A lacklustre India today slumped  to their second defeat at the Hockey World League (HWL) Final  here and chief coach Sjoerd Marijne was livid with the  execution skills of his boys.
Despite having the better share of chances in their final  Pool B match against Germany, the hosts could not execute them  and went down 0-2.
Summing up the performance of his players at the end of  the pool stage, coach Marijne said better match statistics  doesn't have any significance if a team can't win.
"If you look at the match statistics, we have more circle  entries, more penalty corners, more ball possession but  eventually it is about scoring. The chances we get we have to  make use of them," the Dutchman said at the post-match press  conference.
"In the second half we played well. We created chances  but didn't execute them and they (Germany) knew how to execute  their opportunities. One team have more ball possession but  what matters is execution. It's about who scores most goals.  It's about 

Statistics doesn't matter, what matters is execution: Marijne

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Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and  veteran Vijay Amritraj will grace the second Premjit Lall  Invitational Tournament here from December 14-17.
Top players, including Ramkumar Ramanathan, Saketh  Myneni, S Balaji, Vishnu Vardhan, have confirmed participation  in the Rs 10.05 lakh prize money tournament organised by the  Jaidip Mukerjea Tennis Academy at Saltlake.
"They (Sania and Amritraj) will be here to pay tribute to  the great Premjit Lall," Mukerjea said at the announcement  here today.
Sania and Amritraj will be here for the tournament final  on December 16, while the next day of the meet will witness a  pro-celeb event.

Sania, Amritraj guests for invitational tennis meet

Indian football team captain Sunil  Chhetri today tied the knot with long-time girlfriend Sonam  Bhattacharya, daughter of Mohun Bagan legend Subrata  Bhattacharya, at a grand wedding ceremony here today.
The poster boy of Indian football was seen in a  traditional Nepali attire topped with a 'topi' (hat) as he  made an entry riding a horse in the evening.
Later, he was seen in traditional Bengali attire as the  wedding followed the customs of both the bride and groom.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was among the  firsts to bless the newly-weds as a host of celebrities from  the world of politics, cinema, football and other sports were  seen at the wedding.
The guests included Chuni Goswami, Gourmangi Singh,  Rennedy Singh and Robin Singh among others as the couple were  seen posing for photographs after the wedding.
The couple had exchanged rings last month, soon after  which the 33-year-old resumed on-field action for Bengaluru FC  in the Indian Super League.
Chhetri, ...

Chhetri weds long-time girlfriend Sonam

Ajay Kumar Reddy of Andhra Pradesh  will lead a 17-member Indian squad at the 5th ODI World Cup  Cricket Tournament For The Blind to be held in January.
The squad was today announced by Samarthanam and the  Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI).
The World Cup will be held in Pakistan and Dubai from  January 7 to 21.
Apart from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri  Lanka, Australia and South Africa will also play in the  tournament, a media release issued here said today.
Prior to selecting the World Cup squad, zonal and  national tournaments were conducted in different parts of the  country from October 8 to November 3.
The 24th national championship was conducted here from  where 56 players were selected for the final selection camp in  Pune.
The selected members will now undergo training in a  month-long camp scheduled to held in Bengaluru from December  6 to January 4.
The team will leave for Pakistan on January 5 to take  part in the World Cup, the release ...

Reddy to lead Indian team at ODI World Cup for the Blind

The statue of Lionel Messi in  Buenos Aires has been vandalised again -- this time the  Argentine hero was cut off at the ankles between Sunday night  and Monday morning.
Messi's boots still chased a ball on the plinth while the  severed body was pushed to the ground and left lying there.
The statue was erected in June 2016 after Messi had  announced his retirement, brief as it turned out, from the  national team.
It was first attacked in early January when the Barcelona  star was sliced in half across the torso.
The statue is on the Promenade de Glorias, alongside  monuments to other Argentinian sporting heros including NBA  veteran Manu Ginobili, tennis star Guillermo Vilas and Formula  One great Juan Manuel Fangio.
Messi's neighbours have not been immune to attack. In  2016, Gabriela Sabatini's tennis racket was stolen.

Messi's statue vandalised again

India produced a lacklustre and  disappointing performance in their second consecutive match to  go down 0-2 to Germany and end their pool engagements on a  winless note at the Hockey World League (Final), here today.
Bhubaneswar crowd had to return home disappointed once  again as Germany scored two goals in the second quarter  through skipper Martin Haner (17th minute) and Mats Grambusch  (20th) to hand India their second defeat of the eight-nation  tournament.
India, who drew 1-1 with Australia and lost 2-3 against  England in their previous outings, thus finished at the bottom  of Pool B table with just one point from three matches.
Earlier in the day, world champions Australia and England  played out a 2-2 draw in their final pool engagements.
Dylan Wootherspoon (33rd minute) and Blake Govers (42st)  scored for Australia, while Liam Ansell (4th) and Phil Roper  (54th) found the net for England.
Having finished at the bottom, India will now play the  leaders of Pool A in the ...

India lose 0-2 to Germany to remain winless in pool stages

Gujarat speedster Jasprit Bumrah  predictably got his maiden call-up in the 17-member Indian  Test squad for the South Africa tour while rookies Washington  Sundar, Basil Thampi and Deepak Hooda were summoned for the  three-match T20 Internationals against Sri Lanka.
As expected, captain Virat Kohli will not be playing the  T20 Internationals against Sri Lanka and his deputy Rohit  Sharma will be leading the 15-member squad that also has  former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Bumrah was included as the fifth pacer in the squad as  chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, currently in the squad for the Sri  Lanka Test missed out. The Test squad comprised three openers  in Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay followed by four  automatic middle-order picks in Cheteshwar Pujara, skipper  Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit.
The four frontline pacers -- Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami,  Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma -- were also certainties  just like spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra ...

Bumrah gets maiden Test call-up; Sundar, Thampi for T20s vs SL

Delhi government's education  department has drafted a policy to provide financial  assistance of up to Rs three lakh per annum and specialised  training to young sporting talents from the national capital.
The policy was presented before Chief Minister Arvind  Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia at the Delhi  Secretariat today.
"The policy covers all school students who are bonafide  residents of Delhi for the past three years. A Committee of  Experts (CoE) would be constituted including at least five  members of excellent sports background with impeccable  integrity and credentials," an official statement said.
According to the policy draft, which will be soon sent to  the Cabinet for its approval, an annual financial support of  Rs two lakh per annum will be provided to school students up  to the age of 14 years, while those above this age would get  Rs three lakh per annum as support.
"The quantum of assistance may be enhanced in some cases  by the committee. The ...

Delhi govt plans to provide financial help, training to young

Batsman Alex Hales will face no  criminal charges over a fracas that resulted in an England  suspension for him and all-rounder Ben Stokes, cricket chiefs  said today.
Hales, a 28-year-old opener, has not played any  professional cricket since he and Stokes became embroiled in  the late-night incident outside a Bristol nightclub on  September 25.
Following a brief statement from the England and Wales  Cricket Board (ECB), Hales can expect to be considered when  the Ashes tourists pick their squad for the limited-overs leg  of their Australia trip following the conclusion of the  ongoing second Test in Adelaide.
"Alex Hales will now be considered for England selection,  following confirmation that he is no longer a suspect in  relation to an incident in Bristol in September," the ECB  statement said.
Stokes, who made his return to cricket for Canterbury  Kings in New Zealand on Sunday, is still waiting to hear if  prosecutors will advise police to charge him following his  arrest on ...

Hales faces no charges over nightclub incident - ECB

After overcoming Chennai City FC  challenge with a convincing 3-0 win, the AIFF development side  Indian Arrows will be in action for the second time in Goa in  their I-League campaign when they face Minerva Punjab FC here  tomorrow.
The Arrows are making their debut in the I-league and  have got the right start by beating Chennai City comfortably.
Aniket Yadhav was the star for the Arrows as his double  strike ensured them full points from their first home match  here.
They are playing at GMC Athletic Stadium here no venue in  Delhi is available. Tomorrow, they would look to collect full  points before they shift back to Delhi to play their remaining  home matches.
The young and energetic Indian Arrows gave a good account  of themselves against Chennai City.
The Arrows coach Norton de Matos said he was happy that  his team won the first match.
"I'm happy the boys are following my training and showing  good skill and organisation. The I-League level is different,  the players playing .

Indian Arrows face Minerva Punjab challenge

Having finally scored a century  after 19 Test matches, former Sri Lankan skipper Angelo  Mathews today spoke about being under constant pressure since  the time he made his international debut.
It was in 2015 that Mathews got his last Test hundred and  when asked about the kind of pressure post Kumar Sangakkara  and Mahela Jayawardene's retirement, Mathews said: "From my  debut up to now, I feel the same pressure. But when you get  slightly older, you face more pressure.
"If you take the last few years, I have been in and out  of the side due to injuries. Inconsistency of not being in the  team can affect you, but no excuses. It is what it is and we  are here to do a job. There hasn't been a single game where I  have played without any pressure."
Mathews thanked batting coach Thilan Samaraweera for  helping him sort out some technical glitches that had crept  into his batting.
"I should thank our batting coach for reminding me a few  things that I have been doing right in the past ...

Have always been under pressure since debut: Mathews

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Megasthnes riddened by R.Vaibhav  won the DR. V. Sachidanandham Memorial Trophy the races held  here today.
Winner is the property of M A M R Muthiah and trained  by R Karthick.
Trainers B.Suresh and R.Karthick saddled two winners  each, while jockey Akshay Kumar rode four winners.
Three favourites obliged in a card of seven events.

 Megasthnes riddened by R.Vaibhav

The pitches in Nagpur and Delhi  have not been exactly what the team management wanted ahead of  the South Africa tour but Mohammed Shami is happy that barren  tracks like the one at the ongoing Test in Kotla have given  him a chance to test his fitness while bowling long spells.
The bowlers had to toil hard for the entire day as Sri  Lanka ended the day three at 356/9 in reply to India's massive  first innings score of 536/7 declared.
"The kind of tracks we would have wanted to bowl on  before going to South Africa haven't been provided. So it  didn't go as per our plans. But it is a good thing that on  these kind of pitches, you need to work even harder as a fast  bowler. These tracks test your fitness as you get to bowl long  spells," Shami said at the end of the third day's play.
Having bowled 24 overs in the innings so far for two  wickets, Shami is happy that it's a departure from the usual  template of spinners getting to bowl maximum overs.
"If you see, fast bowlers have ...

We didn't get the kind of tracks we expected: Shami

The All India Football Federation  senior vice-president Subrata Dutta will speak on the growing  market of the sport in the country at Europe's largest sports  business meet -- SPOBIS -- in Dusseldorf on January 30.
Dutta will talk about "the sleeping football giant has  awoken! Why the internationalisation of European football must  take place in India" in a session moderated by football  consultant Arunava Chaudhuri.
"I keenly await to excite the leaders of the football  world by showcasing the prospects of the growing market of  football in India," Dutta said as he is set to meet and  interact with high-profile delegates such as German FA (DFB)  president Reinhard Grindel, Bayern Munich President Uli  Hoeness, La Liga President Javier Tebas Medrano among others  at Dusseldorf.

Dutta to speak at Europe's sport business meet

Scoreboard at the close on day  three in the second Ashes Test between Australia and England  here today.
Australia 1st innings: 442 for 8 declared
England 1st innings (overnight 29 for 1)
A Cook
c Smith b Lyon
37
M Stoneman
lbw b Starc
18
J Vince
c Paine b Hazlewood
2
J Root
c Bancroft b Cummins
9
D Malan
c Paine b Cummins
19
M Ali
c and b Lyon
25
J Bairstow  c and b Starc
21
C Woakes
c and b Starc
36
C Overton
not out
41
S Broad
c Paine b Lyon
3
J Anderson
lbw b Lyon
0
Extras: (LB-15, W-1)
16
Total: (all out; 76.1 overs)
227
Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-31, 3-50, 4-80, 5-102, 6-132, 7  -142, 8-208, 9-227.
Bowling: Starc 20-4-49-3, Hazlewood 16-3-56-1, Cummins  16-3-47-2, Lyon 24.1-5-60-4.
Australia 2nd innings:
C Bancroft
c Bairstow b Anderson  4
D Warner
c Root b Woakes
14
U Khawaja
lbw b Anderson
20
S Smith
lbw b Woakes
6
P Handscomb
not out
3
N Lyon
not out
3
Extras:(LB-2, W-1)
3
Total: (For 4 wkts; 26 overs)
53
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-39, 3-41, 4-50.
Bowling: Anderson 11-7-16-2, ...

Adelaide, Dec 4 (AFP) Scoreboard at the close on day

Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo  Mathews termed it "worse" than before but Indian pacer  Moahammed Shami found nothing out of ordinary in the pollution  levels, which had prompted the visitors to hold up proceedings  in the ongoing third Test here.
Delhi's air quality continued to be in the "very poor"  category, something which had led to play being stopped on  three occasions yesterday. Sri Lankan players took the field  wearing anti-pollution masks in the post-lunch session  complaining of breathing problems.
"It was pretty much the same as yesterday, I would say.  Or even a bit worse! I am not really sure. Look, it's up to  the match referee (David Boon) and also the umpires (Nigel  Llong and Joel Wilson) to take a decision on that," Mathews  said after the third day's at the end of which Sri Lanka were  356/9 in reply to India's 536/7.
"We are out here to play cricket and we want to get on  the park," he added.
India bowled 85.3 overs on the day and not for once was  play stopped ..

Capital Pollution: worse for Mathews, Shami used to it

The Supreme Court today directed  the Archery Association of India (AAI) to amend its  constitution in accordance with the 2011-National Sports  Development Code (NSDC) and conduct the elections in four  weeks thereafter.
The apex court said the election should take place in  accordance with the amended constitution by virtue of the  court's order under the supervision of former Chief Election  Commissioner S Y Quraishi, who has been appointed as the  administrator by the Delhi High Court.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M  Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud requested Quraishi to oversee  the election in accordance with the amended constitution.
The apex court's direction came during the hearing of the  AAI's plea against a Delhi High Court verdict of August 10,  appointing Quraishi to look into the functioning of  association which was derecognised by the government in 2012  for four months.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General P S  Narasimha said though ..

SC asks AAI to amend constitution in one week, hold elections

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister  Mehbooba Mufti today praised a baseball player and a cyclist  for their achievements and said that youth from Kashmir Valley  were continuing to break new ground in sports.
Tahir Shabnum of Srinagar was selected for the 'Dubai  Cup' India-Pakistan International Baseball Series to be held  at Sharjah Stadium in United Arab Emirates.
"Valley baseball player Tahir Shabnum selected for the  Dubai Cup. Youth from the (Kashmir) valley continue to break  new ground," she tweeted.
He was selected after participating in trials at  Chandigarh and a coaching camp at Patiala organised by the  Amateur Baseball Federation of India. The tournament is  scheduled to be held from December 8.
Shabnum has represented the state a number of times in  the senior national baseball championships and also  represented Kashmir University in All India Inter University  Baseball Championship.
In another Twitter post, the chief minister said,  "Another great achievement in sports, 

Youth from valley continue to break new ground in sports:

Indian boxing star Vijender Singh  is set to defend his WBO Oriental and Asia Pacific Super  middleweight titles against Ghana's Ernest Amuzu in Jaipur on  December 23.
Unbeaten in nine fights so far Vijender was last seen in  action in August when he defeated China's No.1 boxer Zulpikar  Maimaitiali to claim the WBO Oriental title.
"I am really excited on having my 10th fight in India in  the Pink City of Jaipur. I am training hard in the ring for  the last two months and still have three weeks to go for my  next fight, so looking forward to winning the third title  fight in a row," the Olympic bronze medallist said.
Announcing the launch of his new promotional company --  Vijender Singh Promotions, he said, "the company will  encourage the new talents and provide them a chance to be a  part of a big show.
Ghana's Ernest Amuzu will also be looking to win the 26th  pro fight of his career. He has won 23 fights, 21 of them  Konckouts, and lost only two in his pro career.
"So far ...

Vijender to defend title against African Champion Ernest Amuzu

Vladimir Putin has staked Russia's  prestige -- and his own reputation -- on sporting achievements  but a possible ban from the Winter Olympics after claims of  state-run doping threatens to wipe out any successes.
Observers say it was the Kremlin's desire for victory  that fuelled the cheating that spectacularly backfired, with  the country losing its top ranking in the 2014 Sochi Winter  Olympics after being stripped of 11 medals for doping.
More penalties are expected in the coming days as the  International Olympic Committee meets on Tuesday to rule on  whether to ban Russia from competing in the Winter Games in  Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February as punishment for  cheating at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
"Sport is a huge media and political resource and Sochi  was very important for the country's image," said political  commentator Sergei Medvedev, adding Russia had resorted to  mass-scale doping to guarantee victory in the Sochi games.
"It turns out they overplayed their hand ...

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