Saina Nehwal, K Srikanth and P Kashyap reached the second round while young Sameer Verma created the biggest upset of the day by stunning World No. 9 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus at the $275,000 Yonex Sunrise India Super Series badminton tournament here on Wednesday. World No. 2 Saina brushed aside young Riya Mukherjee 21-5, 21-13 in the women’s singles while World No. 4 Srikanth saw off Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 21-17, 21-16 without much ado. Parupalli Kashyap got into good rhythm after recovering from a shoulder injury with a tricky 16-21, 21-19, 21-18 win over Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Jen Hao. However, it was Sameer who notched up a stunning 21-15, 21-17 win over Denmark’s Hans-Kristian, seeded fifth, to set up a match with Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt. Guru prevailed over Korea’s lee Dong Keun 21-14, 17-21, 23-21 in another match.
KP returns
london: English county Surrey on Wednesday confirmed the return of Kevin Pietersen, who is bidding to force his way back into the England team. He agreed a release from the majority of his contract with Indian Premier league side Sunrisers Hyderabad and will therefore be available to play for Surrey from the start of the county season in April. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be back at Surrey,” Pietersen, who was de-registered by Surrey last season, told the club website.
Duminy to lead DD
New Delhi: Delhi Daredevils on Wednesdy appointed all rounder JP Duminy as their captain for the upcoming IPl-8 season. JP Duminy, was part of South Africa’sfc World Cup squad that lost to New Zealand in the semi-final on Tuesday. He also leads the Proteas T20 side.