Upadhyay replaces Ramandeep
New Delhi: Indian forward lalit Upadhyay arrived at The Hague, Netherlands today afternoon and joined the team ahead of the Hockey World Cup in place of the injured Ramandeep Singh. Ramandeep got seriously injured when a ball hit him during a practice match against Argentina on Sunday. He got multiple fractures in his right eye socket and cheekbone, after which he was immediately rushed to the hospital and got the surgery done. Ramandeep has been released on Monday from the hospital and has been advised complete rest by the doctors and is also due for medical review on May 30. Post reaching The Hague, Upadhyay said, “Ramandeep’s injury is a sad incident and a big blow for the team. I will give my best to live upto the expectations of the coaches and selectors. I would like to thank the selectors and Hockey India for imposing their faith in me and giving me this opportunity to represent the country in the World Cup. This is a moment which is a dream come true for any player across the world and I will give my 100 percent in the tournament.”
France not at full strength
Paris: France’s World Cup squad will emerge from the isolation of their secluded training base to play Norway on Tuesday in the first of three friendlies before departing for Brazil. Didier Deschamps’ squad have spent the last week working at Clairefontaine, the national football centre hidden away in the woods an hour’s drive south of the capital. Such peaceful surroundings could hardly feel further removed from what awaits them in Brazil, but when they take to the field against the Norwegians at the Stade de France they will start to feel like the World Cup is finally just around the corner. les Bleus begin their Group E campaign against Honduras in Porto Alegre on Sunday, June 15, before going on to face Switzerland and Ecuador. To prepare, Deschamps’ side have three friendlies lined up on home soil, with the Norway clash followed by encounters with Paraguay in Nice next Sunday and Jamaica in lille on June 8. “It is the biggest competition that any player can imagine taking part in. It is a boyhood dream come true,” admitted the Newcastle United midfielder Moussa Sissoko when asked what it means to participate in a World Cup on Brazilian soil. To get there, France needed a dramatic play-off win against Ukraine back in November, when they triumphed 3-0 to overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit, and now Sissoko is hoping to give fans at home more to shout about in the coming warm-up matches.
Germanywant to end 3-place curse
Berlin: Germany head to Brazil aiming to end their 24-year wait for a fourth World Cup title with captain Philipp lahm insisting he is sick of finishing third. Consecutive semi-final defeats have led to Germany taking bronze at both of the last two World Cups with lahm in the side and it is 12 years since the Germans lost the 2002 final to Brazil in Yokohama, Japan. “I do not want to go out in the semi-finals again or visit Brazil just to soak up the sun,” insisted lahm after a decade in the Germany team. I have a clear goal, to achieve the biggest possible success and win the World Cup.” In order to break their duck, improved counter-attack and a tighter defence are the key areas coach Joachim loew wants to improve. The squad is packed with attacking potential, but there have been rumours of discontent in the past with disgruntled stars disrupting the squad’s harmony from the bench at both the 2012 European Championships and in the World Cup qualifiers. “We have the necessary punch to win the title, but we must be sure that the talent and ego of every individual provides only for the team’s benefit,” said lahm with team building also a priority in their south Tirol camp. The 24-year wait for a fourth World Cup title is Germany’s longest since first winning the global crown in 1954.
We aim to finish in top 3: Chandok
Mumbai: Karun Chandok, who has joined India’s Mahindra Racing team and will driving in the inaugural Formula E series commencing in September in Beijing, is aiming a top three-finish with Brazilian teammate Bruno Senna. “We are going into it with reasonably high expectations. I hope straightaway we should be fighting for podiums and our aim is to finish in the top three as a team,” said the Chennai-born racing driver at a media interaction here on Monday. “It’s a completely new championship with new technology. So we don’t know about reliability. There’s going to be a bit of luck involved, but I would be disappointed if we are not in the top 3,” he explained. Chandok, who has raced in the glamorous F1 circuit for non-Indian team HRT with Senna, said there were a few vital differences in driving the two types of cars.
4th seed Cheruku upset by Manish
Mumbai: Fourth seed Vasisht Vinod Cheruku of Karnataka crashed out of the boys’ under-16 singles when he was beaten by unseeded S Manish of Tamil Nadu on day one of the Babolat 8th Ramesh Desai National Tennis Championship for under-16 and under-12 boys and girls here on Monday. In a first round match, Cheruku started off well by comfortably winning the opening set against his TN rival. Thereafter, he was unable to maintain the momentum and went on to lose the next two sets as Manish played steadily to pull through winning 2-6 7-5 6-3 in the tournament organised by Maharashtra State lawn Tennis Association. Top two seeds B R Nikshep of Karnataka and Punjab’s Paramveer Singh Bajwa did not face any major hurdle as they easily sailed into the second round.
Ayhika wins junior girls’ title
New Delhi: Talented Ayhika Mukherjee defeated leila Imre of Hungary to win the junior girls crown at the 2014 Slovak Open IIT Junior Circuit table tennis championships at Senec, on Sunday night. According to a media release by the TTFI, Ayhika won the crucial final battle 4-2 (11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 6-11, 13-11, 11-6) in 40 minutes to make it a memorable trip to the Slovakian city. She and other paddlers will now travel to Poland for the Polish Junior and Cadet Open table tennis championships, starting on Tuesday.
Heath Streak is Bangladesh coach
Dhaka: Bangladesh on Monday appointed former Zimbabwe skipper Heath Streak as the national bowling coach for two years ahead of the three one-dayers against India starting June 15. Streak, 40, is expected to arrive in Dhaka in the first week of June to work alongside the newly appointed team of head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and assistant coach Sarwar Imran. “Streak has agreed a two-year term with the BCB during which he will commit 450 days based on the schedule of the Bangladesh team,” BCB director and media committee chairman Jalal Yunus informed. According to his contract, Streak will be available three weeks before every series and will prolong his stay with the team before the 2015 World Cup. Apart from the role of national team coach, he will also be a consultant for the other teams under the BCB.