South Africa were dealt a major  blow after seniormost pacer Dale Steyn was ruled out for the  remainder of three-match series against India after damaging a  tissue on his left heel during the second day of the opening  Test.
Steyn left the field three balls into his 18th over as he  felt a pain on his left heel.
It has been learnt that he has damaged a tissue and will  be out for a minimum period of four to six weeks which  effectively rules him out of the ongoing Test series against  the visiting Indian team.
Steyn in fact was getting into the groove as he had  figures of 2 for 51 with wickets of opener Shikhar Dhawan and  wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha during his comeback Test.
He was out of action for one year after a major surgery  for shoulder dislocation.
He recently made a comeback in competitive cricket and  Cricket South Africa (CSA) did not play im during the four-day  Test against Zimbabwe to preserve him for the India series.

Injured Dale Steyn ruled out of India series

PTI Automatic

Laggards NorthEast United FC  snapped a four-match losing streak with an upset 2-1 win over  fancied FC Goa in an Indian Super League (ISL) football  fixture here today.
The Highlanders, who sacked coach Joao de Deus after a 0  -5 drubbing at Pune City and roped in former Chelsea manager  Avram Grant as their technical director, looked a transformed  unit today.
They took a 21st minute lead through Marcinho's super  first touch finish but the game was brought to an even keel  within seven minutes with Manuel Arana equalising for the  Goans.
The Highlanders snatched back the lead in the 52nd minute  through Seminlen Doungel who scored his first goal in the ISL  with a cute finish from Marcinho's through ball from the  centre.
Doungel found himself on a one-on-one with the Goa  goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani who came charging in as the  Manipuri chipped it over him with an elegant finish.
The Gaurs gave their all towards the end but just could  not find the back of the net as the ...

NEUFC stun FC Goa 2-1, return to winning ways

Scoreboard at stumps on day two in  the first Test match between India and South Africa here  today:
South Africa First Innings  286
India  (overnight 28-3)
Murali Vijay
c Elgar b Philander
1
Shikhar Dhawan
c & b Steyn
16
Cheteshwar Pujara
c du Plessis b Philander
26
Virat Kohli
c de Kock b Morne Morkel
5
Rohit Sharma
lbw b Rabada
11
Ravichandran Ashwin  c de Kock b Philander
12
Hardik Pandya
c de Kock b Rabada
93
Wriddhiman Saha
lbw b Steyn
0
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
c de Kock b Morkel
25
Mohammed Shami
not out
4
Jasprit Bumrah
c Elgar b Rabada
2
Extras
(LB-13, B-1)
14
Total
(10 wickts, 73.4 Overs)
209
Fall of wickets: 16-1, 18-2, 27-3, 57-4, 76-5, 81-6, 92-  7, 191-8, 199-9, 209-10.
Bowling: Vernon Philander 14.3-8-33-3, Dale Steyn 17.3-6  -51-2, Morne Morkel 19-6-57-2, Kagiso Rabada 16.4-4-34-3,  Keshav Maharaj 6-0-20-0.
South Africa 2nd Innings:
Aiden Markram
c Kumar b Pandya
34
Dean Elgar
c Saha b Pandya
25
Kagiso Rabada
not out
2
Hashim Amla
not out
4
Extras:
0
Total: (For 2 ...

 Scoreboard at stumps on day two in

India's Neel Joshi today entered the  final of the boys under-15 section in the British Junior Open  Squash in Birmingham, beating second-seed Muhammad Amir Aminul  Azhar in a five-game semifinal.
The 5/8-seeded Joshi showed remarkable fighting qualities  to down Azhar 13-11, 11-9, 5-11, 3-11, 11-8 for a place in the  final, a release from Squash Rackets Federation of India  (SRFI) here said.
He will face the top seed Samuel Todd of England in the  title-clash on Sunday.
For the second year in succession an Indian player has  stormed into the final in the tournament. Velavan Senthilkumar  had won the under-19 title in the 2017 edition.
Earlier, Tushar Shahani and Joshi had kept India's hopes  alive in the tournament in the U-17 and U-15 boys' categories  respectively late on Friday.
Shahani had made the semis at the expense of compatriot  Saksham Choudhary, currently India's number one in U-17  category.
The Mumbai lad posted a 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 11-5 win and  in the process became ...

India's Neel Joshi in British Junior Open squash final

Hardik Pandya stood tall amid  ruins with his all-round prowess but hosts South Africa were  still very much in command with a current lead of 142 runs  against India after an enthralling second day in the first  cricket Test.
Pandya played a swashbuckling innings of 93 off 95 balls  as India managed a face-saving 209 after being in tatters at  92 for 7 during a typical Test match day where there was an  even contest between bat and ball.
With cushion of 77-run lead, the Proteas top-order batted  with more purpose as they finished the day at 65 for 2 but  Pandya (2/17 in 4 overs) was again in the thick of things  getting the wickets of openers Aiden Markram (34) and Dean  Elgar (25).
At stumps dependable Hashim Amla (4 batting) was in  company of nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada (2 batting).
Call it a coincidence, Pandya's all-round show that gave  India a toehold came on the 59th birthday of India's greatest  ever all-rounder Kapil Dev.
However with three days of play left and the pitch ..

South Africa take control despite superb show by Hardik

South Africa reached 65 for two in  their second innings at stumps after dismissing India for 209  on the second day of the opening cricket Test here today.
Hardik Pandya scored a strokeful 95-ball 93-run innings  and added 99 runs alongwith Bhuvneshwar Kumar (25) for the  eighth wicket to help India manage to score 209 in reply to  South Africa's first innings total of 286.
At the draw of stumps, Hashim Amla (4) was at the crease  and giving him company was Kagiso Rabada (2) with the hosts  leading by 142 runs.
Brief scores:
South Africa 1st innings: 286
India 1st innings: 209 allout in 73.4 overs (Hardik  Pandya 93; Vernon Philander 3/33). PTI ATK
South Africa 2nd innings: 65 for two in 20 overs (Aiden  Markram 34; Hardik Pandya 2/17).

South Africa reach 65-2 against India at stumps

Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu  stunned world no.1 Tai Tzu Ying to keep defending champions  Chennai Smashers afloat against Ahmedabad Smash Masters in the  third Premier Badminton League (PBL) here today.
Lagging 0-1, Chennai's Sindhu saw off Tai Tzu 15-11, 10-  15, 15-12 in an exciting women's singles contest to keep the  Smashers alive in this do-or-die contest at the Jawaharlal  Nehru Indoor Stadium here.
However, Sourabh Verma dished out a gritty game to shock  world no 24 Brice Leverdez of France 12-15 15-14 15-12 in  Chennai's Trump match to make it 2-0 in their favour with two  matches still to go in the five-match tie.
Languishing at the bottom of the table, Chennai need a  win to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the knock-out  stages.
Sindhu's win was a huge win for Chennai as they were 0-1  down in the tie and her loss would have put them in a very  precarious position but the world no. 3 Indian did not  disappoint.
Tai Tzu, who has been invincible so far ...

Sindhu stuns Tai Tzu to keep Chennai afloat in PBL 3

India's C S Santosh today set  off for the fourth time at the gruelling Dakar Rally with an  aim of recording his best ever show at world's toughest off-  road rally.
Riding on a vastly improved and new look Hero RR 450 bike  with the Indian tri-colour imprint on it, Santosh set off from  the starting line in Bib No 49 as also the his other two Hero  Motorsports Team Rally teammates Joaquim Rodrigues of Portugal  and Spaniard Oriol Mena Valdearcos at this Peruvian capital  city.
"I believe I am having my best preparation ever and I  hope to do well. I am mentally and physically prepared,"  Santosh said, even as he rode his bike towards the line.
"The weather is also almost similar with that in India  and so I am confident I can do well. Let us see," he added.
Asked if he is expecting the best ever finish this time,  he said, "Everytime I take part in a race I want to do my  best. The same this time in this race also, I want to have the  best ever finish."
Santosh is taking part for ...

Indian biker Santosh sets off as Dakar Rally rally begins

Bali Ganadeep's solitary strike in  the first half helped Minerva Punjab FC notch up a 1-0 win  over hosts Gokulam Kerala FC in an Indian Super League (ISL)  match here today.
Ganadeep's 19th minute goal made all the difference as  Minerva left the EMS Corporation Stadium here with all three  points, while hosts Kerala were left empty-handed.
Odafa Okolie could have made his Hero I-League debut for  the Kerala-based side merrier, had he found the back of the  net with his first touch in the first minute of the game.
After making some positive move earlier in the match,  Gokulam Kerala FC slowly slipped into the shell as the  visitors started to dominate.
The Bhutanese playmaker Chencho, who's fondly called as  CG7, made the damage work down the left flank and Gagandeep  made no mistake tapping his cross home in the 19th minute to  open the scoring.
After the goal, the Punjab-based side continued to push  harder to double the lead but they couldn't breach the Kerala  FC defence anymore 

Ganadeep guides Minerva to a 1-0 win over Gokulam in ISL

England's Alfie Burden stormed into  the quarterfinal of the Kolkata Open International Invitation  Snooker Championship at the Hindusthan Club here today.
On the second day of individual competition, Alfie  completed his all three league stage matches having straight  3-0 win to get a bye to quarters.
Alfie, Aditya Mehta, Brijesh Damani and Laxman Rawat got  one match bye and they will play directly quarters.
Alfie notched up tournament's highest break so far (125)  to beat Kolkata's Rishabh Dugar 3-0 before defeating former  Asian champion Yasin Merchant by an identical same scoreline.
Kolkata-based IOCL player Damani secured third seed by  winning all three matches at the cost of one frame. He also  scored a century break against his state-mate Ankit Kariwala  in the last frame to secure a win.
Another player from Kolkata, Manish Jain made an  excellent recovery from two frames down to make it level  against Rawat of Railways. However, his efforts went in vain  when Rawat secured ..

Alfie enters quarters of International Invitation Snooker

In reply to South Africa's 286,  India's first innings folded for 209 on the second day of the  first cricket Test here today.
Hardik Pandya scored a strokeful 95-ball 93-run innings  to emerge as the highest scorer for the visitors. He added 99  runs alongwith Bhuvneshwar Kumar (25) for the eighth wicket to  keep India afloat in the match.
Brief scores:
South Africa 1st innings: 286 all out
India 1st innings: 209 allout in 73.4 overs (Hardik  Pandya 93; Vernon Philander 3/33).

India dismissed for 209 on Day 2

Controversial Australian Nick  Kyrgios produced two sets of superb tennis to see off top seed  Grigor Dimitrov today and reach the final of the Brisbane  International.
Kyrgios came back from losing the first set to win 3-6,  6-1, 6-4 and set up a decider against American Ryan Harrison.
Harrison had earlier ended the fairytale run of 18-year-  old wildcard Alex de Minaur 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 in two hours  and 37 minutes.
Kyrgios admitted after his quarter-final win over  Alexandr Dolgopolov that he sometimes turns his talent on and  off "like a tap".
And as he has done all week, he started slowly against  defending champion Dimitrov, losing the first set to a single  break of serve.
But he came out firing in the second set, breaking  Dimitrov twice and taking just 30 minutes to level the match.
Kyrgios served superbly in the second and third sets,  winning over 80 percent of points on his first serve and  facing just one break point.
Dimitrov, on the other hand, has struggled with his .

Brilliant Kyrgios too good for Dimitrov in Brisbane

Roger Federer's perfect start to the  new year continued when he dismantled the game of world number  four Alexander Zverev in the final of the mixed teams Hopman  Cup here today.
Unbeaten in his three singles matches in the tournament  prior to the final as he prepared for his Australian Open  title defence, the 19-time Grand Slam champion dropped the  first set against Zverev, but recovered to win in three sets,  6-7 (4/7), 6-0, 6-2.
It gave Switzerland a 1-0 lead in the final, with Federer  aiming to add to the title he won in Perth with Martina Hingis  in 2001.
Zverev came out all guns blazing in a high-intensity  first set where both players produced moments of brilliance,  with both holding multiple break points.
However, the young German managed to prevail in the tie-  breaker as he aimed to repeat his singles win over Federer at  the Hopman Cup last year, when all three sets were decided by  tie-breakers.
Federer's frustration was obvious, dropping his racquet  after missing ..

Federer remains unbeaten at Hopman Cup

Asian Championship bronze medalist  Seema Poonia of RSPB dumped young Niharika Gonella in a lop-  sided affair to advance to the next stage of the Elite Women's  National Boxing Championship here today.
While Poonia defeated Gonella 5-0 after three rounds,  2004 World Championship gold medalist Aruna Mishra gave a  walkover to Madhya Pradesh's Upasana Pandey at the Rajiv  Gandhi Stadium here.
Poonia started off the bout on an attacking note and put  the burly Gonella on the backfoot. The Hyderabad-based boxer  fought back to land her jabs from close range but Poonia's  strong hooks shook the Telangana lass.
Gonella persevered through the rounds and tried her best  to take the fight to her opponent.
At the end of three rounds, Poonia notched up a  comprehensive 5-0 victory to advance to the next round where  she would face Uttar Pradesh's Arpita Singh.
In a highly intense encounter, veteran boxer Bhagyabati  Kachari of RSPB displayed her experience in the ring as she  towered over ...

Poonia beat Niharika 5-0 in Women's National Boxing C'ship

Gilles Simon's giant-killing spree  culminated in a stupendous title win as he humbled second seed  Kevin Anderson in straight sets to lift the inaugural Tata  Open Maharashtra trophy, here today.
The unseeded French player, ranked 89, tamed big-serving  Anderson, ranked 14 in the world, 7-6(4) 62 in the summit  clash, watched by a packed house at Balewadi Sports Complex.
Simon, who was ranked six in the world at one stage in  his career, had knocked out defending champion and third seed  Roberto Bautista Agut before shocking top seed and world  number six Marin Cilic en route the final.
It is the first title for Simon, since his win at  Marseille in February 2015.
The remarkable ease with which Simon positioned himself  to receive the serves and returns, made a sight to watch. His  effortless court coverage meant that Anderson was locked in  long rallies more often, something which worked in favour of  the French player.
Anderson, the 2017 US Open finalist, struggled to execute  his .

Simon's incredible campaign culminates in title win

Hardik Pandya's swift yet brutal  counter attack provided India with much needed breathing space  as they reached 185 for 7 at tea against South Africa on the  second day of the opening Test.
All-rounder Pandya justified his inclusion scoring an  unbeaten 81 off 68 balls and also added an invaluable 93 runs  for the 8th wicket with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (24 batting) after  India looked down and out at 92 for 7.
India are now 101 runs short of South Africa's first  innings score of 286 and more importantly their premnier  bowler Dale Steyn left the field after bowling three  deliveries in his 15th over.
Pandya hit 13 fours and a six off left-arm spinner Keshav  Maharaj during his entertaining knock. The Baroda dasher  didn't complicate things and more importantly like AB de  Villiers decided to take the attack back to the opposition  camp without trying to defend doggedly.
He trusted the bounce, got on top of the rising  deliveries and played some audacious strokes despite getting  two ...

Swashbuckling Pandya takes India to 185 for 7 at tea on Day 2

Scoreboard at tea on day two in  the first Test match between India and South Africa here  today:
South Africa First Innings  286
India  (overnight 28-3)
Murali Vijay
c Elgar b Philander
1
Shikhar Dhawan
c & b Steyn
16
Cheteshwar Pujara
c du Plessis b Philander
26
Virat Kohli
c de Kock b Morne Morkel
5
Rohit Sharma
lbw b Rabada
11
Ravichandran Ashwin  c de Kock b Philander
12
Hardik Pandya
not out
81
Wriddhiman Saha
lbw b Steyn
0
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
not out
24
Extras
(LB-9)
9
Total
(7 wickts, 61 Overs)
185
Fall of wickets: 16-1, 18-2, 27-3, 57-4, 76-5, 81-6, 92-  7.
Bowling: Vernon Philander 14.3-8-33-3, Dale Steyn 17.3-6  -51-2, Morne Morkel 13-3-45-1, Kagiso Rabada 13-3-32-1, Keshav  Maharaj 3-0-15-0.

 Scoreboard at tea on day two in

India were 185 for seven at tea on  the second day of the first cricket Test against South Africa  here today.
Hardik Pandya (81) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (24) were at the  crease during the break.
Brief scores:
South Africa 1st innings: 286 all out
India 1st innings: 185/7 in 61 overs (Hardik Pandya 81,  Vernon Philander 3/33).

India 185/7 at tea on Day 2

Amidst issues of poor refereeing  and tight ISL scheduling, Bengaluru FC Head Coach Albert Roca  today said the organisers need to address the problems  plaguing this championship and make it better.
"It is for the organisers to address the issues dogging  this year's ISL," he told reporters ahead of an ISL match  between BFC and ATK here at Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
"They should not only address the poor refereeing issue,  but also other issues concerning championship in order to make  it better," he added.
The standard of refereeing this ISL has come in for a lot  of flak by most of foreign coaches, who complained that these  dubious decisions had affected their team's chances.
The coaches also had rapped organisers for tight  schedule, which hardly gave breathing space for players to  rest before getting ready for the next challenge.
However, the organisers are trying their best to mitigate  the problems, Roca said.
Asked about the delayed match between FC Goa and ATK  which got ...

It's for organisers to make things better, says BFC Coach

Kajal Kumari and Mohd. Ghufran,  both representing Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB),  registered contrasting wins to bag the womens singles and  mens singles crowns respectively in the LIC of India  sponsored 24th Federation Cup All India Carrom Championship  here today.
In the womens final Kajal was in complete control and  went on to score an authoritative 25-13, 25-12 victory against  Aisha Mohd of Jain Irrigation, a media release issued here  said.
On the other hand, Ghufran started with a flourish,  but later faced a strong challenge from World Champion  Prashant More of Reserve Bank of India before scraping through  by a close 25-13, 12-25, 22-19 scoreline in a thrilling mens  final.
Results - Womens singles  Final: Kajal Kumari (PSPB)  beat Aisha Mohd (Jain Irrigation) 25-13, 25-12. Third place:  Rashmi Kumari (PSPB) bt M. Parimala Devi (PSPB) 25-7, 17-25,  25-11. Semi-finals: Kajal Kumari (PSPB) bt M. Parimala Devi  (PSPB) 25-17, 25-1; Aisha Mohd (Jain Irrigation) bt ...

Carrom tourney: Ghufran, Kajal bag mens, womens crowns

: Tushar Shahani and Neel Joshi kept  India's challenge alive in the ongoing British Junior Open  squash at Birmingham, reaching the semifinals in the Under-17  and 15 boys categories respectively.
Shahani made it to the last four at the expense of  compatriot Saksham Choudhary, currently ranked number one in  the Under-17 category in India, 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 11-5.
Both players were seeded in the 9-16 bracket.
Shahani made the most of an early lead to complete a  victory and in the process became the lowest seeded player to  reach the semifinal across all categories this year, a Squash  Rackets Federation of India release said here today.
He faces top-seeded Egyptian Omar El Torkey late on  Saturday for a place in the final.
In the Under-15 section, two Indians were in contention  for the last four berths. Joshi, seeded in the 3-4 bracket,  beat Ahmed Ismail of Egypt 11-9, 10-12, 11-4, 8-11, 11-9.
The Mumbai lad will face second-seed Malaysian Muhammad  Amir Amirul Azhar in the last .

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