Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth clinched his third Super Series title, lifting the Indonesia Open men's singles trophy with a straight-game victory over Japanese qualifier Kazumasa Sakai in the finals here today.
     World No.22 Srikanth, who had reached the finals at Singapore Open in April, outclassed Sakai, ranked 47th, 21-11 21-19 in just 37 minutes to take home a cheque of USD 75,000.
     "He was playing well, especially in the second game and I think for me coming back from 6-11 down and make it 13-13 was the turning point," said Srikanth, who had clinched the 2014 China Super Series Premier and 2015 India Super Series.
     "My coach will have a special place in my heart as after he came, I reached the finals at Singapore and to win this tournament, which is considered the biggest tournament. I want to thank all the fans who have been rooting for me all this week," he added.
     Srikanth played a patient game and didn't allow his opponent to engage in any fast-paced rally. .

Sublime Srikanth lifts Indonesia Open title

PTI Automatic

India won the toss and elected to bowl against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final here today.
     India are unchanged for the match, while Pakistan have brought back fit-again Mohammad Amir into the playing XI.
     Teams:
     India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah.
     Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan.

India win toss, elect to bowl against Pakistan in CT final

Brian Harman opened up a one-shot lead at the 117th US Open in a dramatic third round lit up by a record-equalling 63 from Justin Thomas.
     Torrential rain that doused the 7,818-yard layout at Erin Hills overnight presented the field with a feast of birdie chances, transforming the leaderboard into a sea of red as dusk fell.
     Harman, who had begun the day in a four-way tie for the lead, carded a five-under-par 67 which included six birdies and one bogey.
     The 30-year-old from Georgia had never gone past the second round in a US Open before this year, missing the cut on his two previous visits in 2012 and 2015.
     "We're breaking down all kinds of barriers," Harman quipped.
     "I'm proud of the way I hung in there today. I got off to a pretty good start, which I really haven't done yet, so that was nice.
     "Struck it well, hit a bunch of greens, and that's what you've got to do to play well around here."
     The world number 50 headed to the clubhouse on 12 under, ...

Harman edges clear, Thomas dazzles in US Open blitz

The Indian men suffered a shocking 1.5-2.5 defeat at the hands of Poland while the women held higher ranked Georgia to a draw in the first round of World Teams Chess Championships, here.
     It turned out to be a bad day overall for the spirited Indian men team even as highest rated Indian Vidit Gujrathi provided a crucial full point on the top board against Radoslav Wojtaszek.
     The lead diminished as B Adhiban and National champion Murali Karthikeyan lost to Duda Jan Krzysztof and Kacper Pioren respectively while Parimarjan Negi played out a draw against Bartel Mateusz.
     The loss against marginally lower ranked Poland is not good news for Indian men that is fighting to better its best- ever bronze medal performance here.
     For the records, the Indian think-tank rested Krishnan Sasikiran for this round.
     The Indian men might have missed it but the women made up by holding Georgia to a draw.
     Grandmaster D Harika led from the front on the top board with some luck ...

Indian men lose to Poland, women hold Georgia in World Chess

Indian women, the fourth-seeds, were held to a 2-2 draw by Georgia in the opening round of the World Team Chess Championship at Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, today.
     The men's squad, seeded sixth, went down 1.5-2.5 to Poland with Grandmaster Vidit S Gujarathi posting the only win. Comeback man Parimarjan Negi registered a draw while GMs B Adhiban and Karthikeyan Murali suffered defeats.
     Playing on the top board, Vidit Gujrathi continued his good form from the Asian Championship to put it across GM Wojtaszek.
     In the women's event, Harika scored a win on the top board against GM N Dzagnidze while Esha Karvade and Padmini Rout settled for draws.
     However, the experienced S Vijayalakshmi, lost to I Batsiashvili, which denied India a winning start.
     Meanwhile, in other games in the women's event, Vietnam crushed Egypt 4-0 and Poland swept past Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5. USA were edged out 1.5-2.5 by Ukraine.
     Host Russia got off their campaign on a confident note by subduing .

Indian women held to draw; men lose in World Team Chess

India have ticked all the boxes in the ongoing Champions Trophy and it's no surprise that they would get past Pakistan to retain the title, Test wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha said today.
     "Barring one match (against Sri Lanka) India have done well in every department and they are overall favourites. It's no surprise, you ask anyone, he or she will put India in the hot seat tomorrow," India's number one Test wicketkeeper Saha said on the sidelines of a CAB first division league match today.
     Having routed Pakistan by 124 runs in their Champions Trophy opener, defending champions India had a blip against Sri Lanka who beat Virat Kohli's men by seven wickets.
     But, they have bounced back in style, ousting South Africa in a must-win match before a clinical win over Bangladesh in the semi-final.
     "It's a high pressure game and the most important thing is to maintain composure. The team who will perform well will win," Saha said.
     India's batting line-up, as ...

India favourites against Pakistan: Saha

In a new role for Dipa Karmakar, the star Indian gymnast will be seen promoting baseball in Bengal.
     The Tripura gymnast, who missed an Olympic medal in Rio by a whisker, and her coach Bishweshwar Nandi were today named ambassadors of Bengal Baseball Association.
     "Bengal Baseball Association is glad to announce Olympian Dipa Karmakar and Dronacharya Awardee Bishweshwar Nandi as our ambassadors," the association stated in a release.
     This was announced on the sidelines of their annual General Meeting here today.

Dipa to promote baseball in Bengal

"Cometh the Hour Cometh the Man" is an old adage which fits in perfectly with Indian captain Virat Kohli's cricketing philosophy as he reveals how he visualises difficult situations and formulate strategies.
     No wonder, some of Kohli's innings across formats have been absolute masterclasses.
     "You know, the ability to think otherwise in a difficult situation is something that sets you apart in that situation and actually pulls the team through. So if you are thinking we are three down and I might get out, then you will get out.
     "If you are thinking we are three down but I am going to counterattack and get the team back on track, it ends up happening because you are convinced about it," Kohli said when asked about how he prepares for big games.
     "I visualise a lot, and I see myself in difficult situations and actually convince myself that I can pull the team out in those situations. It won't happen every time, but 8 out of 10 times, it will end up happening because you 

I visualise tough situations and then find solutions: Kohli

Cristiano Ronaldo will put speculation over his club future firmly to one side as he leads European champions Portugal into their Confederations Cup opener against Mexico in Kazan tomorrow.
     The 32-year-old Real Madrid superstar's build-up to the tournament in Russia has been overshadowed after he was this week accused by prosecutors in Spain of defrauding the authorities of 14.7 million euros ($16.5m) in tax through offshore companies.
     Now the Madrid sports media is awash with headlines suggesting Ronaldo wants out of the Spanish champions, despite only signing a new contract through to 2021 in November.
     But for the next two weeks the main thing on the mind of the reigning Ballon d'Or holder is winning more silverware in the eight-nation World Cup warm-up event.
     "He takes this tournament very seriously and is focused," said Ronaldo's team-mate Andre Silva, the striker who has just joined AC Milan from Porto.
     "It would be a beautiful thing to have on the CV. Of 

Troubled Ronaldo eyes more silver at Confederations Cup

Continuing with their impressive run, India blanked Canada 3-0 to register their second consecutive win at the Hockey World League Semi-Final here today.
     India scored three field goals through S V Sunil (5th minute), Akashdeep Singh (10th) and Sardaer Singh (18th) to pocket full three points from the Pool B game at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre.
     The win virtually secured India's place in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
     India had earlier defeated Scotland 4-1 in their opening encounter on Thursday.
     The sixth ranked Indians will play arch-rivals Pakistan in their next pool match tomorrow.
     India meant business from the onset and secured their first penalty corner as early as in the opening minute of the game, but Harmanpreet Singh's effort sailed over the goal.
     Two minutes later, India's last match hero Ramandeep Singh's shot from the top of the circle was saved by David Carter in front of the Canadian goal.
     India's persistent attacks resulted in ...

India maintain unbeaten run, beat Canada 3-0 in HWL Semi-Final

Virat Kohli has nearly 16 million followers on micro-blogging site 'Twitter' but the Indian captain considers it as a distraction before a big match like ICC Champions Trophy final against Pakistan tomorrow.
     His counterpart Sarfraz Ahmed, however, is "indebted to millions on social media" for supporting the team throughout.
     Kohli does not want his side to be "over excited" before the summit showdown while Sarfraz admitted that his team is "excited and motivated to perform well".
     In a nutshell, the two captains were like chalk and cheese before their biggest match as captains of their respective nations.
     When the question was popped up to Kohli at the pre-final media conference as to what are the things he would like to prioritise, his reply was crystal clear.
     "The biggest thing is to stay off social media. Honestly, it sounds funny, but it's so important to stay away from those things, to connect to things that matter, the things that a sportsman needs to take 

Virat  "stays away" from social media, Sarfraz "thanks" it

Close on the heels of Singapore Open final, K Srikanth made his way to yet another summit clash at Indonesia Super Series Premier and the Indian ace says he is shocked to achieve the feat and it will take some time to sink in.
     Srikanth defeated World No. 1 San Wan Ho of Korea 21-15 14-21 24-22 to set up a clash with Kazumasa Sakai of Japan, who defeated another Indian shuttler HS Prannoy.
     "Coming into the tournament, I never thought really that I will reach the finals again. I am shocked to be playing back to back finals. It will take a while to digest it and then prepare for tomorrow," Srikanth told PTI.
     Talking about today's match, Srikanth said: "It was a tough match and I was prepared for a long match. Whenever I play him, it is always a long match and he has been playing well of late. He is the world No 1 now and you have to give him respect.
     "I won a lot of points and also lost points when my smashes went out but that's the way I play, it is my main scoring ..

Shocked to reach back-to-back finals: Srikanth

Pakistani pacers have managed to subdue the rival batsmen en route to the Champions Trophy final but Gautam Gambhir does not see them posing any serious threat to Indian batsmen in the title clash tomorrow.
     The Pakistani attack, comprising the likes of Mohammed Amir, Junaid Khan and Hasan Ali, has gone from strength to strength. They were exceptional against Sri Lanka and very impressive against England in the semifinals.
     Gambhir is of the view that for Pakistani pacers to make an impact tomorrow in London, help from the conditions is imperative.
     "For years the India-Pakistan contest has been a battle between India's batting and Pakistan bowling. Earlier, it used to be Shoaib (Akhtar) and Umar Gul vs us and now Amir is their best bowler. Given the flat nature of wickets in the competition so far I don't see any threat for India. May be Amir can do something out of ordinary, conditions permitting," Gambhir told PTI in an interaction.
     As far as India's attack is ...

No threat to India from Pakistan pacers: Gambhir

Veteran Indian opener Gautam Gambhir was today handed a suspended four-match ban from first-class cricket for his ugly confrontation with Delhi Ranji coach KP Bhaskar earlier this year.
     An enquiry committee constituted by Delhi and Districts Cricket Association administrator Justice Vikramjit Sen, comprising chairman Madan Lal, Rajendra R Rathore and advocate Soni Singh found Gambhir guilty and termed the batsman's behaviour as "serious" and "inappropriate".
     However, Sen decided to "suspend the punishment for a period of two years ending on 30th March 2019" conditional on Gambhir accepting this order and not committing any similar transgressions.
     "Having learnt of an incident, which occurred when the team from DDCA was in Orissa, in which an altercation between Gautam Gambhir and Bhasker Pillai had transpired, and pursuant to a complaint received from Pillai, I met both persons on 10th March 2017. The matter could not be amicably and satisfactorily resolved.
     "The ..

Gambhir gets suspended 4-match ban for showdown with Bhaskar

Star South African batsman A B de Villiers today heaped praise on Virat Kohli, describing him as "a consummate surgeon at the crease" who is able to cope with extreme pressure that is associated with leading a top side like India.
     "He has been blessed with wonderful natural talent but, as ever among high achievers, his talent is underpinned by a willingness to work hard," wrote De Villiers in his column for the 'BBC'.
     "He is a consummate surgeon at the crease, intensely focussed, working hard, playing the ball into gaps in the field and staying calm under pressure. He is always judging the right time to consolidate and the right time to seize a game by the scruff of the neck," he added.
     De Villiers, whose team came up with a disappointing show at the ongoing Champions Trophy despite being the world No. 1 side, applauded Kohli's ability to deal with pressure and steer his team to the final, scheduled tomorrow.
     "Beyond the golden talent and the iron determination, ...

De Villiers bowled by Kohli's ability to deal with pressure

Rashid Khan kept the Indian hopes alive even as SSP Chawrasia was halted for a day in the third round of the Queen's Cup here today.
     Rashid, a two-time winner on Asian Tour, trying to find his way back to the winner's circle, shot one-under 70, and at 8-under was tied-8th, down from overnight tied-3rd.
     Also sliding down was Chawrasia, a six-time winner on Asian Tour, whose one-over 72 saw him at tied-12, after being tied-3 overnight.
     Malaysia's Nicholas Fung birdied two of his last three holes to take a one-shot lead over former Asian Tour number ones Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand and Filipino Juvic Pagunsan at the USD 500,000 event.
     Of the other Indians -- Rahil Gangjee (70) moved seven places up to tied-20th and Sujjan Singh (69) made a handy jump from overnight tied-52 to tied-27th. Chiragh Kumar (68) also moved up nicely from tied-60 to tied-35, while Shiv Kapur (72) stayed at tied-45. Jeev Milkha Singh had a rough day with 80 and fell to tied-69.
     Rashid .

Rashid, Chawrasia slip but still in with chance

Aditi Ashok put herself in a perfect position to make a bid for her first Top-10 finish or even better as she shot a second straight three-under 68 in the Meijer LPGA Classic here.
     Aditi is now six-under through 36 holes and Tied-14th but six shots behind a solid Brooke Henderson, who after rounds of 63 and 67 is 12-under and in clear lead.
     The Indian, who was the Rookie of the Year on Ladies European Tour after wins on the Hero Women's Indian Open and Qatar Ladies Open, has been finding her feet slowly but steadily on the world's biggest golf tour for women.
     Starting on the 10th, she grabbed a birdie on the par- five 11th and then played 10 straight pars before getting her second birdie on the par-three fourth.
     A bogey on the sixth hole pushed her back, but she closed strongly with birdies on eighth and ninth for a day's work of 68.
     Henderson, who has now won yet in 2017, leads by two heading into the weekend.
     The 19-year-old Henderson rattled off ...

Solid Aditi moves to 14th to eye best finish of season

K Srikanth was at his grittiest best as he shocked world No.1 Son Wan Ho for a place in the final but giant-killer H S Prannoy's battle ended in agony at the USD 1,000,000 Indonesia Super Series Premier, here today.
     Srikanth fought like a man possessed to outclass Son Wan Ho 21-15 18-21 24-22 in an energy-sapping men's singles match that lasted an hour and 12 minutes here.
     After his stunning wins over Olympic silver-medallist Lee Chong Wei and Rio gold-medallist Chen Long, expectations were high from Prannoy but the Indian suffered a heart-breaking 21 -17 26-28 18-21 defeat to Japanese Kazumasa Sakai in a 77- minute men's singles match.
     Srikanth had a 2-4 head-to-head record against Son, having lost to the Korean four times in the last four meetings but all that didn't matter today as he survived a battle of attrition at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC).
     World No. 22 Srikanth will next face World No. 47 Sakai in the finals tomorrow.
     This is the fourth Super 

Srikanth enters final, Prannoy loses at Indonesia Open

Nobody likes to cheer alone, especially when India is playing Pakistan on the cricket pitch.
	With the traditional rivals up against each other in the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy tomorrow in London, bars and restaurants are honing their pitch too to attract cricket enthusiasts waiting to make the most of their Sunday evening.
	Giant screens, happy hours and a free drink if you predict the match right or walk in wearing the Indian jersey are some of the offers being rolled out. After all, cricket and Pakistan have always made for a profitable mix.
	Pune-based software project manager Subhabrata Chattopadhyay will be one of those heading to a bar to enjoy the match. It is all about the ambience and exciting offers, he says.
	"You don't cheer alone, you have 50 people cheering with you. The entire place lights up. On top of that, watching on the big screen with a decent sound system is a different experience all together," he told PTI.
	Talking about the unique offers that places .

Cricket Sunday: Bars spin discounts to cheer boys in blue

This is an interesting cricketing trivia involving Sarfraz Ahmed and Imad Wasim that will keep the Pakistani fans interested in the ICC Champions Trophy final against India here tomorrow.
     Despite Pakistan's dismal record against India across ICC tournaments where the record is a whopping 13-2 in favour of 'Men In Blue', the current Pakistan skipper has a reason to smile.
     Sarfraz and left-arm spinner Imad Wasim are the only members of this Pakistani side who have won an ICC tournament final against India.
     It's the 2006 ICC U-19 World Cup in which Pakistan colts defeated their arch rivals by 38 runs in a low-scoring final at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
     Pakistan were all out for 109 but then bowled out India for 71 on an under-prepared pitch.
     Sarfraz was the captain of the Pakistan team while India were led by Cheteshwar Pujara.
     Like Pakistan, India also have two members of that side playing in tomorrow's final -- Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja.

Sarfraz, Imad: Pakistanis to win an ICC final vs India

Zimbabwe will embark on their first tour of Sri Lanka in 15 years this month, playing five One-day Internationals and a Test match, Sri Lanka's cricket board said today.
     The tour will start on June 30 with the first ODI at the Galle International Stadium, which will host its first limited-overs match in 17 years.
     The last ODI at Galle was in June 2000, when Sri Lanka beat South Africa by 37 runs.
     The first two ODIs with Zimbabwe will be at Galle and the remaining three 50-over games will be at the refurbished Hambantota Stadium.
     The only Test match will be at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo starting July 14.
     Schedule:
     June 30 - 1st ODI at Galle
     July 2 - 2nd ODI at Galle
     July 6 - 3rd ODI at Hambantota
     July 8 - 4th ODI at Hambantota
     July 10 - 5th ODI at Hambantota
     July 14 - 1st Test at Colombo.

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