India captain Virat Kohli today  said losing wickets in a heap was the primary reason for their  72-run defeat against South Africa in the first Test here.
"Well in hindsight, we lost by 70-odd, if we had taken  chances in the first innings, they would have been 220," said  Kohli in the post-match presentation.
"Losing wickets in bunches is something have to plug in.  We were in the game for the three days and it was a wonderful  match to be part of. We would have taken that if someone told  208 would be the target," the captain was honest in his  admission.
Kohli felt India needed a batsman to score a 70 or 80 in  the second innings.
"It was a great effort but we needed someone to get a 75  or 80. 20s or 30s were not enough. They were a bowler short  (Dale Steyn) but they pitched the balls in the right areas and  bowled their hearts out. We need to rectify our mistakes  also."
Not having a single big partnership (save Bhuvneshwar  Kumar-Hardik Pandya's 99 for 8th wicket in the first .

Losing wickets in a heap cost us the game: Kohli

PTI Automatic

The Federation of International  Skiing (FIS) has rescheduled the International Skiing Race,  that was to be held from Jan 15-21 in Uttarakhand's Auli, an  official release said today.
The event will now be held in Auli from February 16, it  said.
The decision to postpone the international skiing event  was taken by the state government on the advice of the Winter  Games Federation of India (WGFI).
According to the WGFI, the conditions in Auli were not  suitable to organise the event, due to inadequate natural  snow at the venue, the release added.
The state government had already started artificial snow  making in Auli to ensure there is enough snow for the event.

FIS races postponed due to inadequate snow in Aluli

Asian Games medallist Aditya Mehta  bounced back to down English pro Alfie Burden 5-4 in a  thrilling final and clinch the Kolkata Open International  Invitation Snooker Championship here today.
Mehta started well with a break of 93 in opening frame  but Burden countered him with break of 75 to come at par.
He won another frame to take 2-1 lead over Mehta who  levelled the match once again. Alfie then took handsome lead  of 4-2.
From there on, Mehta made a remarkable comeback and won  three frames in a row to settle the issue.
Earlier today, Alfie defeated Laxman Rawat 5-2 in the  semi-final.
Interestingly he tried three times to go for the maximum  147. In the first frame he missed on 65, which Laxman cleared  with 70 points break and then on 81 and finally in the sixth  frame, which was close, on 97.
In other semi-final, Mehta beat Brijesh Damani 5-4.

Aditya Mehta wins Kolkata Open

Shillong Lajong FC registered their  first win of the year as they beat Indian Arrows 1-0 and moved  up a place in the I-League here today.
Lajong's foreign recruit Koffi (80') scored the only goal  of the match at the JLN Stadium.
Both teams started in the 4-2-3-1 formation with each  team trying to get the upper hand over the other. Arrows coach  handed Roshan Singh his first start in Hero I-League 2017-18  and Deepak Tangri combined with Asish Rai in the defence while  Anwar Ali, Sanjeev Stalin, Boris Singh were rested along with  Jeakson Singh at the midfield.
Shillong Lajong were taking a more direct and aggressive  approach as they had the Arrows on the backfoot.
The first half of the match was dominated by Lajong as  they kept attacking the Arrows defence. It looked like the  Matos led side were not the same team they had been when they  played Lajong in their previous encounter.
Meanwhile, the moment of glory came for the young goalie  Prabhsukhan Gill when he jumped to his ...

Shillong Lajong beat Indian Arrows 1-0

Double Olympic medallist Sushil  Kumar will be in action when the Pro Wrestling League (PWL)  season 3 begins with a clash between Delhi Sultans and Mumbai  Maharathi at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here tomorrow.
The 34-year-old Indian, who clinched the silver medal at  the 2012 London Olympics and a bronze at the Beijing Games,  will look to make a positive start to their campaign after  ending the last season at the fifth spot.
Sushil made a successful return to international  wrestling after a hiatus, winning the gold medal in 74kg at  the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship last month and he  would look to continue his good run.
Sushil will have good support in 26-year-old Alvaro  Aslan, who won four medals, including a three golds, in the  six international events that he participated last year.
Rio Olympic bronze medallist Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan  will be another important cog in Delhi's wheel after his gold  medal winning feat at the Paris World championship last year  in ...

Sushil in action as Pro Wrestling League begins tomorrow

Former World Junior Champion Nikhat  Zareen and World Youth Championship gold medallist Shashi  Chopra advanced to the next round of the second Elite Women's  National Boxing Championship here today.
On the third day of the event at the National Boxing  Academy here, Nikhat of Telanagana blanked Kerala's Anju Sabu  5-0, while Haryana boxer Shashi also defeated Manipur's Shamim  Banu 5-0 in a lop-sided contest.
In the flyweight category, Nikhat, who was coming back to  the ring after a year's gap due to an injury, looked to be in  great form as she landed her jabs with great conviction from  the first round itself to decimate her opponent.
Even though the bout went to the wire, Nikhat went away  with the honors with a comprehensive 5-0 win.
"I'm happy to come back to the ring after a year's gap  due to injury and I felt in great touch as I returned to the  ring for my first fight in one year and I would like to  continue this form and challenge for the gold medal," Nikhat  said after ..

Nikhat, Shashi advance in Elite Women's National Boxing C'ship

India's much-vaunted batting  line-up fell apart in the face of a Vernon Philander-led pace  attack's relentless aggression as South Africa emerged  victorious by 72 runs in the first cricket Test here today.
While South Africa grabbed a 1-0 lead in the three-match  series, the visitors squandered a golden opportunity to script  a memorable win outside the sub-continent.
Needing 208 on day four for their third ever Test win on  South African soil, the Indian batsmen let their team down for  the second time in the match, getting skittled out for 135 in  42.4 overs.
The game finished well inside three days despite a full  day's play being washed out.
There was no Dale Steyn in the second innings, yet the  South Africa pace department had enough firepower to expose  the visitors' batting line-up on a bouncy and seaming surface.
Philander was simply outstanding with his pace and  precision, ending with a career-best six for 42 and match haul  of nine wickets.
Mornel Morkel and Kagiso ...

'Old Story' in Newlands: India surrender to SA by 72 runs

India lost the first cricket Test  against South Africa by 72 runs to give the hosts a 1-0 lead  in the three-match series.
Chasing 208 for victory, India were all out for 135 in  42.4 overs.
Brief scores:
India 209 and (target 208) 135 in 42.4 overs (R Ashwin  37; Vernon Philander 6/42)
South Africa: 286 and 130 in 41.2 overs (AB de Villiers  35; Mohammed Shami 3/28, Jasprit Bumrah 3/39).

SA beat India by 72 runs, take 1-0 lead

The far-right Alternative for Germany  (AfD) party today formally cautioned one of its lawmakers over  a tweet calling tennis star Boris Becker's son a "little  half-negro".
A tweet from the account of Jens Maier, a former judge,  had attacked Noah Becker for reportedly complaining about  being seen as the "eternal son" of his famous father.
"It seems the little half-negro simply got too little  attention," read the tweet posted from the account of Maier,  one of more than 90 AfD members elected to parliament last  September.
Maier claims he did not write the tweet, which has since  been deleted, saying one of his staff had posted it.
In a statement issued Monday, Maier apologised to Becker  for the "lapse" by his employee, who he said no longer worked  for him.
"This tweet not only contradicts my style but also does  not reflect my ideas. I will ensure that this does not happen  again," he said.
Maier's explanation appeared to have been accepted by the  party's leadership, which ...

German far-right MP warned over racial slur on Boris Becker's

Philippe Coutinho will not be able  to make his debut for Barcelona until the end of January  because he has a thigh injury, the club said today.
"Coutinho has an injury to his right thigh and he is  expected to be out for around three weeks," Barcelona said on  their website.
Coutinho, 25, will be officially unveiled by Barca later  on Monday, completing a 160-million-euro ($192 million) move  from Liverpool, making it the third richest transfer in  history.
The Brazilian midfielder could in theory make his debut  on January 28 when Alaves visit the Camp Nou in La Liga.

Coutinho Barca start delayed by injury

The International Olympic Committee  has "extended the deadline" for North Korea's participation in  the Winter Olympics, it announced today.
"We will be as flexible as we can be," an IOC spokesman  told AFP over North Korea sending a team to the Pyeongchang  Games in South Korea.
Talks between the two Koreas hosted by IOC president  Thomas Bach will take place at the Olympic movement's  headquarters in Lausanne on Tuesday.
"We welcome the discussion which will take place...  between the governments of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the  Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," the IOC said.
"The IOC has been having discussions with both sides for  a long time.
"In doing so we have kept the door open by extending the  deadline for registration, and by offering support to North  Korean athletes in the qualification process, whilst always  respecting United Nations sanctions."
On Saturday, North Korea Olympic body member Chang Ung  said the isolated state was "likely to ...

IOC extends North Korea's Winter Olympics deadline

Batting great Geoffrey Boycott  labelled England "false" for attempting to play down the gulf  in class with Australia as a post-mortem began following their  chastening 4-0 Ashes defeat.
The home side ruthlessly finished off England in Sydney  today to record their fourth comprehensive win of a one-sided  series -- including two innings victories and a 10-wicket win.
Several England players and coaches have repeatedly  stressed in recent weeks that the main difference between the  sides is that Australia have seized the crucial moments across  the series.
But Boycott told BBC Radio 5 Live that the series result  was a fair reflection of the gap between the two teams, with  most of the standout performances coming from the home side.
"I think it's a little false by a number of the England  players to say at times they were quite close and that there  were moments here and there. Quite honestly they were far  better than us in nearly every department."
Boycott compared Test cricket to .

England cannot hide truth of Ashes hammering - Boycott

Andy Murray announced he had hip  surgery in Australia today and is hoping to return to  competitive tennis in time for the grasscourt season midway  through the year.
The 30-year-old Scot has not played competitively since  being knocked out of the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year  and last week withdrew from this month's Australian Open.
"Today I underwent successful right hip surgery at the St  Vincent Hospital in Melbourne," the former world number one  said on Facebook.
"I'd like to thank Dr John O'Donnell and all of the staff  for looking after me. I look forward to returning to  competitive tennis during the grasscourt season. Thanks to  everyone for all the well wishes and support over the last few  days. I'll come back from this."
The three-time Grand Slam champion, who dislodged Novak  Djokovic from the top of the rankings towards the end of 2016,  has slipped to 19th in the world due to his lengthy lay-off.
He first felt pain in his right hip during his French  Open ...

Murray announces hip surgery, eyes grasscourt season

England's leading bowler James  Anderson says Australia played the pressure moments better  than the battle-weary tourists and deserved their crushing 4-0  Ashes series triumph.
Steve Smith's Australians swept to an innings victory in  Monday's final Sydney Test, condemning England to four  comprehensive defeats in the five-match series.
The Ashes were relinquished by the third Test in Perth  and England gave the impression by the final day of the series  that they just wanted it all to end.
Vice-captain Anderson, deputising for stricken skipper  Joe Root, said the writing had been on the wall for some time.
"Weve known for a few weeks they're going to lift the  (Ashes) urn, but I guess, seeing them do it in person is tough  to watch," Anderson told reporters.
"There's not a lot we can do about it. We've not played  well enough and they've deserved to win.
"Just got to give them credit and they're well within  their rights to be over the moon with that win."
Anderson, 35, who is ...

Aussies played pressure moments better: Anderson

Captain Steve Smith has praised the  collective efforts of his "exceptional" four front-line  bowlers for contributing to Australia's crushing 4-0 Ashes  series win over England today.
The Australians rounded off a dominant five-match series  with an innings and 123-run hammering of the beleaguered  tourists on the final day of the fifth Sydney Test.
Mitchell Starc, John Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and spinner  Nathan Lyon all finished with 20 or more wickets in the series  to take 87 in total to dominate the England batsmen.
Despite this, Smith was not prepared to rate them higher  than the quartet of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter  Siddle and Lyon who bowled Australia to a 5-0 whitewash in the  last Ashes series in Australia in 2013-14.
"I think all the bowlers did an exceptional job," he told  reporters.
"Each of our bowlers have over 20 wickets which showed  that the guys have bowled together as a group, bowled in  partnerships, bowled for one another and helped us take the  ...

Smith praises Australia's 'exceptional' bowlers

Joe Root ended his troubled Ashes  tour of Australia sound asleep as England surrendered to a 4-0  series loss in Sydney today.
The young England captain finished the demanding five-  Test series debilitated by a stomach bug which flared  overnight and sent him to hospital.
Root could not resume batting at the start of the final  day, but came to the crease an hour in when Moeen Ali was  dismissed and batted to lunch.
He could not continue after the break as England slumped  to a crushing innings defeat and missed the post-match  presentations, with vice-captain James Anderson speaking on  his behalf.
"He was up all night with some sort of stomach bug, some  gastro thing. He is asleep in the dressing-room trying to  recover," Anderson told reporters.
"He's not had any sleep, he's not eaten. He's had  diarrhoea and vomiting, so I'm guessing he's not in a great  state at the minute," the paceman added.
"So to get to the ground in itself is a great effort and  then to strap his pads on ..

Root's Ashes tour struggles last to bitter end

Big-hitting Australian batsman Chris  Lynn has been ruled out of this month's one-day international  series against England with a calf problem, Cricket Australia  said today.
Lynn suffered the injury to his right calf fielding in  the Brisbane Heat's Big Bash League match against the Perth  Scorchers on Friday.
It is expected the injury will sideline him for three to  four weeks with selectors to announce a replacement shortly.
The opening match of the five-game series takes place at  the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Australia's Lynn out of England ODI series

Hardik Pandya certainly has the  ability but only time will tell if he would go on to become a  genuine all-rounder, said former India captain Kapil Dev,  considered as the country's best ever all-rounder.
"Time will tell, wait for some time. He has the ability,"  Kapil said when asked if Pandya can emerge as a genuine  all-rounder for India.
"The team has to see the right combination, that's it.  When you have an all-rounder, that is always good for the  captain, he has the option."
The 59-year old, a veteran of 131 Tests and 225 ODIs,  today heaped praise on the current crop of Indian cricketers,  saying the cricketing world is now looking up to India.
"These boys are professional, they are doing so well. We  used to look up to other countries, today the world of cricket  is looking up to India, it's a big change," he said.
On the performance of Indian bowlers in the ongoing  South African tour, Kapil said, "They are very good, give them  time, they will do far better than this what 

Only time'll tell if Pandya becomes a genuine allrounder:Kapil

Opener Shreevats Goswami smashed an  unbeaten 79 off 52 balls in company of young Vivek Singh (64  no) as Bengal romped home by seven wickets in an East Zone  encounter of the National T20 Championship for the Syed  Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Batting first, Odisha scored 157 for 5 with Rajesh Dhuper  scoring 90 off 64 balls with eight boundaries and two sixes.
Part-time off-break bowler Writtick Chatterjee (2/25 in 4  overs) and skipper Manoj Tiwary (2/23 in 3 overs) shared bulk  of the spoils between them.
In reply, Bengal coasted home in 18.4 overs with  Shreevats and Vivek setting up the platform with 134 run  opening stand in 13.5 overs.
Shreevats hit boundaries on all sides of the wicket --  nine of them in all and also two sixes while young Vivek also  hit three maximums and five boundaries.
By the time Shreevats was dismissed, Bengal needed only  three runs to win the match.
Brief Score:
Odisha 157/5 (Rajesh Dhuper 90 off 64 balls, Writtick  Chatterjee 2/25, Manoj Tiwary 2/23).
Bengal 

Shreevats, Vivek guide Bengal to easy victory vs Odisha

Himachal Pradesh beat Haryana in a  thrilling 'Eliminator' during a North Zone leg encounter of  the National T20 Championship for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Batting first at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Himachal Pradesh  scored 194 for 2 riding on opener Prashant Chopra's 64-ball-99  that had 11 boundaries. Veteran Paras Dogra also scored 47 off  32 balls.
In reply, seam bowler Harshal Patel, who was promoted up  the order to open the innings smashed 73 off 32 balls with  seven fours and five sixes to keep his team in the hunt.
In the last over, Haryana requored 10 runs to win the  match and three off the last ball. However Jayant Yadav and  Amit Mishra could manage only to runs resulting in a tie.
However HP seamer Pankaj Jaiswal did the star turn as he  dismissed two batsmen of successive deliveries with Haryana  managing only two runs in the 'One Over Eliminator'.
Prashant Chopra hit a boundary to finish off the match.
Brief Scores:
Himachal Pradesh 194/2 in 20 overs (Prashant Chopra 99  ..

Mushtaq North Zone: Himachal beat Haryana in 'Eliminator'

The South African pacers proved  too hot to handle for India who were left tottering at 82 for  seven in their second innings at tea on day four, chasing what  now has become an improbable 208-run target in the series  opener here.
Vernon Philander took 3-22 as Indian batsmen failed to  apply themselves against quality fast bowling on a seaming and  bouncy track.
The visitors need another 126 runs for victory with 48  overs remaining in the days play. Twenty nine overs were  bowled in the afternoon session which ended with the fall of  Wrddhiman Saha (8).
Post lunch, India began their chase in circumspect  fashion. Shikhar Dhawan (16) looked to make a quick start  while Murali Vijay (13) struggled against Philander.
Vijay survived twice via DRS reviews for caught behind  and lbw appeals. Vijay wasnt third time lucky though, caught  behind off Philander in the 8th over as the slide began for  India.
Six balls later, Dhawan was caught pulling much like the  first innings, only this time 

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