Yuvi wants coach to be appointed
Although the BCCI says that appointing a coach for the Indian cricket team is not necessary at the moment, vice-captain Yuvraj Singh feels the post should not be left vacant for long.
“You need somebody to control the boys and talk to them,” he said.
He lauded Dhoni’s captaincy. He did a great job while shouldering the huge responsibility for the first time.”


Arjun enters second round
Bangalore boy Arjun Goutham cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 first-round win over Manoj Kumar Sewa in the DSCL National Open tennis championship on Sunday, reports UNI from New Delhi. Former champion Vinod Sridhar beat Yannick Nelord 6-4, 6-3 in the first round.

In the women’s section, former champion Rushmi Chakravarthy waged scored over Delhi’s Shalini Sahoo 7-6 (7/3), 6-0.

Kanaikin sets new record
Russian Vladimir Kanaikin set the world record in the men's 20km race walk at the Grand Prix final in Saransk on Saturday, reports Reuters from Moscow.

The 22-year-old clocked one hour 17 minutes 16 seconds, shaving off five seconds from the mark set by world champion Jefferson Perez of Ecuador at the 2003 Paris worlds.

South Africa to ban ICL recruits
The South African Board will not only ban players joining the rebel Indian Cricket League from playing for the country but will keep them out of the domestic league as well, reports PTI from Durban. Nicky Boje, Andrew Hall and all-rounder Lance Klusener are prominent among the South Africans who have signed up for the ICL.

HCA undecided over Kapil
Haryana Cricket Association, which is hosting the October 8 ODI between India and Australia here, is ambigious about inviting former captain Kapil Dev to watch the match, reports PTI from Chandigarh.

“I cannot tell you now,” HCA Secretary and former BCCI president Ranbir Singh Mahendra said when asked if Kapil Dev, who has now aligned with Indian Cricket League, would be invited. Kapil also has a close connection with the venue of the forthcoming match, the Sector 16 cricket stadium, as it his homeground and the ‘Haryana Hurricane’ had spent his youth playing here.

Tursunov clinches tennis title
Sixth-seed Dmitry Tursunov breezed past unseeded German Benjamin Becker 6-2, 6-1 to win his second title of the year at the Thailand Open on Sunday, reports Reuters from Bangkok.
Meanwhile, Venus Williams beat Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 in Sunday’s final in the WTA Korea Open in Seoul, adds AP.

England banking on new stars
England are looking to Stuart Broad and Dimitri Mascarenhas to turn the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka that starts on Monday, reports AP from Dambulla.

Skipper Smith keen to get runs
South African skipper Graeme Smith believes putting runs on the board early will be key for his side in the first cricket Test against Pakistan starting Monday, reports Reuters from Karachi.
Smith and Herschelle Gibbs are set to resume their opening partnership at the National stadium.

BCCI records big surplus
Despite a fall in income from the media rights, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has reported overall income of Rs 651.83 crore for the financial year 2006-07, reports PTI from Mumbai.

After accounting for an expenditure of Rs 420 crore incurred during the year, the board has managed a surplus of Rs 231 crore, according to the BCCI’s annual report.

Kormangala rout IBBC, enter semis
Kormangala Sports Club entered the semifinal of the first stage beating IBBC 68-41 in the JSC Cup State-level invitational basketball tournament on Sunday. Abhishek poured in a game-high 18 points for the winners. KSC will take on JSC, while Ambedkar’s will meet Young Orions in the other semifinal.

Results: Kormangala SC 68 bt IBBC 41; Southern Blues 58 bt BEL 44; Kanaka, Kolar 74 bt CMP 46; Ambedkar’s 56 bt Orions 50; KSC 53 bt Beagles 27; Jayanagar SC 53 bt Southern Blues 41; Ambedkar’s 55 bt BSNL 50; Young Orions 60 bt Kanaka, Kolar 59.

Gebrselassie breaks record
Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie broke the marathon world record on Sunday at the Berlin Marathon, reports AP from Berlin. He set his 25th world record in two hours, four minutes, 26 seconds. That lowered Kenyan Paul Tergat’s previous mark by 29 seconds.