Page 1008 - Sports
Anand to play fellow Indian Raunak Sadhwani in first round of Isle of Man chess
Five-time world champion Viswanthan Anand will face fellow Indian Raunak Sadhwani in the first round of the Isle of Man International Chess tournament that gets underway here. After what can be termed as a small fiasco in the Chess Olympiad where the Indian men's team did not win a medal despite high hopes, Anand is back at what he does best -- enthrall his huge fanbase in the elite company. The teenager Sadhwani is likely to get the experience of his life by playing against one of his idols in the best format of the game -- the classical chess. The chess.com Isle of Man International is touted as the toughest open of the world even though the top four players on the current rating list are giving it a miss. The top two -- Magnus Carlsne of Norway and Fabiano Caurana of United States -- are not here as they play the next World Championship contest in less than two weeks when this event finishes. In spite of the absence of top four, the world's 5-11 top rated player are here and that ..
Skipper Kohli backs Rayudu for fourth spot
Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday backed Ambati Rayudu for the number four slot ahead of their first ODI against the West Indies here.
Expecting tough challenge from India, says West Indies skipper
Ahead of the first One-Day International against India, West Indies skipper Jason Holder on Saturday said his team is expecting a tough challenge as India are the best one-day side.
Shuttler Srikanth out; Saina in final of Denmark Open
Star Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth lost his men's singles semi-final match to Kento Momota of Japan while Saina Nehwal entered the women's singles final of the Denmark Open here on Saturday.
Mumbai players, coach elated over Hazare win
India Test player Ajinkya Rahane, who was member of the Mumbai team which defeated Delhi to win the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Saturday, credited the win to teamwork. "There's no better joy than seeing the results of teamwork by winning a championship. Well done, boys!" tweeted Rahane. Siddhesh Lad, a middle-order batsman who played a crucial role in the final, said the players were keen to do well in white-ball cricket. "I feel really good as we have won the trophy after 12 years. All of us were dedicated. We had not done well in white ball cricket and all who were playing since 3-4 years wanted to do well in this format," Lad told PTI from Bengaluru. Mumbai coach Vinayak Samant said today's win was "the first step". "This is a first step to success and there is a long way to go. International players being in the dressing room was a big help for the upcoming players and for the entire team. Everybody played their part to perfection," Samant, who was appointed as the ...
Prajnesh in Ningbo Challenger final, Sharan-Sitak out of European Open
Indian Davis Cupper Prajnesh Gunneswaran earned himself a chance to win his second Challenger level title of the season by reaching the summit clash of the Ningbo Challenger in China even as Divij Sharan bowed out of the European Open after semifinal defeat with partner Artem Sitak. Left-handed Prajnesh was dominating in his 6-2 6-2 win over Serbia's fifth seed Miomir Kecmanovic in the semifinal, which lasted just 64 minutes. Prajnesh served well and consistently made deep returns. He found winners on both flanks with ease, completely dominating the contest. "I played a very good match today. I maintained good intensity throughout. It was one of my better matches for sure. I could execute my plan well and was focussed on maintaining my level throughout the match," Prajnesh told PTI after his match. Prajnesh, who had won the Kunming Challenger in April this year, next faces third seed Thomas Fabbiano from Italy. Meanwhile in Antwerp, Sharan and Sitak too played an intense match but ...
Hockey: AI rally to hold PNB, enter semis
A last-gasp penalty corner goal by Arjun Sharma helped Air India hold Punjab National Bank to a 3-3 draw in a Group A match of the 14th PMC Bank-All India Guru Tegh Bahadur hockey tournament Saturday. Delhi-based Air India and PNB, along with local outfit Central Railway, finished with the same number of five points each in the group, leading to the application of tie break rule through which AI and Central advanced to the semis by virtue of better goal difference. PNB, who required a win at all cost to go through to the semi-final, showed the right intent and dominated play. They did not waste too much time in forging ahead as Sukhjit Singh, from two swift counter-attacks, scored in the fifth and seventh minutes to give his team a 2-0 lead which they carried till the end of the first half. The younger Air India outfit showed more urgency and managed to cut the lead in the fourth minute after resumption of play when Faraz Mohammad converted from a penalty corner. Then ...
India A women's squad for T20 series against Australia announced
The All India Women's Selection Committee has picked up a 15-member India A squad for the upcoming T20 series against Australia A, slated to begin from October 22.Both Indian and Australian eves will lock horns in three matches, scheduled to be held on October 22, October 24 and October 26 at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai.Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the side, while Smriti Mandhana will be her deputy in the series.Having lost the ODI series by 3-0 against Australia, the Indian women cricket team would be looking to sort out their issues and put up an improved show in the T20 series, ahead of the ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament in West Indies next month.India A Women's T20 squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice captain), Mithali Raj, Jemimah Rodrigues, Veda Krishnamurthy, Deepti Sharma, Tanya Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Anuja Patil, Ekta Bisht, D Hemalatha,Mansi Joshi, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy.
Fierce critic Charlesworth sees "revolutionary changes" in Indian hockey
Australian hockey legend Ric Charlesworth feels India's below-par performance at the Asian Games was an aberration and despite the needless changing of coaches, the team has made significant gains in the last three-four years. Charlesworth, a World Cup winner both as a player and coach, has been a vocal critic of Indian hockey, especially its governance. Fed up with the system, he could last only 10 months as technical director of Indian hockey almost a decade ago. The chopping and changing of coaches is still a frequent phenomenon and Charlesworth doesn't like that but gave credit where it is due. "Three-four years ago, I was not so optimistic. Now, I see a revolutionary change in the way the players think about their game. You have made two Champions Trophy final in the last two years and in the last one, India actually played better than Australia (before losing in shoot-out)," Charlesworth told PTI on Saturday. "The Hockey India League changed things. The fact that Indians ...
International stars adorn Shaji Ul Mulk's T10 2nd season
Shane Watson, Shahid Afridi, Eoin Morgan, Rashid Khan, Shoaib Malik, Sunil Narine, Darren Sammy and Brendon McCullum as icon players lead a galaxy of stars in the second season of the Shaji Ul Mulk's T10 cricket tournament in Sharjah, UAE.
Malik continues to be best placed Indian at Hero Women's Indian Open
Tvesa Malik is the best placed Indian at tied 11th spot even as Becky Morgan, Nicole Broch Larsen and Eleanor Given emerged as new joint leaders at the Hero Women's Indian Open here on Saturday. Overnight leader Christine Wolf dropped down to tied fourth spot after hitting a quadruple bogey on the closing 18th hole. The closing stretch at the Gary Player course took a heavy toll on Wolf, as Norway's Tonje Daffinrud (76) and Thailand's Pannarat Thanapolbooyaras (78), playing in the lead group with Wolf (77), also fell by the wayside dropping to tied 19th and tied 22nd respectively. Wolf, a comfortable leader a day earlier, now trails the leading trio of Morgan (68), Broch Larsen (69) and Givens (70) by one shot. The leaders are at four-under 212 and Wolf is at three-under 213. Malik continued to be the best placed Indian. The 22-year-old golfer, for whom the DLF is the home course, shot one-over 73 with a satisfying birdie on the 18th. She seemed to be doing well at one-under through ..
Pressure mounts on Lopetegui as Madrid beaten by Levante
Real Madrid failed to ease the pressure on coach Julen Lopetegui and instead set the record for the longest goal-drought in the club's history during a surprise 2-1 defeat by Levante on Saturday. Defeat means Madrid have now gone five games without a victory and by the time Marcelo gave them hope of a comeback at the Santiago Bernabeu, they had gone 481 minutes without a goal too. The club's previous worst run had been 464 minutes, in 1985. For a team that prides itself on flair and flamboyance, it is a streak that reflects just as badly on Lopetegui as the results, which could leave Real Madrid four points adrift of Barcelona later on Saturday, with a 'Clasico' to come next weekend at the Camp Nou. If Barca's players were watching, they would have been licking their lips at the sight of Raphael Varane handing Levante a two-goal lead here after just 13 minutes. Jose Luis Morales and Roger Marti, from the penalty spot, were the beneficiaries. At the final whistle, Lopetegui stood on ..
Langer urges Australia to think with their feet
Head coach Justin Langer Saturday urged his batsmen to use their feet in Test matches following his side's 373-run defeat against Pakistan, to lose the two-Test series 1-0. Australian batting folded for 145 and 164 in the second Test in Abu Dhabi with none of the batsmen reaching half centuries against some accurate seam bowling by Pakistan's Mohammad Abbas, who finished with ten wickets in the match. In contrast, Australia put up a great fight in the first Test to avert defeat in Dubai, with Usman Khawaja knocking a match saving 141 and 85, Aaron Finch scoring 62 and 49, Travis Head 72 and skipper Tim Paine 61 not out. Langer, himself a batsman of great repute, said feet movement is important. "You talk about the great Australian players they moved their feet like boxers, every one of them," said Langer, who scored 7696 runs in 105 Tests during an illustrious career. "They had footwork patterns and then from there you have the skill of run-scoring ability. And it's a really important
Sloane Stephens backs on-court coaching rule change
Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens has thrown her support behind a push for on-court coaching to be allowed at Grand Slams. Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of Serena Williams, has called for a rule change with on-court coaching currently banned in Grand Slams but allowed in WTA events. The Frenchman was at the centre of a firestorm after he was spotted making signals from the player's box during September's controversial US Open final between Williams and Naomi Osaka. Mouratoglou later owned up to the gesture but Williams insisted that she had not seen the signal. "Coaching is a vital component of any sporting performance. Yet banning it almost makes it look as if it had to be hidden or as if it was shameful," he wrote in a Twitter post on Thursday. "Authorising coaching in competition and actually staging it so that the viewers can enjoy it as a show would ensure that it remains pivotal in the sport." Sloane, who is in Singapore for the season ending eight-player WTA Finals, ...
Cricket world praise Pakistan's ten-wicket Abbas
Pakistan's newest wicket hunter Mohammad Abbas was showered with praise on Saturday after rocking Australia with 17 wickets in the two Tests in Abu Dhabi. The 28-year-old right arm pacer took his maiden ten-wicket haul, with 10-95 (5-33 and 5-62) in the second match for Pakistan's biggest win of 373 runs in all Test cricket on Friday. The unassuming pacer had taken seven wickets in the drawn first Test in Dubai, finishing with 17 to earn the man-of-the-series award. Since his international arrival Abbas has been the toast of Pakistan's Test attack. He became the first Pakistani fast bowler to take ten wickets in a Test since Mohammad Asif did so against Sri Lanka at Kandy in 2006. Dale Steyn tweeted Abbas can rise to number one, a rank South African paceman held for many years. "I see a new number 1 Test bowler coming... Abbas," Steyn, who could be on the opposing side when Pakistan start a Test series in South Africa in December. Former England batsman Michael Vaughan tweeted: ...
Praveen Kumar bids adieu to cricket
Veteran Indian pacer Praveen Kumar has hanged up his boots from all forms of cricket on Saturday.The 32-year-old pacer from Meerut represented India in 84 international matches between 2007 and 2012, scalping 112 wickets in Tests, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 International (T20I).Taking to his Twitter handle, Praveen wrote, "It's been a great journey. It's been a great life. With a heavy heart, I want to say goodbye to my 1st love #CricketMeriJaan But the test cap no 268 and ODI 170 will be mine till Indian cricket era will continue... Thankyou @BCCI nd @UPCACricket for helping me to live up my dream.????"Praveen, who made his ODI debut against Pakistan in Jaipur in 2007, is known for his ability to swing the ball in both ways. He established himself as one of the key members of India's potent bowling attack along with Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra.He played a key role in India's title win in the Commonwealth Bank ODI tri-series in Australia in 2008, which also involved ..
BFC B drub Lonestar Kashmir FC in J&K Invitational Cup
Striker Lalnuntluanga grabbed a brace off the bench as Naushad Moosas Bengaluru FC B side set up a semi-final clash against Real Kashmir FC in the J&K Invitational Cup, following a massive 7-0 win over Lonestar Kashmir FC at the TRC Turf here on Saturday.
ISL: Coppell returns to Jamshedpur as ATK face stern test (Preview)
Jamshedpur FC will look to turn around their fortunes at home in the Indian Super League (ISL) when they host a refreshed ATK, managed by former gaffer Steve Coppell here on Sunday.
Mumbai beat Delhi to win Vijay Hazare title
Aditya Tare struck a half-century as Mumbai beat Delhi by four wickets to win their third Vijay Hazare Trophy title at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday.
Shuttler Srikanth bows out of Denmark Open
Star Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth lost his men's singles semi-final match to Kento Momota of Japan to bow out of the Denmark Open here on Saturday.