SPORT

18 |
Thakur rewrites
three records
PATIALA: Vikas Thakur rewrote

his own National records in

snatch, clean and jerk and total
to win the mens 85kg title in the
National weightlifting championship at the NIS campus
here on Sunday.
The results:
Men: 77kg: 1.S.Sathish Kumar
snatch 138kg, clean and jerk 170kg,
308kg; 2. Ajay Kumar 132kg, 166kg,
298kg; 3. Papul Changmai 136kg,
161kg, 297kg.
85kg: 1. Vikas Thakur 154kg (NR,
OR 153kg, Vikas Thakur, 2015 National
Games), 187kg (NR, OR 186kg, Vikas
Thakur, 2015 NG), 341kg (NR, OR
339kg, Vikas Thakur, 2015 NG); 2. Harshad Wadekar 136kg, 169kg, 305kg; 3.
Shubham 131kg, 171kg, 302kg.
Women:
58kg: 1. Saraswati Rout 82kg,
107kg, 189kg; 2. N. Sumanbala Devi
80kg, 103kg, 183kg; 3. Navdeep Kaur
80kg, 100kg, 180kg.

Yuki Bhambri
pulls out of
Chennai Open

CHENNAI: Unable to recover from

an injury in time, Indias topanked tennis player Yuki

Bhambri announced on Facebook and Twitter on Sunday
that he was withdrawing from
the Aircel Chennai Open, set to
commence on January 4.
Unfortunately, my recovery
has taken longer than I expected and so will not be able to play
in Chennai this year. Going to
keep working to be ready for
Australia, said his post.
The World No. 93 was the
only Indian direct entrant in the
main draw. Sports Reporter

THE HINDU

CRICKET / Both sides seek to put the disappointment of

their Ranji Trophy campaigns behind
N. SUDARSHAN
BENGALURU: In this years Vijay
Hazare Trophy tournament,
the word atonement has been
writ large. Karnataka, Delhi and
Tamil Nadu were among other
fancied teams that had failed to
qualify for the knockout stages
of the Ranji Trophy.
Conversely, none of the last
four in the Vijay Hazare limited-over tournament was from
the bunch which progressed to
the quarterfinals of the Ranji
Trophy.
On Monday, when Delhi
takes on Gujarat in the final at
the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium,
it will offer the two sides a shot
at redemption.
We have played really well
throughout, said Gujarat skipper Parthiv Patel. We have had
a good season. Unfortunately,
in the Ranji we couldnt go into
the knockouts.
But we are a good one-day
side. We played a final four
years back. It was just a matter
of time before we played good
cricket, and thats what we have
done
throughout
this
tournament.
Delhis Unmukt Chand said:
We did not qualify (for the
Ranji knockouts) because we
lost one of the matches against
Assam, when we were topping
the table. We wanted to recover
from that setback and really

prove that we were a good side.

We need to go out there and
win this match, Chand said.
No one who has followed the
tournament closely would consider a Gujarat-Delhi final an
aberration. The two are perhaps the better-rounded of all
the sides.
Both have a fair sprinkling of
stardust; Delhi perhaps a tad
more due to the presence of
Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam
Gambhir and Ishant Sharma to
Gujarats Axar Patel and Parthiv.
But they have both demonstrated at various points that
the whole is greater than the
sum of its parts.
In the shorter format you
need everyone to play his role,
explained Parthiv. Like scoring 20 runs at the end or scoring
a quick 30 or 40 at the top. It can
change the momentum, especially in low-scoring games.
Bowlers have done their job
too. The likes of Rujul Bhatt or
Rohit Dahiya; if you look at
their figures, you might think
they havent performed exceedingly well, but they have
done the job.
On
Delhis
resurgence,
Chand said: Gauti bhai has
backed the youngsters to the
hilt. There are so many young
players who have come in. It
proves our mettle, and what
Delhi is capable of doing.

The final, though, might require the two to change tack a

bit.
After having played only day
matches until now, the daynight affair might present a new
set of challenges. While Chand
said it would not make that big a
difference, Parthiv seemed
wary.
We will think, the latter
said. We have played just the
one game here [Chinnaswamy].
The ball seamed and swung.
Its a tricky wicket. We have
thought about a couple of combinations. We will see the conditions tomorrow and then
make a call.
If all that has happened in the
domestic scene thus far is any
evidence, another giant-killing
act shouldnt be discounted.
We cant take any opposition lightly, said Chand. We
have got enough instances to
prove that.
Parthiv cited the instance of
Tamil Nadu, the team he
helped Gujarat vanquish in the
semifinal. They had five Test
players and a lot of India-A regulars, he said. We usually
dont worry. We are focussing
on our cricket and hope to go
one step ahead.
This opportunity doesnt
come easily. We are here deservingly. We are looking forward to it.

IN SYNC: Despite not having as many stars as some of the other sides, Gujarat has looked a pretty formidable limited-over unit, with
everyone playing his part. PHOTO: K. MURALI KUMAR

KARACHI: Pakistan paceman Mohammad Amir broke down

during the national conditioning camp and offered to leave
the game before being accepted by protesting players, who
had reservations training with
him.
Mohammad Hafeez and
skipper Azhar Ali had refused
to train with him but after
Amir spoke to players at a
meeting, arranged by head
coach Waqar Younis and chief
selector Haroon Rasheed, the
protesting cricketers finally
relented.
Amir offered to leave the

camp and cricket if others felt

that he did not deserve to play
for Pakistan
It was a very emotional moment because Amir was aware
there was a lot of tension in the
camp because of him and at the
meeting he broke down in tears.
He said he was sorry for what
had happened and again apologised to everyone at the
meeting.
He then said if anyone felt he
didnt deserve a second chance,
he would leave the camp
straightaway as he didnt want
any more damage caused to the
spirit and unity of Pakistan

cricket, the source narrated.

The source said Hafeez and
Azhar had come late for the
meeting at the National Cricket
Academy but when they came
face to face with Amir he apologised to them,too, and begged
forgiveness.
Hafeez also got emotional
and hugged him and said everything was forgiven, the source
said.
The Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB) on Sunday got a document signed by its centrally
contracted players in the camp
in which a clause states they
will have no objections to play-

ing with Amir or any other player who has served his punishment for spot-fixing related
issues.
The document which has
now been signed by everyone,
including Hafeez and Azhar,
puts the PCB in a legally strong
position and if any player now
refuses to play with Amir or any
other spot-fixing punished
player he can be fined up to Rs.
two million, a source in the national camp told PTI.
Only Test captain Misbahul-Haq and Younis Khan, who
are not in the camp, have not
signed the document. PTI

GENERAL

Shiva Keshavan wins silver

Shiva
Keshavan
claimed a silver in the 18th edition of the Asian luge championship here on Sunday.
The race consisted of two
heats closely contested by the
Asian athletes. Though in the
first heat Shiva was a mere 2/
10th of a second behind, minor
technical snags cost him the
gold medal in the second heat.
The first place went to Japans
Hidenari Kanayama, and third
to Koreas Dong Hyeon Kim.
I am happy to add another
medal to my kitty. This year has

NAGORA:

been extremely difficult for me

financially and I am proud that
despite that I have managed to
keep Indias flag flying in international winter sports. I was
hoping to bring home the gold,
but I still have another two
years before Korea 2018, and
am hopeful that support will
come forth so I can put my best
performance yet for our country, said Shiva.
Shiva will aim to continue the
season by participating in three
of the remaining World Cups,
all to be held in Germany.

GOLF

PRO WRESTLING LEAGUE

Double delight for Chikkarangappa

Mumbai Garuda soars to title win

KOLKATA: It was double delight

for S. Chikkarangappa, who

capped a memorable 2015 with
victory at the season-ending
McLeod Russel Tour golf
championship, and also sealed
his maiden Rolex Player-of-theYear title for the PGTI Order of
Merit here on Sunday.
Having slipped to third place
in the penultimate round, Chikkarangappa shot a tenacious final round of three-under 69 en
route a one-shot victory with a
tally of 12-under 276 and a prize
purse of Rs. 22.5 lakh.
Jyoti Randhawa and Khalin
Joshi finished joint second a
stroke behind.
Chikkarangappas brilliant
victory took his seasons earnings to Rs.48,87,440 and he
climbed from second spot to
top the Order of Merit and take
home the Player-of-the-Year title. At 22 years and three
months, he is the youngest winner of the ranking title.
In his seven starts in the season, he posted three wins, a runner-up and three other top 10
finishes.
I quite enjoy playing here. I
had been finishing second in the

MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2015

A shot at redemption for Gujarat and Delhi

Protesting Pakistan players forgive Amir

Yuki Bhambri. FILE PHOTO

HYDERABAD

VIJAY LOKAPALLY

BRILLIANT VICTORY: S. Chikkarangappa shot a three-under 69 in the

final round to claim a one-shot victory. PHOTO: PTI

merit list for the last two years.

Winning the first title three
years after turning pro means a
lot to me. This is a dream come
true, Chikkarangappa said.Overnight leader Randhawa
slipped to second as he carded
four bogeys. Mukesh Kumar of
Mhow, who finished tied sixth
at five-under 283 this week,
claimed second place on the
2015 PGTI merit list with earn-

ings of Rs. 39,41,710.

The leading scores: 1. S. Chikkarangappa (68, 69, 70, 69) 276, 2. Jyoti
Randhawa (68, 65, 71, 73), Khalin
Joshi (70, 67, 68, 72) 277, 4. S.S.P.
Chowrasia (70, 72, 68, 68) 278, 5. Rahil Gangjee (68, 70, 72, 71) 281, 6. Mukesh Kumar(70, 73, 72, 68), Anura Rohana (72, 73, 68, 70) 283, 8. Shankar
Das (70, 69, 70,75) 284, 9. N. Thangaraja (68, 73, 72, 72) 285, 10. Sujjan
Singh (70, 70, 72, 74) 286. PTI

NEW DELHI: Revanta Mumbai Garuda kept its blemishless record

intact by taming a spirited Haryana Hammers 7-2 to win the
Pro Wrestling League title at
the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Sunday.
A packed house of 6,000-odd
witnessed some thrilling action
even as Haryana Hammers, enjoying huge support from the
galleries, fell short of pulling it
off against a stronger outfit.
From the time Amit Dhankar
put Mumbai Garuda ahead with
a breezy win over Vishal Rana
the Hammers could only play
the catching up game for the
rest of the evening.
Oksana Herhel recovered remarkably from a 0-4 deficit to
pin down Mumbais Sakshi
Malik.
I was confident but she tried
her best technique, said Sakshi.
There was no grudging the
Hammers the mens 74-kg win;
Livan Lopez Azcuy swept Pardeep off his feet. But after that it
was Mumbai Garuda all the
way.

The graceful Adeline Gray

from the United States dominated her bout against Geetika
Jakhar.
I was nervous and had butterflies in the stomach. It would
not be fair to speak badly about
the team we beat. We rose to the
occasion and executed our best
when it mattered. We deserved
to win, she said.
Odunayo
Adekuoroye
clinched a crucial bout against
Tatyana Kit by a 9-0 margin,
and Giorgi Sakandelidze won
his battle with Hitender with
consummate ease, setting the
stage for Odikadze Elizbar to
clinch the issue.
Adekuoroye, with a figure
more of an athlete than wrestler, was too agile and technically superior to Kit. The Nigerian
was quick to establish superiority, and her aggression paid off
as Kit looked clueless and became too defensive, and conceded ground with every passing moment.
At the end of the bout, Adekuoroye, hardly showing any signs
of fatigue, won over the audience with a lively jig. It was to

her credit that she earned the

applause from even the rival
fans, and rounded off her appearance with a song.
Elizbar ended the Hammers
challenge beating Andriitesey
Valeri in the mens 97 kg bout.
They matched each other in
strength and endurance on the

mat but the Georgia wrestler

hung on to an early lead to overcome the latter.
I go home with fond memories and joy, said Odunayo, signifying the mood of the team,
which stood to gain Rs.three
crore for its efforts.
The league augurs well for

CROWD PLEASER: Odunayo Adekuoroye clinched the crucial 53-kg

bout against Haryanas Tatyana Kit, and broke into a dance,

much to the delight of the spectators. PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA

Indian wrestling. True the overseas wrestlers dominated the

bouts in this edition but we can
look forward to improved performances in the years to come.
I am sure the next edition will
see more Indians cornering glory, Mumbai team advisor Mahavir Prasad said.
The presence of Virender
Sehwag and Vijender Singh in
the Haryana camp and Harbhajan Singh and Rohit Sharma
added to the glamour on the
concluding day of the wrestling
festival that saw some of the
best drawn from the world over.
The results: Revanta Mumbai Garuda beat Haryana Hammers 5-2
(Mens 65kg: Amit Dhankar bt Vishal
Rana 12-0; Womens 58kg: Sakshi
Malik lost to Oksana Herhel by fall
(4-4); Mens 74g: Pardeep lost to Livian Lopez Azcuy 11-6; Womens
69kg: Adelin Gray bt Geetika Jakhar
10-0; Mens 125kg: Giorgi Sakandelidze bt Hitender 10-0; Womens
53kg: Odunayo Adekuoroye bt Tatyana Kit 9-0; Mens 97kg: Odikadze
Elizbar bt Adriitesey Valerii 6-4; Womens 48kg: Ritu Phogat bt Nirmal Devi
by fall (4-4); Mens 57kg: Rahul
Aware bt Nitin 6-2).

VARIETY
THE HINDU CROSSWORD 11585
1

Sunnet
7

9
10

11

12

13

14

15

16
17

19
22

20

18

21

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

Across

1 Object to outrageous gear

in race (6)
4 Note about former prisons
for nationals (8)
10 Complete set making use of
hull (4,5)
11 Screen without an exit (5)
12 Locate gold sent back by
CM
YK

sovereign (5)
13 Also left guerrilla's stone
workbox (4,5)
14 Disregards Italian
gentleman whose cap is
down (7)
16 Female's shabby pleat (4)
19 Reportedly skin a couple (4)
21 Bonanza from John's weed

(7)
24 To replace slim and hot
implement maker (9)
25 Public squares having a
speck of leafy vegetation
(5)
26 Bag with right metal rod (5)
27 Smearing of base gold can
add glitter at first (9)
28 Display feather in face-off
(8)
29 Mad Hatter is a menace (6)
Down

1 Drag up large and weak

barrier in ship (8)
2 Signalling engineer to delay
female force inside (8)
3 Measure around the girl (5)
5 Make up from seven offers
(4,3)
6 Silly of setter to climb ice
building (9)
7 Originated from a sentence
to a Bengali (6)
8 Staid girlfriend follows
footloose set (6)
9 Cites estimates (6)
15 Cheered up on getting fool's

turn to colour (9)

17 Head Office interferes with a
reward to use pithy sayings
in the US (8)
18 Neat, narrow channel, say
(8)
20 Bob to chase lavish,
visionary goal (7)
21 Sir, in India, workers lose
heart in holy wars (6)
22 Lays over when in Buddhist
shrines (6)
23 Liked excessively by
knight's circle (4,2)
25 Crimson outpouring (5)

Solution to puzzle 11584

F
R
V E
I
E G
H
S T
R O
N
R E
R
S O
U
S

I A N C E
D
D
O
G
T O
R O OM
B
P
E
R E T S
S A
E
T
R I P S H OW
N
T
A C H
C H A
L
F
E
V E A L E D
M U
O
V E R E I G N
N
N
S
H T E T L
A

I G G E R
N
U
A
C L E R K S
I
R
E
T I R I S E
E
I
U
E L O P E
L
R L A T A N
E
S
P A P A Y A
A
A
L
S
S N U B
T
H M
S S A Y S

FAITH

SU | DO | KU

Amalanadipiran
Tirupaanazhvars ten verses, in praise of Lord Ranganatha of
Srirangam, are given the title Amalanadipiran.
Tirupaanazhvar refers to Lord Ranganatha as Amalan, the
blemishless One. He is the One without beginning or end. He
is the lord of the celestials. He is also the One who is
Tirumala, and hence He is referred to as Venkatavan.
Tirupaanazhvar says that the Lords feet have come into his
eyes! The Lord has graced the devotee with His feet
volitionally entering his vision.
The second verse refers to the Lords incarnation as Rama.
In this verse, Tirupaanazhvar speaks of the red garment that
Lord Ranganatha is wearing. In the third verse,
Tirupaanazhvars attention turns to the Lords navel, from
which came Brahma. The first three verses of
Amalanadipiran begin with the letters A, U and M,
respectively. Thus if we put together the first letters of the
first three verses, we get AUM. The first letters of the fifth,
sixth and seventh verses indicate His paduka footwear.
Thus Tirupaanazhvar indicates that AUM and His feet are
our refuge, explained Akkarakkani Srinidhi in a discourse.
The greatness of the Lords footwear was extolled by
Vedanta Desika in his Paduka Sahasram a collection of
thousand verses of praise for His footwear. In one of his
verses, Desika says that Valmikis Ramayana and Vyasas
Srimad Bhagavatam are the eyes that reveal the greatness of
the Lord and of the greatness of His paduka. In the
Ramayana, the sandals of Lord Rama are put on the throne
by Bharata and, in the absence of Rama from Ayodhya during
the years of exile, it is the pair of sandals that are really the
rulers. Bharata is ruler only in name. It is really the sandals of
Lord Rama that administer the kingdom of Ayodhya.

A mind game and a

puzzle that you solve
with reasoning and
logic. Fill in the grid with
digits in such a manner
that every row, every
column and every 3x3
box accommodates the
digits 1 to 9, without
repeating any. The
solution to yesterdays
puzzle is at left.
HY-HY