TOI BAHRAIN: Handicapped by limited resources, India's latest Formula One driver Karun Chandhok has set himself a modest target of just finishing the race when he makes his F1 debut on Sunday.

The 26-year-old Chennai lad landed a driver's seat with Hispania Racing barely a week ago and the outfit, bailed out of a financial morass by Spanish businessman Jose Ramon Carabante, arrived here without any pre-season tests which has already triggered safety fears.

Away from all these, Karun is focusing hard on the race alone and has no illusions about his Formula One debut.

"I am really looking forward to my F1 debut this weekend. Finishing the race will be a fantastic achievement for a team put together so late and the objective here will be to get as many miles under my belt as possible," said the Chennai lad.

Lack of test miles under his belt handicaps the youngster but Karun is relieved that at least the Sakhir layout is not alien to him.

"Fortunately I have driven here before in GP2 so that will help the learning process a bit. I was on the front row in 2008 and was very competitive when I was back here in 2009, so I've got pretty good knowledge of the circuit," he said.

"However, F1 is a completely different ballgame and we will have a tough challenge in front of us. I have spent time back in Europe with the guys in the factory and it is great to see that the whole team is very motivated about our first race together," added Karun.

TOI PUNE: The Cantonment police arrested a man with 15 stolen two-wheelers at Yerwada on Tuesday.

The police have identified the suspect as Akeel Shaikh (30), a resident of of Yerwada. The police team was led by sub-inspector Majeed Shaikh of Cantonment police station, who laid a trap at Yerwada and nabbed the suspect.

Sub-inspector Shaikh said that the suspect used to steal two-wheelers from main roads and housing societies. During interrogation he helped the police recover 15 stolen vehicles.

He would sell the vehicles in rural areas at throw away prices. "We may recover a few more vehicles from his possession," Shaikh added. The suspect was remanded to police custody till March 11.

TOI KARACHI: In an unprecedented crackdown on indiscipline, the Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday indefinitely barred its former captains Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf from playing for the country and imposed one-year bans on Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan in the wake of the team's disastrous tour of Australia.

The PCB also put the Akmal brothers -- Kamran and Umar -- and Shahid Afridi on probation for six months besides imposing fines between Rs 2-3 million for indiscipline on the tour after implementing the recommendations of an inquiry committee formed to evaluate Pakistan's dismal performance.

PCB's tough stand virtually puts an end to the international careers of Younis (32) and Yousuf (35) -- two of the country's most accomplished batsmen in the middle order -- and is bound to bring about wholesale changes in the team.

Pakistan were whitewashed in all the three formats of the game in Australia during the recent tour in December-January, following which PCB had set up a six-member inquiry committee headed by Board's chief operating officer Wasim Bari.

The committee had recommended that Yousuf and Younis should no longer be part of the national team in any format because of their bad influence on the team and that Malik and Rana be banned for 12 months and fined Rs 2 million each, the PCB said in a statement.

PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said the Board had decided to implement the recommendations of the inquiry committee to salvage Pakistan cricket.

"The committee was an independent set up and they interviewed around 13 players and studied the reports of the manager, coach, assistant coach and captain before taking a decision," Sarwar said.

The players, however, would have the right to appeal against the decisions and they can also talk to PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt for a review of the same, Sawar said.

PCB's legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi, who was a member of the inquiry committee said that the players under the law had the right to appeal in any court against their punishments.

"The inquiry committee has based its recommendations on the hearings we held with the players and team officials and also after going through the reports of the team manager, coach, assistant coach and captain," he said.

"The inquiry committee has done what it felt was necessary to put Pakistan cricket back on the right track," he added.

The Board said that it had banned Yousuf and Younis from playing for Pakistan but they could continue to play domestic cricket and in foreign leagues.

"Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan, keeping in view their infighting which resulted in bringing down the whole team, their attitude has a trickle down effect which is a bad influence for the whole team. They should not be part of national team in any format," the statement said quoting the committee report.

The inquiry committee's report on Afridi said: "For the shameful act of Shahid Afridi, which has brought the game and country into disrepute, he be fined Rs 3 million.

"A warning be issued to him by the PCB Chairman and he be put on probation for six months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored."

The punishments are set to impact the composition of Pakistan's World Twenty20 Championship. The team is the defending champion in this format and the 15-man squad for the event is due to be out by the end of this month.

With Afridi also on a six-month probation, it is quite likely that a new captain will be named for Pakistan's upcoming international tournaments.

The PCB has stopped short of calling the punishment on Yousuf and Younis a life ban.

"They will not be part of any Pakistan team in any format from here on. A life ban means they cannot play domestic cricket or any other similar cricket, but we are not stopping them from that. They can play domestic cricket or county cricket here and abroad," Rizvi said.

TOI PUNE: Yogesh Pawar, a 23-year-old youth who was hit by a car near Bremen Chowk on Sunday, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday at a private hospital at Aundh.

Pawar and his friend Pankaj Kisan Adagale (25) were on a scooter when they were hit by the car driven by Colonel Umakant Tiwari (57) of the 303 Infantry Brigade, Aundh.

According to police inspector Anil Kadam, Tiwari lost control over the vehicle and hit the divider and an electric pole. "The impact of the mishap was such that the vehicle crossed the divider. It skidded onto the other lane and hit the two-wheeler which was heading towards Pune," Kadam said. Tiwari and his wife also sustained injuries in the incident.

"Pawar sustained severe head injuries and had been unconscious since he was admitted in hospital. He succumbed on Tuesday afternoon," said chief medical officer B T Oswal of Medipoint hospital.

Tension prevailed in Aundh on Tuesday after Pawar's relatives would not allow the body to be shifted for a post mortem until the colonel was arrested. Sanjay Shinde, Pawar's cousin, told TOI, "We want strong action taken against the colonel. I visited the military hospital (where Tiwari and his wife are being treated) along with the police. But, the authorities did not allow me to meet him."

A large number of police were deployed outside the hospital in Aundh to prevent the situation from getting out of hand. After getting an assurance from the police regarding legal action against Tiwari, the relatives finally
allowed the body to go for a post mortem around 4 pm.

Police inspector Mahadev Chavan said that the police have booked Colonel Tiwari for rash driving. "I recorded his statement on Tuesday. I have given a letter to the hospital authorities and asked them to inform the police before discharging Tiwari from hospital," Chavan said. "I am also planning to give a letter to the headquarters of the 303 Infantry Brigade in this regard."

TOI PUNE: The Pune police did not make any formal announcement, as was expected, about appointing women senior police inspectors in charge of some police stations on the occasion of International Women's Day on Monday.

City police commissioner Satya Pal Singh told TOI that a proposal to this effect had been sent to his seniors for approval.

Till now, women senior police inspectors have been posted at the women's cell, the foreigners' registration branch, cyber cell, crime branch and other branches.

The top post in almost all 28 city police stations in the city is headed by senior police inspectors who are men. Only the Shivajinagar police station has a woman, Maya Bankar, as inspector (crime).

"The police commissionerate has decided that women senior police inspectors will be appointed as the in-charge of some police stations," joint commissioner of police Rajendra Sonawane had said on Saturday. "No other details can be revealed at this point, as it is strictly confidential",

There are 73 women police officials in the city, including two assistant commissioners of police and six inspectors. Others are assistant police inspectors and police sub-inspectors. There are 938 woman constables and assistant sub-inspectors.