Netherlands defeat India in tough fought contest

The Indian Hockey Team loses 2-3 against Netherlands in a group b encounter at the Riverbank Arena here yesterday. Lack of co-ordination and proper linkages saw India concede two goals in the first half but then a spirited performance helped them equalize in the second half.  But then few minutes later Netherlands scored their third goal and which turned out to be the eventual winning goal.

The Dutch continued to exert pressure on the defensive Indian side and scored their second goal from a penalty corner in the 28^th minute after. India showing better co-ordination in the second half got their opening goal in the 45^th minute.

India took two goals but their joy was short-lived as the penalty corner specialist Mink van der Weerden put Netherlands ahead with a drag flick.

India will next face New Zealand in their second Group B match on Wednesday.

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Mystery woman joins Indian team at London 2012 opening ceremony

Indian officials are mystified - and miffed - after an unknown young woman managed to march with the country's athletes and officials during the opening ceremony.

Games organizers on Sunday downplayed security concerns around the unscripted moment, saying the interloper was a ceremony cast member and had been screened before entering the Olympic Park.

Images from Saturday morning's (EST) ceremony showed a young woman in turquoise jeans and a red jacket marching alongside Indian flag bearer Sushil Kumar at the head of the delegation of 40 athletes in bright yellow and navy blue.

"We are totally dazed," Indian press atttache Harpal Singh Bedi said. "How can a person without any accreditation walk past?"

Indian officials said they had no idea who the woman was. Indian media identified her as Madhura Nagendra, a graduate student from the southern city of Bangalore who had been living in London.

Her father, K. Nagendra, was quoted by the Press Trust of India news agency as saying that his daughter had been chosen to dance in director Danny Boyle's ceremony, and speculated that she might have been asked by organizers to escort India's team into the stadium.

"This might have hurt our team's feelings. I feel very sorry for that," he was quoted as saying.

The mystery woman case dominated Indian media's coverage of the opening of the games.

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Srilanka cautious about Indian challenges

The national cricket team’s confidence is high after a convincing nine wicket victory in the second ODI against India at Hambantota, with more than 30 over to spare, but vice-captain Angelo Mathews was cautious about the threat posed by the tourists, who have an excellent recent record, at the venue for today’s third ODI.

A full house is expected at the R. Premadasa Stadium and Mathews expected India to bounce back after a poor show in the last ODI. "Even though it was a convincing victory and we were good in all three departments, we can’t relax against the Indians, because they can come back hard at us," said Mathews.

India number three batsman Virat Kohli, prior to being dismissed for one in the second game at Hambantota, had a purple patch against the Sri Lankans, having smashed three successive centuries prior to that.

Mathews, the Sri Lankan vice-captain, said his side had plans against Kohli. "We have plans for individuals, but we don’t take them individually. All of India’s top six are capable of making big scores and we look at them as a unit."

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Gayle Returns To West Indies Test Squad

The very good player Chris Gayle of West Indies has committed the harmony with the West Indies cricket board on Monday to return for the test matches. Actually, he is returning to his team after eighteen months. 

Chris Gayle name has been mentioned under the schedule in the West Indies squad for the foremost test that going to play against the New Zealand, which commencing on Wednesday. Previously, Chris has played the last test cricket match in the time of tournament with the Sri Lanka in December of the year 2010. 

Also return back in the group is Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who missed the final Test facing the England due to a side strain. The talented selectors groups have leave out a wounded Darren Bravo form the team comprising thirteen members. Darren has suffered from the injury in the period of England tournament. 

The test matches commence facing the New Zealand in Antigua previous to the West Indies team forward to Jamaica for the second and final test. 

The squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Chris Gayle, Adrian Barath, Kieran Powell, Assad Fudadin, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Narsingh Deonarine, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Tino Best, Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine.

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England Trio To Play In T20

Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara and Matt Prior have all selected for Tuesday's Friends Life T20 quarter-finals by the England and Wales Cricket Board. All of the three players are invoked in the first Investec Test against South Africa that final match going to held on Monday at The Oval. Bopara and Cook are mutually in the Essex squadron to countenance Somerset in a 4.15pm begin at Taunton.

Previous to this is liberated to participate for Sussex in their dwelling clash alongside Gloucestershire which gets below way at 7.10pm. But though the batsmen have been specified the possibility to symbolize their counties, England have exercised further concern above their bowlers, who have been ready to labor for extended periods by the Protean this week.

Nottinghamshire will not be capable to identify on Stuart Broad or Graeme Swann for their gathering with Hampshire, whereas Tim Bresnan will participates no fraction in Yorkshire's fixture against Worcestershire.

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Bangladesh Push Back Australia and Pakistan in Twenty20 Ranking

Bangladesh have now ranked number four on the ICC's Twenty20 rankings that follows the beating of cricket team of Ireland and leads by 3-0 on their tour of Europe. Just now, the best cricket teams like England, South Africa and Sri Lanka lie above Bangladesh in the rankings.

Bangladesh had invoked themselves into the rankings for the first and foremost occasion subsequent to their one-run triumph in the second match of the cycle and they had thrown to the number six facing the team New Zealand, India and West Indies. Saturday's last-ball victory lifted them more up the list, past Australia and Pakistan.

Ireland has dropped two more places to eleventh and pushed Afghanistan into the tenth place. According to the ICC rankings, the teams will get into the rankings only if they attend at least eight Twenty20 international matches in the periods commencing from August of the year 2009. 

Their high-minded situation in perchance extra than what captain Mushfiqur Rahim had hoped for ahead of Bangladesh's tour to Europe and also eager to just break into the rankings. "We are still not good in the new format of the game. Due to lack of international matches we are not even in the ICC Twenty20 international rankings, while even Afghanistan occupies a spot in the rankings," Mushfiqur had told reporters before leaving Dhaka. "We have a chance to break into the [rankings] table if we can win matches on this tour." 

Present ICC Twenty20 rankings

1 England

2 South Africa

3 Sri Lanka

4 Bangladesh

5 Pakistan

6 Australia

7 New Zealand

8 India

9 West Indies

10 Afghanistan

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Kohil’s Century Takes India To Win Against Sri Lanka

India has won some jumpy moments previous to obtaining a 21-run win over Sri Lanka in the first One-Day International of the five-match series on Saturday. Virat Kohli cracked a outstanding 106 and Virender Sehwag has scored 96 runs as their 173-run stand for the second wicket laid the basement for India's striking 314 for six after electing to bat.

wee left-hander Suresh Raina  and Indian Cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (35 off 29) added precious runs towards the conclusion to obtain the side past 300-run mark in Hambantota. Indian team then controlled the hosts to 293 for nine to obtain a 1- 0 guides in the series that it wants to win by a 5-0 margin to retrieve the number one position in ODIs.

The hosts' conflict was constructing something like Sangakkara's fighting 133 but he fell short of partners from the other end until he was joined by Thisara Perera, who scored a quick-fire 44 off just 28 balls. Sangakkara's knock, his 14th ODI hundred and fifth facing India came off 151 balls and obtained twelve boundaries. 

Sangakkara and Perera rattled up a seventy eight run stand for the seventh wicket, giving some worried moments to India however their endeavor only reduced the overcome margin. Sri Lanka team strugglr came to the end at the time of Umesh Yadav wicket took by Sangakkara in the forty eighth over and Perera was send out by Irfan Pathan in the forty ninth over. At present, both the team ready to travel to Colombo for the subsequent match that going to held on Tuesday.

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Olympics 2012: London calling for Mary Kom's mom too

For M C Mary Kom, London Olympics is a delusion realized two times over as the five-time world champion is not immediately excited about the only Indian woman boxer at the big occasion except is also overjoyed about having her mother in the stands to watch her live for the first time.

Women's boxing will formulate its Olympic entrance in London and fittingly, it is the 29-year-old Mary Kom (51kg) who would be shouldering the Indian hopes for a medal. The miniature Manipuri, who herself has two kids, said having her own mother, Mangte Akham Kom, in London is nothing short of a dream coming true.

"Olympics would be the biggest event of my career and I am so excited that my mom would see me live in action for the first time at such a big stage. I can't tell how happy I am right now," Mary Kom, who will leave for London on Friday told media from Pune where she is currently training. She added "To have her in the stands some day was one of my ambitions and this dream would be real soon."

"As any other mother, she was worried about my well-being, she didn't want me to get hurt. So, she didn't like it when I first started boxing. "But she never stopped me because of her concerns. She supported my decision even though she did not agree with it," recalled Mary Kom.

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