All-rounder Axar Patel smashed a 61-ball 98 before leg-spinner Mayank Markande claimed four wickets as India C trounced India B by 136 runs in the third and final one-dayer of the Deodhar Trophy here on Saturday.
Batting first, India C posted a challenging 280 for 5, riding on Axar's brilliance and and Virat Singh's 96-ball 76.
They then returned to dismiss India B for 144 in 43.4 overs to complete the drubbing.
For India B, Baba Aparajith emerged as the top-scorer with a 90-ball 53 but he didn't get any support from the other hand.
India B and India C have already qualified for the finals after India A lost both their ties and the two teams will face off in the summit clash here on Monday.
Chasing the total, India B batsmen threw away starts, losing wickets at regular intervals.
Openers Ruturaj Gaikwad (20) and Yashashvi Jaiswal (28) were the first to go after being dismissed by Diwesh Pathania and Jalaj Saxena as India B were reduced to 74 for two in 17.5 overs.
However, India B ...

Deodhar Trophy: Axar, Markande set up India C's 136-run win over India B

PTI Automatic

There is no dearth of options to have a settled middle order going into the World T20 next year reckons stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma, who advocated the need to shift from chop-and-change policy in order provide the youngsters a sense of security.
Whenever India's top-order fires, the team stays in a good space but a weak middle and lower order has been exposed a number of times when that does not happen.
Asked if the team has zeroed in on, on this aspect, ahead of the World T20 in Australia, Rohit said, "We have lot of options."
"They need to get more games under their belt to be more confident and getting the job done. The team, a few years ago, was very much settled so there was not much room for a younger player to come and grab that opportunity," Rohit said ahead of first Twenty20 against Bangladesh.
"There has always been a chop and change between that number 4,5,6 and 7 as well. So now this is the best time for us to try these guys. Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Manish Pandey then 

I don't like to put myself on forefront when I am captaining: Rohit

"I was playing against 21 people -- 11 theirs and 10 ours," said former speedster Shoaib Akhtar, once again fuelling match-fixing allegations against his former Pakistan teammates.
Pakistan cricket had plunged into one of its many crisis in recent years when fast bowler Mohammad Aamir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt were banned for spot-fixing in 2011.
"I was always of the belief that I can never cheat Pakistan, no match-fixing but I was surrounded by match-fixers. I was playing against 21 people (sic) -- 11 theirs and 10 ours. Who knows who was the match-fixer," Akhtar said during a talk show 'Rewind With Samina Peerzada'.
"There was so much match-fixing. Asif told me which all matches they had fixed and how they did it."
Akhtar said he was livid when he came to know that Aamir and Asif had indulged in corruption during a Test against England.
"I tried to make Aamir and Asif understand. What a waste of talent. When I heard about this, I was so upset that I punched the wall," said the .

I was surrounded by fixers such as Aamir and Asif, says Akhtar

Celebrated all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan's absence from the T20 series against India could be a "blessing in disguise" for Bangladesh and a great opportunity for the young cricketers to turn stars overnight, said former T20I captain Shahriar Nafees.
Bangladesh suffered a big blow on the eve of their departure to India when ICC handed a two-year ban on their Test and T20I captain Shakib for failing to report three suspect approaches.
Without Shakib, the world no 1 ODI all-rounder, and senior batsman Tamim Iqbal, who had skipped the tour for personal reasons, Bangladesh will lack the experience of as many as 151 T20Is when they begin the three-match series in Delhi on Sunday.
"There could not have been any bigger opportunity for the young Bangladeshi players to prove themselves against such a big team like India," Shahriar, who played 24 Tests, 75 ODIs and one T20I, told PTI in an exclusive interview.
"The whole world sits up and watches when India play. It's massive for the youngsters to 

Shakib's absence blessing in disguise: Former Bangla opener Shahriar

Shakib Al Hasan remains a loved character in Bangladesh cricket and will be welcomed with open arms, T20 captain Mahmudullah Riyad said on Saturday as his side geared up for challenges ahead in the absence of the iconic all-rounder.
Shakib was banned by the ICC for two years (one year suspended) for not reporting corrupt approaches from an alleged Indian bookie during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
A few international cricketers such as England's Michael  Vaughan were critical of not-so-harsh punishment handed to Shakib by world cricket's governing body.
However, Bangladesh is not yet ready to shun its favourite son as it was evident from Mahmudullah's comments.
"Let me tell you. We loved Shakib, still love Shakib and will continue loving Shakib. And when he comes back, he will be welcomed with open arms," Mahmudullah told reporters ahead of first T20 against India.
"When he enters the dressing room, we will all give him a tight hug," the affable Bangladesh skipper ...

Shakib will be welcomed with open arms: Mahmudullah

India's top doubles player Rohan Bopanna, along with his partner Denis Shapovalov of Canada, suffered a narrow defeat against Russian duo of Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublov in the quarter-finals to crash out of the Paris Masters here.
The Indo-Canadian duo fought hard for over 80 minutes before losing 5-7, 7-6, 8-10 against the Russian pair to bow out of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
Bopanna and Shapovalov produced 10 aces but they also committed three double faults during the match.
The Indo-Canadian pair saved four out of seven break points and converted both the chances that came their way.
Bopanna and Shapovalov had defeated the American Manuel Gonzalez and Argentine's Austin Krajicek in the prequarterfinals.
The Russian pair will now take on Slovakian-Croatian combination of Filip Polasek and Ivan Dodig in the semifinal.

Bopanna-Shapovalov bow out of Paris Masters

David Warner has bounced back from a poor Ashes campaign with a red-hot run of form in the Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka, which he attributes to "maintaining the rage".
The explosive opener has scored 217 in three innings without losing his wicket, winning man-of-the-match each time to steer Australia to a 3-0 series victory.
It has been a big turnaround for the 33-year-old, who scored just 95 runs in 10 innings at a paltry average of 9.5 in the Ashes against England after an impressive World Cup.
Despite that frustration, he said he never doubted the runs would come again.
"I've always been confident," he told reporters after his 57 not out in the third T20 in Melbourne on Friday evening, following on from an unbeaten 100 and 60 in the other two games.
"I was out of runs (in England). For me, it's about going out there and trying to apply myself 100 percent, like I do every time. I've been hitting the ball as well as ever.
"I haven't changed any routines," he added.
"I've just ...

Red-hot Warner 'maintaining the rage' as Pakistan loom

The youngsters on the fringes will line up for another World Twenty20 audition while a few seniors will try to get back into the groove when firm-favourite India take on Bangladesh in the smog-hit series-opener here on Sunday.
Questions have been raised over the rationale behind hosting the match in Delhi at a time when the national capital is battling post-Diwali air pollution but the BCCI ruled out shifting the tie at the last minute due to logistic issues.
The visiting side is not complaining but pollution, the resultant health concerns and the ban imposed on Bangladesh's iconic all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan just before the tour has definitely hogged more limelight in the build-up to the three-match series.
The teams are ready to battle it out and with no established name figuring in India's bowling department, it will be an opportunity for Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dube, his statemate Shardul Thakur and Rajasthan's Deepak Chahar to show what they bring to the table.
There are still .

Young Indian team to battle it out against Bangladesh in toxic air

Opener Priya Punia's well-compiled fifty went in vain as the Indian women's team suffered a narrow one-run defeat against the West Indies in the first ICC Women's Championship ODI here.
Chasing 226 to win, Punia smashed six boundaries in her 107-ball innings, while Jemimah Rodrigues (41) scored a 67-ball 41 at the top but they didn't get enough support from lower-order to be dismissed for 224 in 50 overs by the hosts.
Earlier, Stefanie Taylor opted to bat first and produced a captain's knock, scoring a 91-ball 94 studded with eight boundaries and two sixes.
Opener Natasha McLean also put up a good show, smashing a 82-ball 51 as West Indies posted a competitive 225 for 7 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Friday.
Defending the total, off-spinner Anisa Mohammed came up with a superb bowling performance, claiming five wickets for 46 runs. She was ably supported by Taylor (2/30) and Shabika Gajnabi (2/25), who snapped two wickets each.
India coudn't score the required eight runs in the 

Punia's 75 goes in vain, Taylor's all-round show helps WI claim one-run win over India

Pakistan Test opener Ahmed Shehzad has been fined 50 percent of match fee after his side Central Punjab was found guilty of ball tampering during its clash against Sindh in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Friday that Shehzad, who led Central Punjab against Sindh at Faisalabad, was found guilty of committing a Level 1 offence under Article 2.14, which relates to changing condition of the ball (non-identification) during a match.
The incident occurred during the 17th over of Sindh's first innings on Tuesday when during a normal inspection of the ball, on-field umpires Mohammad Asif and Zameer Ahmed found that the ball had been unfairly changed by a member of the fielding side.
The matter was reported by the umpires to the match referee who held a hearing after the match ended in a exciting draw on Thursday.
On the basis of a preliminary review, it was determined that Shehzad as captain had a case to answer for the contravention as the incident related ..

Shehzad fined 50 per cent match fee for ball tampering in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited Cricket South Africa (CSA) to send its national team for a T20 series in Pakistan next March, according to chief executive officer Wasim Khan.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Khan said that they had also got positive signs from the Sri Lankan board that it would send a full strength side to play two Tests in Rawalpindi and Karachi in December.
"The gates to international cricket returning properly to Pakistan are open and there is no doubt that the recent tour by the Sri Lankan team to play the T20 and ODI series has helped us a lot," he said.
He said the Sri Lankan board would confirm the tour in a week's time.
The PCB official said that talks were going on with Cricket South Africa to send their team for a T20 series.
"We are hopeful they will come in late March as the series will also help both teams prepare for the World T20 Championship in October," he said.
A reliable source said that the South African board had given a positive ...

PCB invites CSA to send team to Pakistan for T20 series

Senior all-rounder Muhammad Hafeez has questioned Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)'s decision to revoke the NOCs issued to the players to play in the T10 league in Abu Dhabi this month.
"First they issued the NOCs and now they have stopped it. I don't understand. They should have a clear policy on leagues," Hafeez said.
"I am not in the central contracts list, neither have I been selected in the Pakistan team, Nor do I have any provisional contract and I am also not playing first class domestic cricket so I do want to go and play in the league," he said.
The PCB after initially issuing NOCs to some 15 players, including Hafeez, then announced the NOCs were revoked as the players were required to play domestic cricket and attend camps.
The PCB's U-turn has already drawn a backlash from the Emirates Cricket Board who has said absence of Pakistani players will cause a serious damage to the league.
According to a leading cricket website, ECB vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni had sent a letter ..

Hafeez questions PCB's move to revoke NOCs for T10 league

Pooja Gehlot (53kg) claimed India's second silver medal after going down to Japan's 2017 world champion Haruna Okuno in the finals of the UWW Under-23 World Championships here.
Gehlot lost 0-2 to Okuno in the summit clash to emulate Ravinder (61kg), who also won a silver earlier this week.
Three-time World Junior Championships medallist Sajan Bhanwal (77kg), however, lost a close semi-final bout 4-5 to Japan's Kodai Sakuraba. He will now fight for the bronze on Saturday.
A terrific Bhanwal had earlier blanked Jesse Alexander Porter 6-0 in the qualifiers to move into the pre-quarter-finals, where he notched up a 3-1 win over Azerbaijan's Tunjay Vazirzade.
The unstoppable Bhanwal, one of the best Greco-Roman talents to have emerged from India, then rushed into the semi-finals on the back of a strong 6-2 win over Per Albin Olofsson of Sweden.
Among other Greco-Roman results, Arjun Halakurki entered repechage even after his good run in 55kg came to an end in the quarter-finals when he ...

Pooja wins silver; Sajan to aim for bronze at Under-23 World Wrestling C'ships

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, fighting it out for the year-end world number one spot, edged closer to a possible Paris Masters final clash as both eased into the last four on Friday.
The 33-year-old Nadal, who can secure the end-of-year top ranking ahead of Djokovic by winning his maiden Bercy title, beat French wildcard Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.
Nadal is bidding for a record-extending 36th Masters crown and will take on Denis Shapovalov in the last four on Saturday after the Canadian youngster thrashed Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-2.
The Spaniard has reached the semis for the first time at the event since 2013, having withdrawn injured before the quarter-finals on his last appearance in 2017.
"I've had a lot of injuries in this tournament (historically)," said Nadal.
"I'm happy to be back in the semi-finals."
Djokovic had earlier crushed seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1, 6-2 and will next face Grigor Dimitrov, who saw off unseeded Chilean Cristian Garin 6-2, 7-5.
Nadal has now .

Nadal, Djokovic edge closer to possible Paris final meeting

Lewis Hamilton signalled his intent to win his sixth drivers' title in style when he comfortably topped the times in second practice at the United States Grand Prix -- but it was not enough to impress Max Verstappen.
Hamilton, of Mercedes, who needs only to finish in the top eight on Sunday to retain his crown, wound up three-tenths of a second clear of nearest rival Charles Leclerc of Ferrari while Verstappen was third fastest after topping the times in the morning in his Red Bull.
"Lewis had a tow on the back straight so it's not really (as big an advantage) -- the lap time," said the Dutchman, who has been bickering with the defending five-time champion since last weekend's Mexican Grand Prix, where he finished sixth after being stripped of pole position.
"I think it's smaller. But overall, for me, it's been a positive day. I think that the pace of the car in the short run is not bad."
Hamilton enjoyed assistance from Williams' Robert Kubica, gaining 'a tow' behind him down the ...

Hamilton tops charts in Austin as world sixth title beckons

Rankings hardly have any significance in professional field hockey and world no.22 Russia proved that by their performance against eight-time Olympic champions India despite ending on the losing side, believes chief hockey coach Graham Reid.
Despite a vast gap in world rankings, Russia dished out an impressive performance in their 2-4 loss to world no.5 India in the first leg of the two-match hockey Olympic Qualifier at the Kalinga Stadium here on Friday.
And India's chief coach Reid was not at all astonished by their opponents' show.
"I am not surprised with the Russian performance. They came out and played very well. Full credit to them. The world rankings systems hardly matters. It looks like they are 22 in the world but they are a really good team. That's what I have been telling all along. They had no pressure," Reid said after the match.
Reid, however, promised a much-improved performance from his boys in the second and final match on Saturday.
"I was disappointed with the way ..

I wasn't surprised by Russia's performance: India coach Reid

FC Goa came up with yet another injury-time equaliser to salvage a point against NorthEast United FC in a thrilling 2-2 draw in an Indian Super League encounter here on Friday.
FC Goa also played out a 1-1 draw with Bengaluru FC in their previous match.
Hugo Boumous (31st minute) put Goa ahead in the first-half before NorthEast United came up with two second-half strikes from Asamoah Gyan (54th) and Redeem Tlang (74th).
But despite a late red card to Seiminlen Doungel, Manvir Singh bagged a late equaliser and a point for Goa.
NorthEast United were the first to threaten the goal when Milan Singh found Gyan at the edge of the box and the Ghanaian forced a good save from Mohammad Nawaz.
The game was played from one end to another and Boumous was denied by the crossbar minutes later.
Ahmed Jahouh found Ferran Corominas, who released Boumous into the box but the Frenchman's thunderous strike struck the woodwork.
However, Boumous was not to be denied in the 31st minute. In a move that oozed 

Manvir rescues point for Goa with last-minute goal

Novak Djokovic produced a magnificent performance to thrash seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1, 6-2 on Friday and set up a Paris Masters semi-final against Grigor Dimitrov.
The 32-year-old, battling Rafael Nadal for the year-end world number one spot, dispatched Greek star Tsitsipas in only 58 minutes.  The 16-time Grand Slam champion went into the match with a 2-1 losing record against
Tsitsipas, but put the youngster in his place with a commanding victory.
"It was a really good match for me today," said Djokovic. "All week and all year here, it's great to play in Paris." Djokovic will be usurped by Nadal at the top of the rankings next week, but can ensure the fight to be the best player at the end of the year reaches the ATP Tour Finals in London by winning a record-extending fifth title at Bercy.
The crushing defeat ended Tsitsipas' run of three consecutive semi-finals and dealt a blow to his confidence ahead of his maiden appearance at the season-ending championships, which ...

Djokovic crushes Tsitsipas to set up Dimitrov semi-final in Paris

Zinedine Zidane said on Friday Gareth Bale has resumed light training but will not be available for Real Madrid's La Liga game at home to Real Betis.
Madrid can register their third consecutive victory by beating struggling Betis on Saturday but Bale remains on the sidelines, as he continues his recovery from a calf problem.
Bale caused a stir this week by taking the day off on Monday to meet his agent in London, prompting reports in Spain he was discussing a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu in January.
But Zidane has insisted Bale had permission to be absent from the club and he is now back in training.
The Welshman was not with the rest of the squad for Friday's early session but did some running alone with a team physio.
"He is here with us, he is training and working hard," said Zidane in a press conference on Friday.
"He is back from his trip and he is getting better. He is not available yet but he is recovering bit by bit.
"It seems we should bring him out here to speak to ..

Bale back in the fold but not fit to face Betis

Mandeep Singh struck twice as a below-par India struggled past minnows Russia 4-2 in the first-leg of the two-match hockey Olympic Qualifier here on Friday.
Mandeep (24th, 53rd minutes) scored two field goals while Harmanpreet Singh (5th) and SV Sunil (48th) also hit the target for India.
It was an expected to be a 'David vs Goliath' contest going by the class and vast gap in world rankings between the two teams but world no. 22 Russia dished out a fighting effort to surprise the hosts and keep the difference of goals to just two.
World no.5 India still can't breath easy as Russia clearly showed they are capable of creating an upset in the second and final match on Saturday. The aggregate winner at the end of the two-match qualifier will seal its place for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Russia had the first shot at the goal in the third minute with Pavel Golubev showing quick-thinking from a free-hit, taking it himself but his backhand effort was blocked by India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh.
Two ...

Mandeep's brace saves India blushes against minnows Russia

Fifteen-year-old Honda rider Mohamed Mikail on Friday became the first Indian to join the 2020 Asia Talent Cup grid.
Mikail, who is based in Chennai, was among the five young riders from India to participate in the selection for 2020 season Asia Talent Cup at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.
These included 13-year-old Sarthak Shrikant Chavan from Pune, 14 year-old Kavin Samaar Quintal, 15-year-old Geoffrey and 16-year-old Varoon S from Chennai.

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