (base price $200,000), Jacques Rudolph (base price $20,000), Andy McKay (base price $50,000), Alister McDermott (base price $20,000), Michael Neser (base price $50,000)

IPL 5: BCCI could have postponed auction, says Gavaskar

NEW DELHI: Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar feels BCCI could have postponed the Players' Auction for the 5th edition of Indian Premier League after they came to know about Sahara India's decision to snap its sponsorship contract with Team India and also pull out of the IPL.

Sahara India on Saturday ended its 11-year-old sponsorship ties with the BCCI and also pulled out of the IPL by withdrawing from Pune Warriors' ownership, hours before IPL-V auction at Bangalore.

"I think there must have been a clause to terminate a contract and Sahara would have taken legal advice before pulling out. But I feel once it was known that Sahara are pulling out, may be the auction could have been postponed till a resolution was arrived. If Pune was not a part of IPL V, then their players would have been in the auction," Gavaskar said.

"In a weeks time or 10 days, there would have been a lot of clarity in the matter and if Pune is not a part of IPL V, perhaps there will be another auction and then there would be an increase in purse and so there would be compromises," he told NDTV.

Gavaskar said it was a matter of huge concern for the players of Pune Warriors and they would be naturally be a worried lot.

"It is certainly unfair. If you are a player of Pune, you would be worried. You had a two year contract and suddenly you find you don't have a team to play for. So naturally, players will be worried," he said.

"What will happen is something the BCCI have to deal with, just as the way they dealt with the Kochi franchise, may be they will have another auction.

"There is a window of transfer opening but that would be for players who already have a franchise. So as far as Pune is concerned, it is a matter of huge concern for the players because these guys want to play and want to be seen, who knows, may be they can get a better deal next year," he said. — PTI

Sparkling India level T20 series

India 2 for 135 (Gambhir 56*) beat Australia 131 (Finch 36, Praveen 2-21) by eight wickets

Praveen Kumar got things started for India, with two wickets in the third over © Getty Images

India finally broke through for their first win of the tour thanks to a dazzling display in the field. Ravindra Jadeja provided the spark - and did no harm to his chances in Saturday's IPL auction - with a pair of run-outs as Australia's batsmen were constricted by intense pressure from the fielders, and were dismissed in the 20th over for 131.

That was always going to be hard to defend and so it proved, India reaching the target with two balls to spare and eight wickets in hand to draw the series 1-1. They began the chase needing only a fraction above six an over and as a result spent much of their innings in cruise control, Gautam Gambhir able to amble along at less than a run a ball without ever letting the pressure build.

The only time a hint of worry might have entered the Indian camp was when five dot balls came towards the end of the chase, and George Bailey had all his fielders in the ring in the final over with one run required. But Gambhir found a gap at midwicket to strike a boundary off Clint McKay and finished on 56 from 60 balls, with MS Dhoni also unbeaten on 21.

Virender Sehwag provided some excitement with one enormous six back over the head of the bowler Xavier Doherty but it was the only one in India's innings. They didn't need any more. Sehwag was caught at cover off a Brad Hogg full toss for 23 and Virat Kohli, who made a quick 31, was brilliantly caught when Matthew Wade dived to his right off the bowling of Mitchell Marsh, but they were Australia's only two moments to celebrate in the field.

Australia needed to build more pressure and while their work with the ball and in the field was not bad, it lacked the zip shown by their India counterparts. Four Australia batsmen were run out and another was stumped, the younger men brought in for the limited-overs games providing the energy that India lacked in the Tests.

It all started with Jadeja, who got rid of two of David Hussey's partners with run-outs and then picked up the wicket of Hussey off his own bowling. The big wicket was that of Aaron Finch, who was sent in alongside David Warner at the top of the order and showed his power with six fours, five of which were through the off side.

Finch launched drives and cuts at anything wide of off and at one stage he had aggregated more than 100 Twenty20 international runs without being dismissed, but that changed quickly. Finch was caught short when Hussey pushed into the off side and tried for a single that wasn't there, Jadeja's throw getting rid of Finch for 36 from 23 balls.

The captain George Bailey departed soon afterwards when he overcommitted as Hussey steered the ball to backward point, where Jadeja collected and threw to the bowler's end with Bailey (3) a long way short. Jadeja then induced a leading edge off Hussey, who made 24 from 29 balls, and that wicket left Australia in trouble at 5 for 93.

The fine work kept coming from India. Mitchell Marsh was stumped off Rahul Sharma, Dhoni collecting the ball close to the stumps and with no give in his gloves, he hardly had to move to whip the bails off and find Marsh just out of his ground. That was followed by what was effectively a knockout blow for Australia, when Matthew Wade was run out for 32 off 29 balls.

Wade had slog-swept a six and after his outstanding innings on Wednesday, he seemed like the man who might carry Australia to a competitive score. But he pushed to cover and took off only to be turned back by Brett Lee, and Rohit Sharma's direct hit had Wade short despite his full-length dive.

Australia were dismissed with two balls to spare, when Doherty was run out thanks to sharp work from Suresh Raina. They had lost 4 for 10 since the start of the 19th over.

Australia's innings had got off to a poor start with the early loss of David Warner, who was caught at deep midwicket for 8 when he skied a ball off Praveen Kumar. Shaun Marsh's miserable summer continued with a second-ball duck, his limp prod outside off resulting in an edge to first slip, where Sehwag parried the ball up to Dhoni to give Praveen his second wicket.

It was an excellent way for India to begin, and they didn't let the advantage slip. Now the question is whether they can carry some of this spark into the one-day series. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Mohammad Amir released from jail

Mohammad Amir has been in jail since November 3 last year © Getty Images

Mohammad Amir, the Pakistan fast bowler, has been released from Portland Young Offenders Institution in Dorset after serving half of a six-month sentence for his part in a spot-fixing scam.

Amir is expected to spend the next few weeks in London before returning to his native Pakistan. He will meet his lawyers to draw up an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the five-year ban imposed on him by the International Cricket Council.

He has a visa to stay in England until the end of March and there is no suggestion that he risks the threat of deportation.

An ICC tribunal banned Amir for five years in February last year, his team-mate Mohammad Asif was given a seven-year ban, with two years suspended, and the captain, Salman Butt, was banned for ten years, five suspended. Shortly after the decision Amir announced his intent to appeal the decision to the CAS, an arbitration body set up to settle disputes relating to sport.

Amir and his two team-mates were sentenced in November 2011 at Southwark Crown Court of conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat at gambling after a plot was uncovered in a News of the World sting operation to bowl deliberate no-balls in a Test against England in 2010. Amir and Butt lost an appeal against the sentence in November in the Court of Appeal in London.

The judge, Mr Justice Cooke, ruled at Southwark Crown Court that the affair was "so serious that only imprisonment will suffice". Butt was sentenced to two and a half years, Asif was jailed for one year, and Amir for six months. Mazhar Majeed, the players' agent, received a sentence of two years eight months. Under the terms of UK law, all were eligible for release after serving half their sentences.

Majeed had boasted to undercover reporters that he could arrange for Pakistan cricketers to rig elements of games for money. He was surreptitiously filmed accepting £150,000 in cash from a journalist.

Mr Justice Cooke said: "'It's not cricket' was an adage. It is the insidious effect of your actions on professional cricket and the followers of it which make the offences so serious."

Amir apologised through his lawyer for his involvement in spot-fixing, stating: "I want to apologise to all in Pakistan and all others to whom cricket is important. I did the wrong thing. I was trapped, because of my stupidity. I panicked."

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, said in the Court of Appeal that the corruption had been "carefully prepared" and the cricketers had betrayed their team, their country, their sport and the "followers of the game throughout the world". Lord Judge accepted that Amir's guilty plea should be counted in his favour.

Amir seemed to contravene his playing ban last summer by appearing for Addington 1743 Cricket Club in the Surrey League. He insisted that he had been told it was only a friendly and that he had made an innocent mistake. It was later reported that the ICC had decided to let Amir off with a warning. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Matthew Wade fifty sets up Australia win

Australia 4 for 171 (Wade 72, Hussey 42) beat India 6 for 140 (Dhoni 48*, Hussey 2-4) by 31 runs

Matthew Wade did his cause no harm with an innings of poise, power and some invention © Getty Images

A punishing 72 from Matthew Wade and telling cameos with bat and ball from David Hussey delivered a 31-run victory for Australia over India in the first Twenty20 international at Stadium Australia in Sydney, which hosted events during the Olympics in 2000.

Watched by a crowd of 59,659, the largest ever for a cricket match in Sydney, Australia's new Twenty20 captain George Bailey enjoyed the winner's plaudits in his first match, just as Dave Gregory had done in the very first Test in 1877 when he was the last Australian to make his debut as captain.

His ingenuity in the field rather contrasted with India's captain, MS Dhoni. In the penultimate over, with the target well out of reach, Dhoni's bat flew from his hands as he attempted to make a defiant swing at Brett Lee. The tour has gone the same way, and it did not improve in the format of the IPL.

At the start of what amounts to a five-match Twenty20 and ODI audition for a more permanent berth behind the stumps in place of Brad Haddin, Wade did his cause no harm with an innings of poise, power and some invention after Dhoni sent the hosts in to bat.

Wade and Hussey pushed Australia to 4 for 171, a steep target on a tacky pitch, before Bailey employed a trio of spinners to devastating effect. Hussey took the figures with 2 for 4 from his two overs, but the recalled 40-year-old Brad Hogg and the Twenty20 debutant Xavier Doherty also helped to sink India's chase after they had made a promising start to be 1 for 47 in the sixth over.

If the chase was to succeed, India's pursuit likely required a sizeable score from Virender Sehwag. He managed one cut that skimmed to the backward point boundary, but the early swing gained by Lee was enough to draw an edge from a bat angled towards mid-on, and Hussey held the sharp chance at slip.

Smart stats Since their seven-wicket win against Australia in October 2007, India have gone on to lose 13 of their 23 Twenty20 matches. In the same period, they have also lost all three clashes against Australia. In their only previous Twenty20 game in Australia, India lost by nine wickets after being bowled out for 74. Australia improved upon their extraordinary home record in Twenty20 matches by winning their 12th match of 14 played so far. Their only defeats came against Sri Lanka (Perth in 2010) and England (Adelaide 2011). Australia's score of 171 is the sixth-highest team total in Twenty20 matches in Australia. The top seven team scores in Australia have been made by the hosts. Playing his third match, Matthew Wade scored 72 off 43 balls. His score is the fifth-highest by an Australia batsman in a home Twenty20 game. His strike-rate of 167.44 is seventh on the list of the highest strike-rates for fifty-plus scores against India. The score of 81 is the fourth-lowest for India at the fall of the sixth wicket. Three of their four lowest scores at the fall of the sixth wicket have come against Australia.

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli prospered for a time, lifting the visitors to 1 for 47 in the sixth over. Bailey had brought on the spin of Doherty and Hussey to constrict the rate, and the latter made the vital break by coaxing Gambhir to drive to cover.

Next over brought Hogg's introduction and he found enough tweak and variation to cause doubts in the minds of the batsmen, despite their education by spin. Kohli tried to swing him out of the stadium, but found less of the middle of the bat than the toe, and was well held by Warner at long on.

India were now slipping badly, and Hussey added to their disquiet by finding a biting off break that bowled Rohit Sharma off his pads for a golden duck. As the reserve Test batsman on tour, Rohit had waited a long time for that one delivery.

Christian nipped out Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, all the while supported by Bailey's bright field placements and busy advice from mid-off or cover. Dhoni and Ashwin formed the most notable partnership of the innings, but it served only to decrease the margin of another defeat on tour for the visitors.

Warner had a new opening partner in Wade, and together they set about making a swift start against an opening attack comprising R Ashwin's spin and the swing of Praveen Kumar - much missed during the Test series.

As he had done in Adelaide, Ashwin kept Warner quiet to begin with, the first over going for only two runs. Wade's first boundary was a streaky edge off Praveen, and nine from the first 12 balls was a halting start.

But Warner found his range in the third, starting with an outrageous "switch punch" that sailed over wide long off, or long on depending on one's perspective. He followed up by driving a full toss to the point boundary then swinging another six over Ashwin's head.

The innings now had momentum, but Warner gave it up by miscuing Vinay Kumar and skying a catch to Raina, running back from extra cover. Warner left unhappily, but his replacement Birt was capable of hitting almost as hard. He found his stride by lofting Vinay over long off, without much apparent effort, but also played out a few dots before he drew blood from the hands of Rahul Sharma with a fearfully struck drive that was technically a dropped return catch.

Birt eventually perished to Ashwin, picking out Raina at cover, but his exit appeared to rouse Wade. To that point he had played neatly for 36 from 25 balls, but his next 34 were thrashed from only 14. Twice he cleared the fence, and each blow added intrigue to his battle with Haddin for the Australia wicketkeeper's spot.

A brief rain delay did not reduce Australia's allocation, but it did change the game's rhythm, and Wade was out to his second ball faced on resumption, bowled when trying to cut Raina off the stumps. Hussey and Bailey struggled initially to find the boundary, but Hussey connected with one clean blow in the final over to help the hosts past 170, a total that proved to be well beyond India. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.