Young Rishabh Pant will strive to seal a slot in the World Cup squad even as India fret about their top-order woes ahead of the fourth ODI against Australia, here Sunday.
Providing opportunities to all Cup hopefuls would be on Virat Kohli's mind and the team management is expected to ring in a few changes in the playing XI in the remaining two matches of the series.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni seem to have played his last international game in Ranchi and now Pant gets a chance to book his boarding pass for the London-bound flight.
In earlier ODIs, Pant had played purely as batsman but with Dhoni being rested, Pant will get a chance to don the big gloves.
The Indian playing XI will also have Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Sunday as he replaces Mohammed Shami, who was hit on the leg in his follow through during the third match.
Shami completed his spell but since he will be sharing the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah in England, it is natural to give him precautionary rest.
"We will have a few changes in ..

All eyes on Rishabh Pant's World Cup audition

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Usman Khawaja termed his maiden hundred in ODI as a huge thing simply because the first one is always difficult to get.
Khawaja hit a 104-run knock and shared a 193 run stand with captain and fellow opener Aaron Finch to play a significant role in Australia's 32-run win in the third ODI.
"Yeah it's huge. The first one is always hardest - no matter what you're playing. It's obviously a special one. I found the same thing in Test cricket as well as in one-day cricket. I got that 98 before a few years ago, it was frustrating and disappointing, said Khwaja.
Australia have won an overseas ODI for the first time since 2017 and Khawaja is absolutely delighted.
"Any win  you are very happy. That's why we play the game. We love  competing and winning against a very good Indian side. It's always nice to do that -especially on their turf. We lost the first two and won the third one. We are still in the series and feeling is good."
Khawaja didn't agree with the notion that he finally got measure .

It's huge for me as first one is always difficult to get: Khawaja on century

Rain delayed the start of the second Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Wellington for the second consecutive day on Saturday.
The downpour which had persisted for a day and a half stopped long enough on day two for the covers to be lifted and for the players to start warming up.
But as the umpires conducted a pitch inspection, about an hour before an expected start, the drizzle returned, reducing the match to three days at best.
A result in three days is not unheard of in New Zealand.
In 2001, also at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand only needed 17 overs on the third day complete a victory over Bangladesh by an innings and 74 runs.
However, if the rain does not clear, matches have been abandoned in New Zealand twice before without a ball being bowled -- against Pakistan in 1989 and India in 1998, both in the southern city of Dunedin.
New Zealand lead the series after taking the first Test in Hamilton by an innings and 52 runs.
The third and final Test starts in ...

New Zealand-Bangladesh Test washed out for second day

Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka made a triumphant return to Indian Wells, rallying for 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3 victory over British qualifier Daniel Evans to reach the second round.
It was a rematch of Wawrinka's four-hour, five-set victory over Evans in the third round of the 2016 US Open -- where the Swiss would go on to claim his third Grand Slam crown.
"He's always a tough player to play, for sure," Wawrinka said. "He's mixing a lot, especially on conditions like today when it's windy.
With his slice, he feels the ball really well. He's mixing his game, serve and volley, sometimes coming, sometimes not, passing well.
"So I'm happy to get through a match like today," he added.
Wawrinka, on the rise after 18 months battling injury and recovering from double knee surgery, was runner-up in the California desert in 2017, but missed the combined ATP Masters and WTA event last year.
While top seeds led by world number one Novak Djokovic enjoyed first-round byes, 40th-ranked ...

Wawrinka out-lasts Evans to reach Indian Wells second round

West Indies were dismissed for the second lowest ever T20 international total of just 45 as England swept to a 137-win on Friday.
Chasing 183 to win, the world champion West Indies just avoided the lowest ever total of 39 made by non-Test Netherlands against Sri Lanka in 2014.
Chris Jordan wrecked the West Indies top-order batting as England completed a crushing, series-clinching victory at Warner Park.
After Sam Billings engineered an excellent recovery with 87 to lift the tourists to 182 for six, Jordan was almost unplayable in taking four wickets for six runs off three overs with the home side crashing in just 11.5 overs.
For England this was their largest margin of victory, in terms of runs, in T20s and gives them the series 2-0 with the final match of the tour coming up on Sunday at the same venue.
David Willey, who partnered the rampant Billings in adding 68 runs for the sixth wicket after England were put in, started the rout of the Caribbean team with the critical wicket of ...

England triumph as Windies crash to second lowest T20 total

Former world number one and five-time Grand Slam title winner Martina Hingis on Friday became the latest tennis mother after giving birth to a baby girl.
Hingis, 38, revealed on Twitter that she and husband Harald Leemann, the Switzerland team's Fed Cup doctor, were now parents.
"And then we were three! Harry and I are excited to welcome our baby girl Lia to the world. We are already so in love," tweeted the Swiss star who retired from the sport in 2017.
Fellow tennis mothers Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka are still active in the sport.
Like Hingis, Williams and Azarenka are former number ones and major winners.
They face each other at the Indian Wells tournament later Friday.

Swiss Miss is now a mum

Mark Ramprakash will leave his role as England's batting coach amid reports Graham Thorpe is ready to take the job in time for this year's Ashes.
Ramprakash had worked with England since 2014 and was focusing on the Test team while Thorpe worked regularly in the one-day set-up.
Former Middlesex and Surrey batsman Ramprakash was contracted until the end of the forthcoming season but has been ousted following the arrival of new director of men's cricket Ashley Giles.
Ramprakash, whose last England assignment was the 2-1 Test series defeat against the West Indies, tweeted the news on Friday.
"I've just been informed that I will not be involved in the Ashes series," the 49-year-old wrote.
"It's been a huge privilege to support the team over the last 5 years. I'd like to wish all the staff & players the very best of luck for the future." Ramprakash is the second senior member of the backroom team to leave ahead of head coach Trevor Bayliss' departure at the end of his contract in ...

Ramprakash axed as England batting coach

With his insatiable quest for excellence, India captain Virat Kohli has raised his game to such a level that even good performances from his teammates at times do not seem to be special, says assistant Sanjay Bangar.
Kohli struck another magnificent hundred (123 off 95 balls) against Australia in the third ODI but his teammates could not back him up as India lost the match by 32 runs.
Kohli has now got two hundreds and a 40 plus score in the series so far and the inevitable question about over-reliance on him popped up.
"It's not that we are over-reliant on one particular individual. However the level that Virat has raised his game to, the performances of other players don't seem to be that special," Bangar said after India's defeat.
Asked what makes Kohli such a special player, Bangar said his quest for excellence puts him in a different league.
"He's somebody who constantly looks out on an area for improvement and he does that on a regular basis. Probably that's the reason why he ...

Constant quest for excellence makes Kohli special: Bangar

Three-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa (60kg) and former youth world champion Sachin Siwach (52kg) were among the six Indian boxers to enter the semifinals and be assured of medals at the 38th GeeBee Boxing Tournament in Helsinki, Finland.
Thapa, a former world championships bronze-medallist, defeated Poland's Dominik Palak 5-0 in his quarterfinal bout on Friday night after getting an opening-round bye. He will take on Russia's Mikhail Varlamov in the semifinals.
Siwach got the better of Russia's Tamir Galanov in a 4-1 verdict. The 20-year-old will be up against Kyrgyzstan's Azat Usenaliev in the semifinals.
Also making the last-four stage were Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist
Mohammed Hussamuddin (56kg), Kavinder Singh Bisht (56kg), Dinesh Dagar (69kg), and Naveen Kumar (+91kg).
Earlier, Asian silver-medallist Sumit Sangwan (91kg) and rookie Govind Sahani (49kg) had made the semis on the back of first-round byes.
Hussamuddin defeated Russia's Ovik Ogannisian 5-0 to set up a clash .

Shiva Thapa, Sachin among 6 Indians in semis of Finland boxing tourney

Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona has confirmed paternity of three children born in Cuba in addition to the five he has previously recognized, his lawyer announced Friday.
"Maradona has three children in Cuba, with whom he's in contact," Matias Morla told Argentina's Canal Trece.
Confirming paternity would mean the 58-year-old former World Cup winner and paternity-suit veteran has fathered eight children officially.
"Three more and you'll have a team of 11. Come on, you can do it!" said his daughter Giannina, 29, greeting the news on Instagram.
Both she and her sister Dalma, 31, are estranged from the footballer -- siding with their mother Claudia Villafane in a court battle that followed the breakup of their 1984-2003 marriage.
Morla said Maradona would not contest the latest paternity suit in Cuba, where the footballer intermittently underwent treatment for cocaine addiction between 2000-2005.
"To date, they haven't been recognized but Diego is going to take responsibility for .

Maradona acknowledges paternity of three more children

Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth crashed out of the All England Championship to bring an end to the Indian challenge at the USD 1 million tournament here Friday.
While Saina couldn't find answers to the deceptive strokeplay of her nemesis Tai Tzu-Ying, suffering a 15-21 19-21 loss to the World No 1 Taiwanese in the quarterfinals, former No 1 Srikanth went down 12-21 16-21 to the current men's world no 1 Kento Momota later in the day.
Saina is now 5-15 in Head-to-Head career record with Tzu-Ying and it was her 13th straight defeat against the Taiwanese, who has not lost to the Indian since 2015.
"I had my chances but I got tied up in the last two points," said the 28-year-old from Hyderabad, a 2015 finalist.
"I'm happy that I'm getting closer to the top players. I've not been sleeping because of the pain I've been having in my stomach (due to diarrhea), but I'm really happy that I could play two matches here."
Srikanth, who had a title-less run last season after the high of winning ...

Saina, Srikanth crash out of All England

India's assistant coach Sanjay Bangar termed out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan as a vital cog, saying the team management wants the right-left combination to fire at the top of the order with the ICC World Cup round the corner.
Dhawan has failed in 14 out of his 16 innings but Bangar feels that more than anything else, it's his shot selection that has let him down.
"In the previous game, he (Dhawan) was batting really well till he erred in shot selection. But from our point of view, he has been an important player," Bangar said after India's 32-run loss against Australia in the third ODI here Friday.
"If we know that he gets going, he can give us that solidity as it is vital to have that right-left combination going. He is a hugely valuable player for us and he is expected to come good very soon," the former India all-rounder said.
He was also sympathetic for Ambati Rayudu, who Friday got a brilliant delivery from Pat Cummins.
"These games are valuable opportunities for all players concerned 

Dhawan is vital as we need left-right combination at top going: Bangar

The US women's national team filed a discrimination lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation (USSF) on Friday, just three months before defending the Women's World Cup title.
All 28 members of the US women's squad were parties to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles seeking equal pay and working conditions to their less-successful male counterparts.

US women's soccer team sues federation for discrimination

Gaganjeet Bhullar carded one-under 71 to go with his first round three-under 69 for a total of four-under 140 at the halfway stage of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
Bhullar, who was T-10 after the first round, is now placed T-22. He birdied the first, 10th and 18th and bogeyed the second and 11th.
SSP Chawrasia, who shot 73 in the first round, added 71 but missed the cut by one as it fell at one-under 143.
Justin Harding, who is trying desperately to get into WGC-Matchplay as also the Masters, put himself in a strong position to get least into the WGC as he shared the lead with two others -- France's Mike Lorenzo-Vera and fellow South African mate George Coetzee.
They all shot 68 each to get to eight-under 136.
Harding, 33, made three birdies in a row after the turn before another gain at the par-3 17th saw him get to 8-under.
England's Oliver Wilson was the last man to qualify for the event as he doesn't have full status on the European Tour after finishing outside the top-15 on .

Bhullar cards 71, placed T-22 in Qaatar Masters; Chawrasia exits

Indian T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur Friday turned 30 and wishes poured in from across the cricket community to wish the batting star.
Harmanpreet, who has been honoured with Arjuna Award for her excellence during the World Cup 2017, has played 93 ODIs and 96 T20Is for India.
The BCCI Women wished its captain, "Wishing our very own champion @ImHarmanpreet, a very happy birthday!"
"Happy Birthday Harry Di (@ImHarmanpreet). You have truly changed the complexion of the women's game with two amazing knocks at the two World Cups!," teammate and leg-spinner Poonam Yadav said.
England medium pacer Kate Cross also took to twitter to wish the Indian star.
"Happy birthday twinnie @ImHarmanpreet hope you have a lovely day."
The International Cricket Council (ICC) also took the opportunity to remind everyone of the power-hitter's unbeaten 171 in the World Cup 2017 semi-final against Australia.
"India T20I captain A fantastic 171* in the #WWC17 semis A maiden T20I century in the opening match of ...

Birthday wishes pour in for Harmanpreet Kaur

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos and club president Florentino Perez have agreed to clear the air after the pair were engaged in a heated argument following Tuesday's Champions League loss to Ajax, say reports in the Spanish press.
Ramos and Perez reportedly agreed on Thursday to arrange a meeting, with the aim of improving the atmosphere around the club ahead of the final 12 games of the season.
According to Diario AS, Ramos took exception to Perez accusing the players of being unprofessional during a scathing assessment of the team delivered in the changing room after Madrid's 4-1 defeat.
Ramos responded that their problems were due to a lack of goals, stemming from a failure to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and "bad planning" at the top of the club. Perez reportedly even threatened to plan Ramos' exit, to which Ramos said: "You pay me and I go".
The row came at the end of a miserable week for Madrid, which had seen them beaten by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey and league, before ...

Ramos and Perez to make up after heated changing room row - reports

Skipper Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan blasted superb fifties as Afghanistan notched up a dominating 109-run win over Ireland in the fourth ODI to grab a 2-1 lead in the five-match series here Friday.
Nabi, who top-scored with 64, starred in two crucial partnerships -- sharing 50 with Afghan (54) and 86 with Rashid (52) to lift Afghanistan to 223 all out in 49.1 overs after they were struggling at 81 for six at one stage.
Fast bowler Aftab Alam then returned with a four-wicket haul as Afghanistan bundled out Ireland for 114 in 35.3 overs. Spin duo of Rashid and Mujeeb Ur Rahman also contributed with two wickets each.
"It was an important match. Top order batted poorly again but Rashid batted really well to get us to 223 on that wicket," Asghar Afghan said after the match.
Asked to take first strike, Afghanistan looked down the barrel as they were 81 for six in the 18th over.
Afghan then resurrected the innings with a 50-run stand for the seventh wicket with Nabi. After ..

Afghanistan notch up 109-run win over Ireland in 4th ODI

Legendary Portuguese footballer  Luis Figo Friday said Real Madrid would survive even without  the services of compatriot and football legend Cristiano  Ronaldo, who is not part of the club this season after having  shifted to Italian club Juventus.
Asked about the impact on Real Madrid after Ronaldo  left it, Figo, who played for the club and also for Barcelona  in the UEFA Champions League, was candid in his answer, saying  all of it was part of football as Ronaldo was also making  history without being a part of the club.
"It is his (Ronaldo's) decision and I don't know what  happened between him (Ronaldo) and the club (Real Madrid) that  made him change clubs.
"He is the best football player in the World, so when  he moves, of course there will be a big impact. But I don't  know the reasons, all I can say is that Ronaldo is a great  professional and is making history in football," Figo told  reporters here.
Figo, who is UEFA Champions League Ambassador,  attended a global fan ...

Real Madrid will survive without Ronaldo: Luis Figo

Virat Kohli looked like a 'Man on a Mission' wearing the camouflage army cap for the better part of his 41st ODI hundred but that wasn't enough to prevent India from losing the third ODI against Australia by 32 runs here Friday.
Usman Khawaja's hundred and Aaron Finch's 93 saw Australia put up a more than decent 313 for five and India could manage only 281 in 48.2 overs, that too solely due to Kohli's 123 off 95 balls.
It was yet another superlative effort from the Indian skipper, who lacked adequate support from the other end as Australia kept the five-match series consequential going into the fourth game in Chandigarh on Sunday.
Kohli scored his first 50 off 52 balls and the next 50 off just 33 balls which was sheer class as always. The acceleration was so sudden that it even took the Australian attack by surprise.
The skipper launched a brutal assault on the Australian bowlers. From gorgeous looking cover drives to delectable on-drives and those deft touches everything was present .

Kohli's 41st ton goes in vain as India lose 3rd ODI by 32 runs

Australia defeated India by 32 runs in the third ODI to keep the five-match series alive here Friday.
Chasing Australia's stiff 313 for 5, India were bowled out for 281 in 48.2 overs with skipper Virat Kohli scoring 123 off 95 balls.
Brief Score:
Australia: 313/5 in 50 overs (Usman Khawaja 104, Aaron Finch 93; Kuldeep Yadav 3-64)
India: 281 all out in 48.2 overs (Virat Kohli 123; Pat Cummins 3/37, Jhye Richardson 3/37, Adam Zampa 3/70).

Australia beat India by 32 runs in 3rd ODI to keep alive series

Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan snatched a thrilling 3-2 victory over hosts Shillong Lajong on the penultimate day of the 12th I-league here Friday.
The visitors drew the first blood with Dipanda Dicka scoring in the 4th minute through a penalty kick. Shillong then restored parity with a penalty through Phrangki Buam (45th + 1st) at the JLN Stadium.
The hosts then came back in the second half through Hero of the Match Buam in the 53rd minute, but an outstanding freekick in the 78th minute from Sony Norde saw the Mariners level scores.
The Khalid Jamil-coached side struck back again through Britto in the 88th minute to finally seal the game in their favour.
With this win, Mohun Bagan finished their season at the fifth place with 29 points.
The Kolkata giants built pressure on Lajong's defence line from the start and the effects were clear when a miscommunication between defender Aiban and goalkeeper Phurba Lachempa resulted in the latter receiving a yellow card and giving away a penalty ...

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