EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DELHI THE HINDU 14 SPORT FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IN BRIEF ‘Chance to revive national circuit’ F1 could be held behind Pujara’s deal with Gloucestershire called off NEW DELHI We can have all the top players in the country competing, says Vishnu closed doors: Brawn Cheteshwar Pujara’s deal with Gloucestershire for the first six matches of the County TENNIS Says a July date now looks likely Championship has been Kamesh Srinivasan IANS cancelled due to the NEW DELHI LONDON coronavirus pandemic. The 32­year­old was supposed to In difficult times, it is natural Formula One motorsport play six matches for the club to fall back on good memo­ managing director Ross at the start of the County’s on Thursday said that the deal ries. Brawn has said that in the first season back in Division is off now given the global Vishnu Vardhan compet­ wake of the coronavirus One. However, Gloucestershire health crisis. PTI ed in his maiden Grand Slam pandemic, the 2020 main draw in Wimbledon in season could potentially Former hockey player Australia’s Test tour of 2018, and he cherishes it be held behind closed Diwan seeks IOA’s help Bangladesh postponed dearly. doors. SYDNEY NEW DELHI So far, nine races have Australia’s two­Test cricket Among best memories been affected by the Ashok Diwan, member of the tour of Bangladesh in June has “It was one of the best me­ outbreak, with the March Ross Brawn. * GETTY IMAGES 1975 hockey World Cup­ been postponed because of mories of my tennis career — 15 season­opening winning team, sought help to the coronavirus pandemic. The playing my debut Grand Australian Grand Prix If we were to start get back to the country from <> first Test was to start on June Slam main draw in Wimble­ cancelled along with USA. His deteriorating health at the beginning of 11 in Chattogram and the don with Sriram Balaji, one May’s showcase Monaco July, we could do a adding to the trauma, the second from June 19 in Dhaka. 65­year­old made a distress of my closest friends, and Grand Prix. 19-race season Both were part of the World winning a match with my fa­ “Travel for the teams call to the IOA president Test Championship. The final Narinder Batra, requesting him mily watching,” recalled the and travel for everyone June 28, Brawn explained of that tournament is 32­year­old Vishnu, who re­ involved is going to be one a July start now looks to take his plea to higher scheduled for next June. presented the country in the of the big issues. You more likely. authorities. It was confirmed Trying to find a new slot for London Olympics with Lean­ could argue once we get that Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju the Tests will be a challenge. “If we were to start at has received the letter. PTI AP der Paes. there, we could become the beginning of July, we This season, Vishnu was Family man: Vishnu Vardhan is spending time with his son Siddhartha, and helping fairly self­contained. Our could do a 19­race feeling they still have playing his second profes­ his wife Sonia. * FILE PHOTO view is probably a season,” he said. “It’s something to prove. The sional tournament in Kolkata European start will be Lakers were in the midst of a tough, three races on, in March, before the tourna­ was a regular cough and I re­ top­ranked players in the have been completely revival season, having made favourable and that could weekend off, three races covered soon. I was ready to country competing in the home,” said Vishnu. the playoffs for the first time ment was cancelled midway even be a closed event,” on, weekend off — but get tested, but the doctor as­ tournaments,” he said. in seven years. At the time of by the International Tennis “We have breakfast to­ Brawn told Sky Sports. we’ve looked at all the the postponement, the Lakers Federation (ITF). sured me that it was normal, Now, he is happy spend­ gether. When Siddhartha logistics.” were in first place in the “I actually was having a as I did not have any other ing time with his two­year­ goes to my parents’ place Better than no racing F1 is already working Western Conference and had terrible cough at that time. symptoms,” recalled Vishnu. old son Siddhartha, and [on a different floor], I get a “We have a race with no with promoters on a the second­best record in the That was when there were Vishnu is confident that helping his wife Sonia bake workout. We both enjoy our spectators. That’s not revised 2020 calendar James hopeful of Lakers league behind Milwaukee. If some initial cases of CO­ India will control the virus some “amazing cakes”. long afternoon naps, which great, but it’s better than with the actual sequence resuming revival the season doesn’t resume, VID­19 in India, just before soon, and suggests a nation­ “Being home has been was never in my schedule. In no racing at all,” he and schedule dates for LOS ANGELES James says there will be a void. the WHO called it a pandem­ al circuit to revive tennis. fine for me. My dad ( Jaga­ the evening, we go to the ter­ added. races likely to differ LeBron James says the abrupt “I’ll be able to look back and ic. The players in the tourna­ “It will be a great oppor­ deesan) and Sonia are the race, watch the sunset and Although the French GP significantly from the shutdown of the NBA season say we did something special in ment were very concerned tunity to revive the national designated people to go out water the plants,” said Vish­ is currently scheduled for original calendar. has left the Los Angeles Lakers that small period of time.” AFP about my cough. Luckily, it circuit. We can have all the and buy the essentials. So, I nu. Sunrisers Hyderabad set Real players accept to donate ₹10 crores upto 20% pay cut NEW DELHI MADRID India doesn’t need money, can’t Australia first, IPL contracts Indian Premier League Real Madrid players have franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad agreed to cut their salaries by on Thursday decided to donate as much as a fifth, the LaLiga ₹10 crore towards the nation’s club announced on have cricket now, says Kapil secondary: Tim Paine fight against the COVID­19 Wednesday, as Spanish Press Trust of India cricket match. raise the money. Press Trust of India “I certainly didn’t notice ing easy on him; we certain­ pandemic. “Sun TV Group football remains on hold due New Delhi Akhtar, on Wednesday, “We have enough. For us, Hobart too many people being that ly had a thing where we (SunRisers Hyderabad) is to the coronavirus pandemic. The legendary Kapil Dev, on proposed a closed­door se­ what is important right now The Australian cricket team nice to Virat or not trying to didn’t want to provoke any donating ₹10 crores towards In a statement, Real Madrid Thursday slammed Shoaib didn’t want to unnecessarily get him out or anything like fight with him because we Corona Covid­19 relief said players and coaches from ries to jointly raise funds to is that how our authorities measures,” the franchise said the side’s football and Akhtar’s idea of a made­for­ fight the deadly virus both work together to deal with provoke Virat Kohli but his that,” Paine told ESPNcricin- think that’s when he plays at in its official twitter handle. basketball teams, as well as television three­match ODI in India and Pakistan. this crisis,” Kapil said. predecessor Michael fo. his best,” Paine said. Sunrisers’ initiative drew praise key directors, had voluntarily series between India and “The situation is unlikely Clarke’s claims of players be­ “I thought everyone who India is scheduled to tour from the team’s skipper David agreed to the reduction, of Pakistan to raise funds for Not feasible to get normal anytime soon ing scared to sledge the India had the ball in their hand or Australia from October, Warner. “How good is this well either 10 or 20%, “depending the COVID­19 pandemic, Kapil said the proposal is and organising a cricket captain in order to protect when we were batting were 2020 to January, 2021 to play done Sun TV Group on the circumstances that may saying “India doesn’t need not feasible. game means putting our their IPL deals is far from trying their absolute best to four Tests, three One­Day In­ @SunRisers,” the Australian affect the closing of the the money” and it is not “He is entitled to his opi­ cricketers at risk which we truth, says current Test skip­ win the game for Australia. ternationals and three tweeted. PTI current 2019/20 season”. AFP worth risking lives for a nion but we don’t need to don’t need to,” he said. per Tim Paine. “I’m not sure who was go­ Twenty20 Internationals. Was willing to die on the field: Richards Always aware of the risks but it didn’t bother him, says the legend Press Trust of India donning a helmet. Richards, looked at other sportsmen Melbourne 68 now, was always aware of and women who I have a lot The legendary Viv Richards, the risks but it didn’t bother of respect for doing it to an one of the greatest batsmen him. extreme level,” said Ri­ to have ever played the “My passion for the game chards, who amassed 8,540 game, says such was his pas­ was such I didn’t mind dying and 6,721 runs in 121 Tests sion for the game he didn’t on the field playing someth­ and 187 ODIs respectively.