Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh may feature  in his first competitive event in eight months after being  named in India's 20-member squad for a four-nation tournament  in New Zealand.
India will compete with Belgium, Japan and hosts New  Zealand at Tauranga and Hamilton in the tournament, beginning  January 17.
The team will be led by 25-year-old midfielder Manpreet  Singh while Chinglensana Singh Kangujam will be his deputy.
Sreejesh, who missed some key tournaments in 2017 due to  a knee injury, will be joined by young goalkeeper Krishan  Bahadur Pathak, a member of the 2016 Junior World Cup winning  team. Pathak was also part of the India A team which  participated at the Australian Hockey League in September.
New inclusions in the team are forward Dilpreet Singh and  midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad. The duo was rewarded for their  promising performance at the Sultan of Johor Cup last year  where the team returned home with the bronze medal.
While Vivek had played an instrumental role in the  

Sreejesh named in Indian team for tourney in New Zealand

PTI Automatic

India's C S Santosh was placed  28th overall, just behind his Hero MotoSports Team Rally  teammate Oriol Mena, after the second stage of the challenging  Dakar Rally 2018.
The stage two was the first full-length stage of the Dakar  with a short 12km liaison section followed by a 267 km loop of  Pisco. Competitors were challenged by the tricky canyons in  the first 40 km of the stage made only tougher by the series  of dunes that followed.
With a tough stage on the cards, both the Hero riders  decided to be cautious and steady. Oriol Mena finished the  second stage at 27th place and Santosh at 29th but according  to overall provisional standing the Indian was 28th.
In the third stage, the Rally moves to San Juan De  Marcona, where the competitors can expect to encounter a Chott  (dry/marshy saline lake), a number of canyons and almost 60%  sand during the course of the 504 kms of riding.
"The Dakar really kicked off today with a difficult  stage. The sand was really soft and some of ...

Santosh and Mena finish challenging 2nd stage at Dakar

Australia ruthlessly extinguished  England's resistance to claim an innings victory in the fifth  Ashes Test and complete a 4-0 series rout on the final day in  Sydney on Monday.
The beleaguered tourists, with skipper Joe Root weakened  by a stomach bug and unable to continue batting, dissolved  after lunch, losing their last four wickets for their fourth  comprehensive defeat of the series.
"It has been a great couple of months. The cricket that  we have played in the last couple of months has been  outstanding," Australia skipper Steve Smith said.
"We have just been able to get on top and win those key  moments and not let them back in the game which is crucial."
Pat Cummins led the Australian offensive in Sydney with  four wickets for 39 to finish man-of-the-match and the leading  wicket taker in the series with 23.
"To get through the five Tests and end the series here at  home. I couldn't asked for much more," said an ecstatic  Cummins.
England finished at 180 for nine off 88.1 ..

Australia rout England by an innings to win Ashes 4-0

Scoreboard at the close on the final  day in the fifth Ashes Test between Australia and England in  Sydney on Monday:
England first innings 346
Australia first innings 649 for 7 declared
England second innings (overnight 93 for 4)
A. Cook
b Lyon
10
M. Stoneman  lbw b Starc
0
J. Vince
c Smith b Cummins
18
J. Root
retired ill
58
D. Malan
lbw b Lyon
5
J. Bairstow  lbw b Cummins
38
M. Ali
lbw b Lyon
13
T. Curran
not out
23
S. Broad
c Paine b Cummins
4
M. Crane
c Paine b Cummins
2
J. Anderson  c Paine b Hazlewood
2
Extras (lb2, pen5)
7
Total (all out; 88.1 overs)
180
Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Stoneman), 2-15 (Cook), 3-43  (Vince), 4-68 (Malan), 5-121 (Ali), 6-144 (Bairstow), 7-148  (Broad), 8-156 (Crane), 9-180 (Anderson)
Bowling: Starc 16-4-38-1, Hazlewood 17.1-6-36-1, Lyon 35  -12-54-3, Cummins 17-4-39-4, Smith 2-0-6-0, M. Marsh 1-1-0-0.

Sydney, Jan 8 (AFP) Scoreboard at the close on the final

Sprint legend Usain Bolt said that he  hopes to still see his dream of becoming a professional  footballer come true when he undergoes a trial at German top-  flight club Borussia Dortmund.
However, the multiple Olympic and world champion admitted  that he would prefer to play for Manchester United, his  favourite team.
"In March we're going to do a trial with Dortmund and  that will determine what I do with that career, which way it  goes," the 31-year-old world record holder told the Sunday  Express.
"If they say I'm good, and that I need a bit of training,  I'll do it.
"It makes me nervous. I don't get nervous but this is  different, this is football now. It'll take time to adjust but  once I play a few times I'll get used to it."
Bolt shares the same sponsor -- Puma -- as Dortmund and  the trial with the Bundesliga team has been arranged by the  sportswear company.
"One of my biggest dreams is to sign for Manchester  United. If Dortmund say I'm good enough, I'll crack on and  ...

Bolt secures trial with Borussia Dortmund

FA Cup holders Arsenal were  sensationally dumped out of the competition by Nottingham  Forest, joining Leeds United as big-name casualties on a day  of shocks.
Elsewhere, West Ham stayed alive with a goalless draw at  Shrewsbury and Tottenham scored three goals in eight second-  half minutes to see off the challenge of League One side AFC  Wimbledon.
Championship side Forest revived memories of their glory  years under Brian Clough, putting 13-times winners Arsenal to  the sword in an incident-packed 4-2 win at the City Ground.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who made nine changes to the  side that drew with Chelsea in the Premier League in midweek,  defended his team selection for the third-round tie.
"We have many players on the edge and we play again on  Wednesday," he said. "When you don't win the selection is  always questioned.
"I believe we had an experienced team -- eight or nine  internationals. It would be easy to think that was the  problem.
"When you're against a team like ...

Arsenal dumped out of FA Cup, Leeds shocked

Philippe Coutinho has described  his 160-million-euro (USD 192 million) move to Barcelona as "a  dream come true" with coach Ernesto Valverde predicting the  Brazilian will comfortably fit into a team already containing  global superstar Lionel Messi.
The 25-year-old playmaker, the world's third most  expensive footballer after securing a long-desired transfer  from Liverpool, will be officially presented to the world's  media on Monday from 1130 GMT.
But in a club video message released on Sunday, Coutinho,  who posed for photographers at the Camp Nou wearing a  tracksuit top in the colours of the team, insisted: "I want to  play, win trophies and make the supporters happy. Those are my  objectives.
"Barca fans, I'm here now. It's a dream come true! I hope  to see you tomorrow (Monday)."
Coutinho has agreed a deal through to 2023 and is looking  forward to playing alongside Messi, Luis Suarez and Andres  Iniesta.
He described them as well as club stalwarts Gerard Pique  and Sergio ...

Barcelona to unveil $192 million man Coutinho

Stricken captain Joe Root returned to  batting after a night struggling with a stomach bug to keep  England alive on the final day of the fifth Ashes Test against  Australia on Monday.
Root went to hospital overnight with England Cricket  initially saying he had "severe dehydration" after fielding  and batting in intense heat on Sunday.
But team officials corrected earlier statements and said  Root was instead weakened by the effects of a gastro bug.
Root came out to bat on the dismissal of Moeen Ali for 13  an hour into the final day's play.
At lunch, England were 144 for five and trailing  Australia by 159 runs with Root on 58 and Jonny Bairstow not  out 38.
Root was sent for checks after experiencing diarrhoea and  vomiting overnight.
The skipper, who has reached his fifth half-century of  the series but has yet to reach a century, is seen as  England's last major hope of staving off a 4-0 series rout.
His plight evoked memories of Englishman Eddie Paynter,  who got out of his ...

Ailing captain Root bats on in bid to save England

Rio Olympic champion Carolina Marin  crushed Indian ace Saina Nehwal as Hyderabad Hunters thrashed  Awadhe Warriors 6-(-1) in a Premier Badminton League (PBL)  match at the Nehru Indoor Stadium here tonight.
The Spanish left-hander proved too good for Nehwal as she  won 15-5, 15-7 in a jiffy to add to the Warriors' woes.
Hyderabad Hunters later won the mixed doubles encounter  to register a clean sweep. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Pia  Zebediah outplayed Hendra Setiawan and Christinna Pedersen 15  -9, 15-9 to finish the demolition job in style.
Earlier, world No. 16 Sai Praneeth posted a stunning 15-  10, 15-10 victory over compatriot and World No. 3 Kidambi  Srikanth in the Warriors' trump match to put the Hyderabad  team on the road to a thumping win.
Praneeth who had beaten Srikanth last year in the  Singapore Open to win his first Super Series title was  completely dominant in the match and after the initial burst  of points from the Denmark Open winner, it was Praneeth who  ...

Hyderabad Hunters rout Awadhe Warriors in PBL

Out-of-favour India pacer Varun  Aaron will lead Jharkhand in the East Zone Syed Mushtaq Ali  T20 League, putting to rest speculations around Mahendra Singh  Dhoni's availability.
With no T20 international scheduled at the moment, there  were speculations that the two-time World Cup winning captain  could feature in the tournament that will be utilised by  players to impress the franchises ahead of the IPL auctions.
However, it is learnt Dhoni has asked the state selection  committee to not consider his name for the event, which  started today in Rajkot with the West Zone match between  Mumbai and Baroda.
The 28-year-old Aaron, who has also turned out for India  in a career dogged by injuries, has a dependable batting  line-up in Saurabh Tiwary, Ishank Jaggi, Virat Singh and Ishan  Kishan to provide the platform for its bowlers on the flat  pitches.
Jharkhand squad: Varun Aaron (captain), Saurabh Tiwary,  Ishan Kishan(wicket-keeper), Ishank Jaggi, Sonu Kumar Singh,  Ashish Kumar, ...

Aaron to lead Jharkhand in Dhoni's absence

World No. 16 Sai Praneeth posted a  stunning 15-10, 15-10 victory over compatriot and World No. 3  Kidambi Srikanth to help Hyderabad Hunters seal their Premier  Badminton League tie against Awadhe Warriors 3-0 with two  matches remaining here today.
Srikanth's encounter was Warriors' trump match and a  defeat set them back in the tie.
Praneeth who had beaten Srikanth last year in the  Singapore Open to win his first Super Series title was  completely dominant in the match and after the initial burst  of points from the Denmark Open winner, it was Praneeth who  controlled the opening game with his precision.
He went into the break with a slender 7-8 deficit but  after the interval, Sai displayed great precision to win the  opening game.
In the second game, Sai was playing like a man possessed  and raced to an 8-0 lead. Though Srikanth did very well to  reduce the gap and take points, the Hyderabadi sealed the  match.
Earlier, World No.18 Lee Hyun Il of Korea registered a  thrilling ...

Sai Praneeth shines as Hyderabad Hunters upset Awadhe Warriors

Skipper Sunil Chhetri struck a  solitary goal as Bengaluru FC beat defending champions ATK 1-0  to jump to the top of the points table at the Indian Super  League, here today.
The win gave three crucial points to Bengaluru FC, who  are now leading the points table wih 18 points from six wins  in nine matches.
Chennaiyin FC and FC Pune City are placed at second and  third places respectively with 17 an 16 points.
The lone goal came in 39th minute as Chhetri latched on  to a gift by Conor Thomas in midfield before unleashing a  terrific shot.
Bengaluru FC could have scored their first goal in 38th  minute but Rahul Bheke failed to tap the ball in the rebound  after Edu Garcia's free-kick met Paartalu's head inside the  box which struck the far post.
In the second half, Bengaluru missed a few more chances  to increase the lead, the best of which came in the 79th  minute when substitute Braulio Nobrega dribbled past a sleepy  ATK defence before his shot hit the post.
ATK yet again ...

Chhetri's strike hand Bengaluru 1-0 win over ATK

Laxman Rawat defeated his Railways  colleague Faisal Khan 4-3 to confirm his semi-final berth in  the Kolkata Open 2018 International Invitation Snooker  Championship, here today.
Trailing by two frames, Laxman notched up a break of 82  points in the third frame and won next two frames too to take  a 3-2 lead.
However, he missed the fifth frame because of a  miscalculated shot on yellow but in the decider, he managed to  take a lead.
In a do-or-die situation, Faisal tried his best to turn  it around but after clearing till blue ball, he miscued for  pink as Laxman sealed the issue in a three-and-half-hour  battle.

Laxman sails into semis of Kolkata Open snooker

India's Neel Joshi went down in  four games to top seed Sam Todd of England in the boys  under-15 final of British Junior Open squash tournament in  Birmingham today.
Todd beat the Indian 8-11, 16-14, 11-0, 14-12, according  to a press release from the Squash Rackets Federation of  India here.
The Indian, seeded 3/4 began well and grabbed the first  game but the local boy pulled away from there.
In the fourth game, the Mumbai youngster looked good to  level the scores and even enjoyed a gameball and then saved a  match ball, but the fight ended soonafter.
Earlier, another hopeful Tushar Shahani in the U-17  category went down in the semi-final to the top seed Omar El  Torkey of Egypt who 9-11, 11-2, 11-3,11-8.
He also missed out on a bronze losing to Yehia Hesham  Fathy Elnawasany, also from Egypt, in the game to decide the  3rd-4th placings.

Neel Joshi falters in British Juion Open Squash final

New national coach Chandika  Hathurusinghe has been assigned the role of selector on tour  as part of a plan to give him more say in team selections, Sri  Lanka Cricket (SLC) President Thilanga Sumathipala said today.
He said the SLC executive committee had adopted the move  at the extraordinary general meeting.
Sri Lanka's sports law of 1973, though, does not permit  the coach to be a national selector.
"He will be able to pick the final eleven while on tour  with the manager of the team and the captain also acting as  co-selectors," Sumathipala said.
However, the coach will not be able to serve in the  national selection committee when the squads are picked.
With the new arrangements, Sumathipala said it would not  be necessary for selectors to travel with the team.
In 2017 Sri Lanka lost 40 of their international games  across all formats out of a total of 57.
Sumathipala also announced the appointment of Roshan  Biyanwela, a Sri Lanka Airforce ranker, as the new secretary  of the .

Sri Lanka Cricket gives Hathurusinghe selector's job on tour

Six-time world champion Viswanathan  Anand, who recently bagged the World Rapid title in Riyadh  recently, today said India would be one of the five-six top  teams at the Chess Olympiad.
Asked whether a Chess Olympiad Gold was a possibility,  Anand said, "Of course, we (India) will one of the top five-  six teams (at the Chess Olympiad), even that by very small  rating points. It will be silly to rule out the gold (medal)  because of the nature of the Olympiad and the Swiss format. We  have a good chance but so do many other (teams)."
"Of course I was curious about playing it (Chess  Olympiad), under different circumstances I might have played  it earlier but it's nice that I can come back now and play  it," he said during the final day of the IIFL Wealth 3rd  Mumbai International Chess Tournament.
"There are some things I didn't like, things like zero-  tolerance and some of the rules in the Olympiad but I feel  that this time the camaraderie and the (Indian) team, the  positive ...

India will be one of top 5-6 teams at Chess Olympiad: Anand

World Championship silver  medallist Sarjubala Devi romped past Delhis Simran in the  flyweight category while recently crowned World Youth  Championship gold winner Jyoti too advanced in the Womens  National Boxing Championship here.
Jyoti set up an enthralling clash against RSPBs Shiksha,  here at the National Boxing Academy.
As expected, Manipurs Sarjubala dominated the  proceedings from the word go and didnt let her opponent  breathe.
Although, Simran tried to launch a fightback and lasted  the three rounds but Sarjubalas vicious punches demolished  the inexperienced Simran.
In enthralling encounters of the bantamweight category,  Jyoti continued her rampaging form and defeated Babita Solanki  in a one-sided affair with a 5-0 scoreline.
The defending champion of the bantamweight category,  Shiksha of RSPB, also jumped past her first hurdle as she beat  Karnatakas Gazal Mathew 5-0.
In other encounters, All India Polices (AIP) Fancy Devi  (48kg) defeated Rimpi Dabholkar while ...

ISarjubala, Jyoti advance in boxing nationals

Prithvi Shaw, captain of  India's U-19 World Cup team, today said his team has prepared  well under the guidance of Rahul Dravid and the goal is to  return home with the trophy.
The ICC U-19 World Cup officially got underway at the  Hagley Oval in Christchurch with an impressive ceremony  showcasing New Zealand's culture.
Warm-up matches will be held from tomorrow while the  tournament proper gets underway on January 13 with matches  spread across seven venues in the cities of Christchurch,  Queenstown, Tauranga and Whangarei.
Shaw said, "We've been here a week now, played a couple  of games. Everything has gone well, the preparation of the  team has been good. Our goal is obviously to win the World Cup  but at the same time we are looking forward to our first game  (against Australia on January 13), and let's see how the  process goes."
The ceremony was attended by representatives of all the  16 participating sides, Christchurch Councillor Aaron Keown,  as well as New Zealand Cricket 

Skipper Shaw says India well-prepared for U-19 World Cup

Shillong Lajong FC will eye a  revenge when they take on Indian Arrows in the reverse fixture  of Hero I-League match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium  tomorrow.
After suffering a humbling 3-0 defeat at the hands of the  Arrows in their first meeting, the Reds will be heading into  the game with renewed determination after their goalless draw  against Chennai City FC on Friday.
Having beaten Shillong Lajong in their previous  encounter, it will be interesting to see how Arrows handle  themselves against Lajong after two back to back losses  against Kingfisher East Bengal and NEROCA FC.
On being asked about Lajong's game plan for the match,  coach Bobby Nongbet said, "We will have to play well and be  confident. They are a very good team."
"We should have won Friday's match against Chennai City  FC and we need to improve our finishing. We are ready for the  match. It is a must-win game for us tomorrow."
Asked if any changes will be made, Nongbet replied, "We  will have to see what ...

Lajong desperate for win against Arrows at home

Guyon Fernandez' 90th minute strike  helped Delhi Dynamos snatch a dramatic 2-2 draw against  Chennaiyin FC and end the visiting team's six-game losing  streak at the Indian Super League, here today.
Like in the previous home game against Kerala Blasters,  Chennaiyin allowed the visiting team to score in the dying  minutes to end with a draw.
Jeje Lalpekhlua was the star for Chennaiyin adding two  goals to his tally but the resilient Dynamos' denied the host  its sixth win in nine games this season.
With the host 2-1 up and the game looking almost sealed,  substitute Fernandez tapped in a header from Kalu Uche to  secure a rather unexpected draw.
Chennaiyin with one point from the game, goes to the top  of the standings with 17 though Bengaluru FC could overtake  them if they beat ATK in the day's second game.
Earlier, Chennaiyin went into the lead for the first time  in the game in the 51st minute and it was thanks to Jeje.  Gregory Nelson released a ball to Germanpreet Singh, who  ..

Fernandez's late strike hand Dynamos draw against Chennayin

Intermittent rain came in the way  of what promised to be an absorbing day of Test cricket,  forcing a washout of the third day's play in the series opener  between India and South Africa here.
No play was possible in the morning or post-lunch  sessions. Finally, around 3.30pm local time, close to the  scheduled start time of post-tea session, the day was called  off.
There will be 98 overs bowled on days four and five with  bright sunshine predicted for the remainder of the game.
Despite the loss of an entire day, a result is still very  much possible in this match. P
Play will start at the scheduled 10.30am local time. The  last two sessions of the day will be extended by 15 minutes  each, with a further 30 minute customary extension available  at the end of the third session.
Heavy showers had been forecast for Sunday and they duly  arrived early in the morning. It didn't stop raining at all,  instead picked up as the scheduled start time of play  approached.
It did stop raining ...

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