TheHitavada JABALPUR „ Friday „ October 9 „ 2020 SPORTS 7

POINTS TABLE TEAM M W L PTS NRR MI 6 4 2 8 +1.488 DC 5 4 1 8 +1.060 Back at ‘happy hunting ground’ KKR 5 3 2 6 +0.002 RCB 5 3 2 6 -1.355 RR aiming to halt Very small margin of error against Jab We Met CSK 6 2 4 4 -0.371 DC’s winning run SRH 5 2 3 4 -0.417 Rajasthan, says Harshal Matches RR won 11 RR 5 2 3 4 -0.826 SHARJAH, Oct 8 (PTI) KXIP 5 1 4 2 +0.178 DUBAI, Oct 8 (PTI) “The margin of error is very 20 DC won 9 (Updated before SRH-KXIP match) STRUGGLING to figure out their little, and at the same time you best eleven, will all-rounder know that it’s going to be a high- need to come up with some Harshal Patel reckons a very scoring game — so it does take quick-fix measures to snap their small margin of error in Friday’s a little bit of pressure off of you, Live on Star Sports: 7.30 pm ‘No need to tinker three-match losing streak when IPL game against a Rajasthan because you know everybody’s they take on a formidable Delhi Royals team boasting players going to go for runs.” but can allow two Capitals unit in an IPL match of the calibre of “So you can be a little more IN 2019 bouncers per over’ here on Friday. and . relaxed in terms of your ■ DC won by 6 at Jaipur The Royals were off to a flying Having been a part of a high- approach towards the game ■ DC won by 5 wickets at Delhi NEW DELHI, Oct 8 (PTI) start, winning both their games scoring encounter in Sharjah and just focus on executing at Sharjah but they have strug- already, Patel said, “Whenever whatever the batsman does — SUNIL Gavaskar believes that gled to adjust to the bigger you’re playing in a high-scor- if he hits you off a good length, T20 doesn’t need grounds of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, ing game, you just have to be then you just have to accept that NUMBER PLATE much tinkering as it is in “pink slipping to three successive RR spinner Ravichandran Ashwin during a session. (Twitter) on top of your game all 24 balls and move on,” added the 29- , who smashed of health” but custodians of defeats. Now, back to the Sharjah that you bowl. year-old. 99 sixes in 163 innings of 164 the game can consider allow- Cricket Stadium, Rajasthan will out as they still have not been Samson — who did bulk of the 1 matches, needs just one six to ing two bouncers per over, take inspiration from their two able to find their best playing XI. scoring in the first two matches, Tyagi and in the “It was a great experience to become the 20th batsman to complete moving ahead. big wins here to turn things While the return of is as much a reason for their fail- playing XI but it didn’t change play my first game, to make my a century of sixes in IPL. The around against a dominant will give them hope but the ure as the lack of runs from the their fortunes. debut against players whom I’ve shortest for- Delhi. Led by Shreyas Iyer, Delhi England all-rounder is current- Indian batsmen in the team. While Jaiswal was out for a sec- only watched on television was Steven Smith, who hit 97 sixes mat, over have looked solid in all three ly in quarantine and will be avail- RR did try to rejig their line- ond-ball duck at the top, Rajpoot fantastic,” said Tyagi, a key mem- in 173 innings of 197 matches, the years, departments, winning four out able only after October 11. up against Indians by went for 42 in his three overs but ber of India’s Under 19 World 3 needs three sixes to complete has wit- of their five matches. The sudden loss of form of including young batsman young Tyagi showed promise Cup squad which made the final a century of sixes in cricket. nessed For Rajasthan, time is running skipper and Sanju and pacer Kartik with his one for 36 on IPL debut. earlier this year. —S Pervez Qaiser dominance of batsmen Sunil Gavaskar across the globe with bowlers having little to play Batsmen let the team down: MS for on flat decks with short ABU DHABI, Oct 8 (PTI) but was cleaned up by spinner Varun boundaries. Does he foresee Chakravarthy, while Sam Curran see a rule change to ease the skipper became Andre Russell’s victim after pressure off bowlers? Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the bats- a brisk 11-ball 17. “The T20 game is doing very men let the team down after a spir- “Rotation of strike is always impor- well and there’s no need to ited comeback by the bowlers in tant. At times we have to judge the tinker with it,” Gavaskar told their game deliveries. There were hardly any PTI during an exclusive inter- against here. boundaries in the last three overs. view from the UAE where he Chasing 168, veteran opener “You have to be slightly innova- is working as a broadcaster Shane Watson struck his second suc- tive in these scenarios. If someone for the IPL. But the iconic fig- cessive fifty to give CSK a perfect start is just back of a length, you ure did put forth a few sug- on Wednesday, but the team choked have to find a way to hit boundaries. gestions which could be seri- at the back end of the innings and We did not adapt well,” Dhoni said. ously considered by the law- was restricted to 157 for five to suf- IT WAS A SURREAL MOMENT: makers of the game. fer its fourth defeat in five matches. CHAKRAVARTHY ON “It is loaded heavily in “In the middle overs, there was a DISMISSING DHONI favour of the batsmen for phase when they bowled IF PLAYING against him was not sure. So, give a fast bowler two-three good overs. Then we lost enough, Varun Chakravarthy end- two bouncers per over and yes two-three wickets in a row. If our bat- ed up bowling Mahendra Singh the boundaries can be easily ting was different during that peri- Dhoni out and described the longer, if the ground author- od, the result would have been dif- moment as “surreal”, three years ities want it,” he said. “Also ferent,” Dhoni said at the post-match “Initially we gave away a few too after watching him from the stands look at giving an extra over to presentation ceremony. many with the new ball. Karn at Chepauk with big dreams in his the bowler who takes a wick- Earlier, ‘Birthday Boy’ Dwayne (Sharma) did really well. The bowlers eyes. Chakravarthy, a mystery spin- et in his first three overs. But Bravo bowled a perfect final over to did well to bring them down to 160- ner, capped off what was a memo- seriously there’s no need to finish with figures of 3/37, while the odd. As a team we should have rable day for him in the Indian bring any changes at all,” 71- trio of Sam Curran, Shradul Thakur achieved the target but the batsmen Premier League by getting pho- year-old opening great added. and Karn Sharma claimed two each let the bowlers down.” tographed with the World Cup-win- as CSK bowled KKR out for 167. Dhoni promoted himself to No 4 ning skipper. Djokovic deals with arm issue, enters SF

hand and to throw the ball in the Tsitsipas in semis air on serves. Whatever impedi- PARIS, Oct 8 (AP) ment there was to his play, what- ever the pain level might have been, NOVAK Djokovic overcame a both- the issue was, at the very least, a ersome left arm and an early deficit distraction. Djokovic will meet No to reach French Open semi-finals 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in one of for the 10th time. Friday’s semi-finals. No 2 Rafael The top-seeded Nadal faces No 12 Diego Djokovic kept flexing Schwartzman in the other. and stretching that Tsitsipas reached his first French arm and got off to a Open semi-final with a 7-5, 6-2, 6- slow start before he 3 victory over 13th-seeded Andrey received massages Rublev, taking control after trailing from a trainer, righted in the first set with a run of five con- himself and beat No 17 seed Pablo secutive games, and 11 of 13. Carreno Busta 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 to At the US Open, Tsitsipas failed move closer to a second champi- to convert a half-dozen match onship at Roland Garros and 18th points in a third-round loss. Then, Grand Slam trophy. against Rublev in the final of the This was a rematch from the US clay-court Hamburg Open on Open last month, when Djokovic Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts as he is treated by medical staff during September 27, which also was Day was defaulted for inadvertently hit- his men’s singles quarter-final match. (AFP) 1 of the French Open, Tsitsipas ting a line judge in the throat with served for the victory and again a ball he smacked in anger. That all 10 matches he’s played since. bandage on the back of his neck, could not close it out, absorbing went into the books as a loss and He hadn’t even ceded a set at then made clear from the get-go another disheartening defeat. remains the only blemish on Roland Garros this year until there was something wrong with Two days after that, in Paris, Djokovic’s 36-1 record in 2020. Wednesday, when he was troubled his left arm. He is right-handed, Tsitsipas lost the initial two sets of Djokovic certainly seems to have physically at the outset. Djokovic but the left side is important, too. his first-round match against 109th- moved past that episode, winning showed up for the match with a He uses it for his two-fisted back- ranked Jaume Munar. Coe supports athletes’ right to take knee RIO JUDGE ENDS NEYMAR’S CYBERCRIME on Olympics podium PROBE LINKED TO RAPE CASE TOKYO, Oct 8 (AP) SAO PAULO, Oct 8 (AP)

DRESSED in a blue suit and speaking in a A BRAZILIAN judge has closed light drizzle, Sebastian Coe stood at the edge an investigation into possible of the track at Tokyo’s new National Stadium cybercrimes violations involving on Thursday and repeated his support for soccer star Neymar, a case linked the right of athletes to advocate for social to a woman’s rape allegation that or racial justice at next year’s postponed led to no charges against him, Olympics. ‘The Associated Press’ learned. Coe spoke out in direct opposition to Rule A person close to the investi- 50 of the Olympic Charter, which says “no gation with access to the judge’s kind of demonstration or political, reli- October 2 ruling provided a copy gious or racial propaganda is permitted in to the AP. In it, Rio de Janeiro judge any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.” Marcel Laguna Duque Estrada “I’ve been very clear that if an athlete tersely states the cybercrimes chooses to take the knee on a podium then probe of Neymar must be end- I’m supportive of that,” Coe said, giving a ed. The rape case was closed boost to Black Lives Matter protests and more than a year ago by anoth- other social-and racial-justice movements er judge. that are determined to use Tokyo as a stage. The 28-year-old player, who is tigation by the cybercrimes divi- 2019. During testimony last year, Coe is not just any voice. He’s an now training with Brazil’s nation- sion of the Rio state police for Neymar said the images were International Olympic Committee mem- al soccer team ahead of two World posting images and messages of posted by his press team. ber, a two-time Olympic champion, and Cup qualifying matches, has the accuser without her autho- Brazilian model Najila Trindade the head of the governing body of track and always denied any wrongdoing risation in possible violation of accused Neymar, who plays for field, known as World Athletics. in both the rape allegation and her online privacy. Paris Saint-Germain, of raping He also headed the 2012 London the potential cybercrimes viola- The contest was posted after her at a Paris hotel. No complaint Olympics. tion. Neymar was under inves- the rape allegation was made in was filed with French police.