Indian shooting star Gagan Narang on Friday won the bronze medal in the men's 10 meter air rifle event of the first ISSF World Cup of the year in Chongwon, Korea.

Narang fired an aggregate of 696.7 which included a score of 594/600 in the qualification. He entered the finals as the eighth and last shooter but made up the difference by shooting scores of 102.7 to finish on the podium.

Both gold and silver medals were clinched by China with Zho Qinan and Cao Yifei scoring 700.3 (597+103.3) and 698.6 (595+103.6) respectively.

Florida: Sania Mirza and her Chinese Taipei partner Chia-Jung Chuang reached the doubles quarter-finals of the USD 220,000 MPS Group Championships here, but not before some late scares.

The Indo-Taipei pair had to fight it out in a marathon three-setter to down Melinda Czink of Hungary and Lilia Osterloh of America 6-0, 3-6, 10-5 in the first round.

However, Sania-Chuang duo's route to the last four won't be a cakewalk as fourth seeded pair of Bethanie Mattek-Sands of America and Nadia Petrova of Russia awaits them in the next round.

Wellington(IANS) A stroke-filled century from Gautam Gambhir helped India strengthen their position on the third day as the visitors took a 531-run lead against New Zealand in the third and the final cricket Test here Sunday.

At close of play, India were 349 for five with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on 16 and Yuvraj Singh on 15 after Gambhir scored 167 at the Basin Reserve.

Rahul Dravid (60) and V.V.S. Laxman (61) also played crucial innings while Sachin Tendulkar (9) failed in what can be said as the trio's last innings on New Zealand soil.

At their peak for a decade from the late sixties the famous spin quartet could be relied upon to play the rescue act to perfection. The batting was nowhere near as lustrous as it is today and small totals were the norm. Yet, the Indian cricket fan knew that the spinning ability of Bishen Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkatraghavan would combine so admirably that even targets of 200 and 250 could be defended.

I well remember the Test against New Zealand at Bombay in September 1969. The visitors after taking the first innings lead were set a target of just 188. Yet, Bedi and Prasanna shared all ten wickets in dismissing them for 127. Some three years later, England had to get only 192 for victory at Calcutta, but were bowled out for 163 with Bedi and Chandra picking up the wickets. Two years later at Madras, a strong West Indian batting line-up were left a target of 255 but Bedi, Chandra and Prasanna dismissed them for 154. On other occasions, the spin quartet restricted the opposition to moderate totals which meant that the often brittle Indian batting had only manageable targets to chase.

In the new millennium, it is a different quartet (or should one say quintet) that is dominating Indian cricket. The batting might is well known and their remarkable deeds have been recorded for posterity. It is said that while bowling wins matches batting can at best draw matches. But, with the formidable line-up that Indian teams have been able to boast of in recent times, it would not be wrong to say that it is the batting that has helped win matches.

Paris: Risks of birth defects, nervous system and lung problems brought about the end of the "speed glue" era in table tennis and next month's world championships will be the first without it for over 30 years.

The International Table Tennis Federation banned the substances from September 1, 2008, or just after China's clean sweep of gold medals on home soil in the Beijing Olympics.

That means the elite table tennis scene at the Yokohama world event from April 28 to May 5 will have changed markedly compared to previous championships.

NAPIER: India's formidable batsmen showed remarkable tenacity as the visitors returned from the brink of disaster to save the second Test and maintain their 1-0 lead in the three-match series against New Zealand on Monday.

Smarting from the ignominy of a follow on and facing the onerous task of saving the match, Gautam Gambhir (137) showed tremendous application to stay put in the crease for nearly 11 hours, forging crucial partnerships with Rahul Dravid (62), Sachin Tendulkar (64) and VVS Laxman (124 not out) in the process.

Resuming on 252 for two, India were 476 for four when play was called off with the visitors accomplishing the mission to save the match.

New Zealand will attempt to bridge a broad gulf of experience between itself and the Indian cricket team in the second test match starting at Napier on Thursday.

India won the first test by 10 wickets and seems set, with the help of its deeply experienced and prolific batting lineup, to press on to its first series win in New Zealand in 41 years.

The yawning gap in the experience of the Indian and New Zealand batsmen was obvious during the first test at Seddon Park, Hamilton. While India, led by Sachin Tendulkar's 160, batted for 152.4 overs to score 520 in its first innings and take charge of the match, New Zealand batted for only 78 overs in the first innings and 102 in the second, out for 279 on both occasions.

Mumbai: South Africa and India will join hosts Zimbabwe for a one-day tri-series later this year, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said in a statement.

"Immediately after the conclusion of ICC Twenty20 World Cup, the Indian team will be leaving for West Indies to play four ODIs after which the team will tour Zimbabwe for a tri-series involving India, Zimbabwe and South Africa," the statement said.

New Zealand last month postponed their tour of Zimbabwe in July for a year due to their government`s lack of support. Zimbabwe has agreed to skip the Twenty20 World Cup, being played in England from June 5 to 21, for political reasons.

World number one Rafael Nadal crushed Scotland's Andy Murray 6-1, 6-2 to win the Indian Wells ATP Masters series title.

Nadal, the reigning Australian Open champion, defied difficult, windy conditions to capture the crown in the California desert for the second time on Sunday, after triumphing here in 2007.

As in the women's final that preceded it, the men's championship match was played in swirling winds that had both players scrambling.

But Nadal, who started the tournament as the top seed for the first time - after Roger Federer came in as the number one the past five years - kept his focus to get the job done in one hour, 20 minutes.

Harbhajan Singh took six wickets for 63 runs as India beat New Zealand by 10 wickets in the first cricket test Saturday, posting its first test win in New Zealand in 33 years to lead the three-match series 1-0.

India led by 241 runs after its first innings when it reached 520 in reply to New Zealand's 279, then dismissed the hosts for 279 in its second innings to leave itself needing just 39 runs for victory on the fourth day.

Gautam Gambhir scored 30 and Virender Sehwag made 8 as India reached its winning target in just 5.2 overs. Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 160 in India's first innings, was named man of the match.

Hamilton: New Zealand were in deep trouble at the end of Day 3 as the scorecard read a bleak 75/3 with a 166 runs trail for the hosts. A clinical approach by India stumped the Kiwi’s approach towards the Test and they were haunted with numerous lapses in the field to set the winds against them.

India started their victory campaign early on in the second innings as New Zealand lost their first wicket on the third delivery of Zaheer Khan’s over. A small partnership did develop between Daniel Flynn and Martin Guptill before the latter was claimed by Harbhajan at 48.

The third danger bell rang in the early departure of Kyle Mills as the batsman was claimed by Munaf Patel at 2.

With the help of half-centuries from Tendulkar (70*), Gambhir (72) and Dravid (66), India were 278/4 when bad light called for an early close on Day 2 of the Hamilton Test.

Soon after VVS Laxman's dismissal, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar completed 52nd fifty, his sixth against New Zealand. He had added 61 runs for the fourth wicket with Laxman before the latter fell prey to Chris Martin for 30 runs. The new ball was taken in the last session. Martin pitched it outside the off-stump and Laxman carelessly reached out to edge it to Ross Taylor at first slip.

Earlier, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir opened the day with their overnight score of 29 runs, in reply to New Zealand's 279 runs. Soon Sehwag was caught short of his crease by James Franklin for 24 runs. Gambhir ran across and returned for the second run when Franklin's direct throw hit the stumps on the non-striker's end.

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand claimed an early victory ahead of the opening test against India when they kicked out a proposal to delay the start of the match by an hour, but it remains to be seen whether they will have similar success on the field.

Indian broadcasters had lodged a last-minute request to change the starting time for the opening test, which begins at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday, in the hope of attracting more television viewers at home.

However, the request was dismissed by New Zealand cricket officials, according to local media reports, meaning the match will start as scheduled.

INDIAN WELLS: Fourth-seeded Briton Andy Murray advanced to the fourth round of the 4.5 million-dollar Indian Wells hardcourt tennis tournament on Monday with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Paul-Henri Mathieu.

Murray, who got off to a quick start this season with titles in Doha and Rotterdam before being slowed by a virus, made short work of Mathieu, who reached the semi-finals at Brisbane in January but has now failed to win back-to-back matches in six tournaments since.

Murray needed little more than an hour to finish off Mathieu, breaking him for a 3-1 lead in the second set. Mathieu couldn't capitalize on three break opportunities in the seventh game, and Murray broke him again at 15 in the next to advance to a meeting with either Spain's Tommy Robredo or Marin Cilic of Serbia.

Home Ministry, keeping in mind the election scenario, has rejected the revised dates for Indian Premier League season 2 on Friday saying the new schedule is not feasible.

The ministry said states wanted more paramilitary forces to host IPL, which was not possible. It has now asked for new dates from the IPL and its officials.

Earlier in the day, Home Minister P Chidambaram along with the top security personnel held a meeting on whether to give a green signal to this year's IPL, scheduled in April. The high-profile meeting was attended by the IB chief, the national security advisor and the RAW Chief.

Hamilton(PTI) Former India coach John Wright reckons incumbent Gary Kirsten is better than him as a motivator and says Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men have what it takes to become the top team in both Tests and one-dayers.

Former South Africa opening batsman Kirsten joined the Indian team as coach last year, replacing the controversial Greg Chappell, and steered the side to Test series wins over Australia and England apart from a number of series triumphs in one-dayers.

"Oh he's (Kirsten) probably better, well I know he did score more runs than me. He is very thoughtful and very passionate and I think he understands the importance and the privilege of coaching India," said Wright, who was India's coach from 2000 to 2005.

Indian Wells, March 12: Roger Federer, bested by Rafael Nadal in a five-set final at the Australian Open in January, is keen to renew his rivalry with his Spanish foe at the Indian Wells Masters series.

Federer's appearance in the California desert, where men's play begins Thursday, marks his first tournament since falling to Nadal in Melbourne, as the 13-time Grand Slam champion nursed a nagging back injury.

Now he said he's rested and ready to bid for a fourth title in the event he won in 2004, 2005 and 2006. "I love playing matches against him, especially those five-setters, seeing if I can hang with him physically without a problem," Federer said on Wednesday. "He's the greatest challenger I've ever had.”

MUNICH: Germany striker Lukas Podolski struck twice on Tuesday as Bayern Munich hammered Sporting Lisbon 7-1 to set a new Champions League record on their way to the quarter-finals.

Tuesday night's rout at Munich's Allianz Arena means the tie finishes 12-1 on aggregate and sets a new record for a Champions League knock-out stage tie - bettering Olympique Lyonnais' old mark of 10-2 against Werder Bremen in the 2004/05 season. "We wanted to show from the first second who was the boss," said delighted Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

"The team took this game very seriously. "Sporting realised we weren't going to give them anything and we now have ten busy weeks ahead of us. "We need players like Lukas Podolski to be at the top of their game and he showed a cast-iron will today."

After a hard day's work on field, the Indians opted to unwind on Monday. While New Zealand spent the morning reviewing Sunday's game, the visiting team spent a day with a jet-boating excursion on the outskirts of Christchurch.

The idea of the Indian team's first break after the hectic travel, practice sessions, and matches since landing here, was floated by mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton. While they were appreciating the lakes, rivers and mountains during the drive through the countryside, the Kiwis were flying to Hamilton for Wednesday's game, which they must win to stay in the series.

Sachin Tendulkar, who retired hurt after scoring a match-winning 163 on Sunday due to an injured abdomen muscle, opted to stay back at the hotel. Giving him company was Harbhajan Singh. Though there was no official word on Tendulkar's fitness status, the MRI scan of the injured area reportedly didn't reveal too much damage.

New York: Andy Roddick once again clinched a United States Davis Cup win when he beat Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday to give the Americans an unassailable 3-1 lead over Switzerland in their first-round tie.

Roddick, the world number six, improved his mark to 11-0 when given the chance to seal victory in a Davis Cup tie.

The win in Birmingham, Alabama, was Roddick's 31st in Davis Cup singles, moving him ahead of Andre Agassi into second place on the US list. Only John McEnroe, with 41 singles wins, stands ahead of Roddick.

Indian Premier League (IPL) Commissioner Lalit Modi on Friday assured that there would be no matches in any city on the day of counting of votes.

Modi said the IPL was on with the duration of the tournament remaining the same but a revised schedule would be released soon. "We are making a new schedule for IPL matches," he said.

"It's a cumbersome process, because there are blackout dates in several cities due to elections," the former RCA President said.However, the venue for the opening game of the tournament has been shifted from Jaipur to Mumbai.

Wellington(IANS) India got off to a flier after winning the toss in the second One-Day International against New Zealand, racing to 130 one in 19 overs before rain stopped play here at the Westpac Stadium Friday.

When play was stopped, Sachin Tendulkar was batting on 59 (62 balls, seven fours, one six) and Gautam Gambhir 13 (16b, 1x4).

The only wicket to fall was that of Virender Sehwag (54, 36b, 9x4, 1x6) who was adjudged caught behind by New Zealand umpire Evan Watkin, though the TV replays showed that the ball had brushed the pads and not bat.

Melbourne: Leading security adviser Reg Dickason has revealed that he had warned Sri Lankan Cricketers Association about the security situation in Pakistan but no one got back to him for details.

Dickason, an Australian security expert, said he rang the secretary of the Association Graeme Labrooy before the tour.

"I expressed my serious concerns about going to Pakistan. I offered to speak to him further about it and told him to get back to me if there was anything more he needed," Dickason said.

Five Sri Lankan cricket players have been injured in a terror attack in area around Liberty Market near Gaddafi stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. Among those who have been injured are Ajantha Mendis, Tharanga Paranavitana, Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene and team coach Paul Farbrace.

The injured players are back in their hotel. Earlier, they were taken to hospital in the city. The 4th umpire Ahsan Raza has also been injured and has been reported to be critical.

According to the team manager, the incident took place when the team was heading for the third day's play in the second Test against Pakistan. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan has been cancelled and the team has been called back.

As he prepares to leave for the Test series, VVS Laxman talks to Devendra Pandeyabout unfinished business in New Zealand

Wary of the seaming conditions in New Zealand, VVS Laxman has been busy practising with a bowling machine back home in Hyderabad for the last couple of weeks. As he packs his bags and prepares to leave to be with the team, he speaks with The Indian Express on the challenges ahead.

•You've played 102 Tests, but only two in New Zealand. What are your expectations from the series? • Not only me, there are other team members as well who haven't played much cricket there. I've done well in almost every country, be it the West Indies or Australia. I'm looking forward to doing well in New Zealand.