Page 1018 - Sports
Chennaiyin search for first win at home
Defending champions Chennaiyin FC would hope to taste first win of the season after back-to-back defeats as they take on NorthEast United FC in their next ISL match on Thursday. After an away loss to Bengaluru FC in their campaign opener, Chennaiyin were outclassed by an attack-minded FC Goa at home on October 6. The forward line of Jeje Lalpekhlua and Carlos Salom has had a disappointing start and have not hit the ground running for their team. Their form will be crucial for the team's revival, as would be that of other key players like Raphael Augusto and Gregory Nelson. In the season opener against Bengaluru, Lalpekhlua missed a couple of sitters, which eventually cost Chennaiyin. He needs to start scoring in order to get his team to winning ways. Home team coach John Gregory may look to ring in some changes in the starting eleven against NEU FC and there is a possibility of Palestinian striker Carlos Salom getting another game. He looked sharp after being brought in the second ...
Abbas destroys Australia to put Pakistan on top
Medium pacer Mohammad Abbas registered a five-wicket haul to steer Pakistan into a dominating position in the second Test against Australia in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Abbas finished with five for 33 to bowl out Australia for a paltry 145 to give Pakistan a 137-run lead in the first innings on the second day at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Pakistan stretched that lead to 281 as they were 144 for two at close, with Azhar Ali not out on 54 for his first half century in the series and Haris Sohail was 17 not out. With eight wickets in hand Pakistan were in a great position to force a 1-0 lead in the two-match series after the first Test ended in a fighting draw in Dubai last week. Azhar, who fell for disappointing scores of 18, four and 15 in the last three innings, batted with resolve, having so far hit three boundaries. But it was once again debutant Fakhar Zaman who lifted Pakistan with a brilliant 66 following up his 94 in the first innings, before giving a return catch to Nathan Lyon who ...
Prithvi, Iyer lead Mumbai to final after bowlers' good show
In form Prithvi Shaw and skipper Shreyas Iyer smashed half-centuries as Mumbai brushed aside Hyderabad by 60 runs in a rain-marred contest to move to the summit clash of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, here Wednesday. Chasing 247, Mumbai were placed comfortably at 155 for two when rain halted play. Iyer (55 not out) and Ajinkya Rahane (17) were at the crease with their unbeaten third wicket stand of 73 runs. The game never resumed after that and Mumbai were declared winners via VJD method. Left-arm spinner Mehdi Hasan struck twice, dismissing openers Rohit Sharma (17) and Shaw (61 off 44 balls) to leave Mumbai at 82 for two after their 73-run opening stand. Shaw's knock had eight fours and two sixes. The teenaged batting had hit a century on Test debut in Rajkot against West Indies. He amassed 237 runs in the series with an average of 118.50 and strike rate of 94.04 to be adjudged Man-of-the-series. Earlier, Hyderabad posted 246 for eight after Rohit Rayudu scored a 132-ball 121, which went .
Messi named best La Liga player in September
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi on Wednesday was named the best player in the Spanish football league for the month of September, La Liga said in a statement.
Iniesta hopes to play against Barcelona in Japan next summer
Andres Iniesta on Wednesday said he hoped to be able to play against FC Barcelona during his former club's tour of Japan next summer, where the Spaniard plays for Vissel Kobe.
Destructive Windies opener Lewis pulls out of India tour citing personal reasons
The struggling West Indies were dealt another blow on Wednesday with opener Evin Lewis pulling out of the limited overs leg of the India tour, citing personal reasons. Lewis had recently declined a central contract offered by the Cricket West Indies, potentially making him more available for leagues around the world, following in the footsteps of Chris Gayle and other stars from the region. Gayle, who is playing the Afghanistan Premier League in Sharjah, had already made himself unavailable for the five ODIs and three ODIs in India. Lewis' would have come handy in India, having played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He has two ODI hundreds in 35 games and as many in T20 format in just 17 matches. Kieran Powell will be Lewis' replacement in ODIs and Nicholas Pooran in the T20s. Uncapped pacer Obed McCoy has also been drafted into both the squads. "Powell and Pooran have been asked to replace Evin Lewis in the ODI and T20I squads; while McCoy will replace Alzarri Joseph, who remains ...
Yuki suffers defeat on comeback, out of European Open
Yuki Bhambri's comeback to the ATP circuit after recovering from a knee injury didn't go well as he suffered a first-round defeat at the European Open in Antwerp, Belgium. Playing his first match after the US Open in August, Yuki lost 6-7(6) 7-5 1-6 to Italian Salvatore Caruso in the Euro 686,080 hard court tournament. At one stage Yuki was a break up, serving for the opening set but lost his serve and eventually the set. After drawing parity, Yuki twice lost his serve to fall behind 0-3 in the decisive set and never recovered. India's top singles player, the 26-year-old Bhambri's progress has been hampered by fitness issues, the major problem being his knees. He broke into the top-100 in October 2015 but then missed out half of the 2016 season due to injury. He got back in good shape and reclaimed his place in top-100 in April this year, but injuries once again pulled him back. India's top doubles players Divij Sharan and Leander Paes are competing against each other at the European .
Women's camp for World T20 at CCI till October 21
The Indian Women's team preparatory camp for the upcoming World T20 will be now held at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) till October 21. "The BCCI requested us to conduct the camp till the October 21 and we have agreed to it. The camp will happen at the Brabourne Stadium till the said date. After that it is for the BCCI to decide on it," a senior CCI official told PTI Wednesday. The Women's camp was earlier scheduled to be held at the CCI but with the fourth One Day shifted to it from the Wankhede Stadium to it, the BCCI had initially asked MCA to hold it at the Wankhede Stadium. However, the MCA had refused to allow the players to enter the Wankhede Stadium as it's members had taken BCCI and CCI to the Bombay High Court over shifting of the said match. It was understood that the members of the team did an extended gym session yesterday as they could not hit the ground. "We are always promoting the game of cricket, so now when the BCCI requested us, we did not say no," ..
Germany's Merkel calls for budget stability in euro zone
BERLIN (Reuters) - Euro zone countries must each ensure their budgets are stable and economies competitive, Chancellor Angela Merkel said ahead of a European Union summit on Wednesday, as Italy weighs expansionary budget plans that risk EU rejection.
Railways to run special train on Buddhist circuit
Indian Railways will run a special train equipped with world class facilities on the Buddhist circuit to attract tourists from Japan, China, Thailand and Sri lanka by the end of December this year, an official said on Wednesday. Railway Board memberRajesh Agrawal, while inspecting the coaches being manufactured for the special train at Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, said the express will cover the Buddhist destinations of Bodh Gaya, Budh Vihar, Sarnath and Kushi Nagar. The first rake of special coaches will be rolled out of RCF by the end of this month and put into operation by the end of December, Agrawal said while talking to media persons after inspecting the Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches. He said the Indian Railways Catering and Tourists corporation (IRCTC) will manage and run the special train and also decide the fare. The luxurious Maharaja Express is being run by IRCTC for international tourists and the new rake of 12 coaches will add a feather to the cap of the ...
Srikanth sets up clash with Lin Dan at Denmark Open
World number six Kidambi Srikanth set up a second-round clash with the legendary Lin Dan after an easy win over Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus even as one Indian women's doubles pair was knocked out of the Denmark Open, here Wednesday. Srikanth needed 35 minutes get the better of local hope Vittinghus 21-16 21-10 in the opening round of the USD 7,75,000 tournament. Srikanth has lost three of his four matches against Dan but the Chinese great is not the force he once was. The former world number one is now placed 14th in the international rankings. The last time Sriknath beat Dan was in 2014 at the China Open. If Srikanth manages to get past Dan and Sameer Verma overcomes Asian Games gold-medallist Jonathan Christie, it will be an all-Indian quarterfinal in the bottom half of the men's singles draw. In the doubles competition, Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy moved to the second round of women's doubles with an easy 21-7 21-11 win over the American team of Ariel Lee and Sydney ...
Top National and International Players Gear-up to Compete at The HCL Asian Junior Tennis Championship 2018
/ -- HCL, a leading global conglomerate, is set to host the 2nd HCL Asian Junior Tennis Championship in Pune from October 20 - 27, 2018 at the Deccan Gymkhana, in the heart of the city. The Championship is being held in association with the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association and under the aegis of the International Tennis Federation (ITF); Asian Tennis Federation (ATF); and All India Tennis Association (AITA). This is the only B1 category tournament in India and also one of the most reputed tennis championships in the world after the junior grand slams for the U/18 category. Players from 11 countries in the region -- China, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Hong-Kong, Malaysia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and India -- are participating in the Championship. HCL, through this Championship aims to provide a much-needed platform to the Indian Tennis players to compete against their international counterparts on their home turf. It will also offer the top Indian players a ..
South Africa paceman Steyn named for Australia tour
Dale Steyn was named on Wednesday as part of a strong South African fast bowling arsenal for the limited-overs tour of Australia later this month. Steyn, 35, was named in the 15-man squad which includes young stars Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, as well as returning fast bowling all-rounder Chris Morris, who has recovered from a lower back injury. South Africa will play three one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international during a tour which starts with a match against a Prime Minister's XI in Canberra on October 31. Steyn made a successful return to one-day international cricket in the recent series against Zimbabwe after a two-year absence, largely caused by injuries. "We feel that we got quite a lot out of the Zimbabwe series, notably the form of (leg-spinner) Imran Tahir and the return of Dale Steyn to his very best," said selection convener Linda Zondi. Morris has not played international cricket since February but Zondi said he had proven his fitness by taking 12 wickets in
Farm labourer's son from TN wins bronze in triple jump in Youth Olympics
Praveen Chitravel, a farm labourer's son from Tamil Nadu, clinched a bronze medal in the men's triple jump to give India its second athletics medal in the ongoing Youth Olympics here. The 17-year-old Praveen, who hails from a village in Thanjavur district, cleared a distance of 15.68m to finish fifth in the Stage 2 competition Tuesday night but his good showing in Stage 1, where he was third with a jump of 15.84m, took him to the podium with a combined effort of 31.52m. In a new format, there are no finals in track and field, except for the 4km cross-country, in the Youth Olympics and each event is held twice, with results from both rounds counting towards the final standings. Alejandro Diaz of Cuba won the gold with a combined effort of 34.18m (17.14m + 17.04m) while Emmeanuel Oritsemeyiwa (16.34m + 15.51m) of Nigeria took the silver. This was India's second athletics medal in the ongoing Games after Suraj Panwar clinched a silver in the men's 5000m race walk event on ...
Lloris hails France's mental strength after Germany win
Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris hailed the mental strength that saw World Cup winners France overcome a patchy opening period to beat Germany 2-1. Germany travelled to the Stade de France looking for the win that would salvage their Nations League campaign, and some pride, following their disastrous World Cup. Joachim Loew's side got the start they wanted when Toni Kroos fired a 14th minute penalty past Lloris on Tuesday. But after a much-needed half-time pep talk from coach Didier Deschamps, the hosts emerged after the interval to see Antoine Griezmann level just after the hour, and he clinched the win by converting an 80th minute penalty. Les Bleus captain Lloris was one of several players who admitted the hosts had desperately needed to raise their game against a rejuvenated Germany side that showed plenty of promise. "When we lift our level, the players' talents really come to the fore," said Lloris. He also hailed France's defensive efforts in the closing minutes. "We had to stay ..
Pakistan lose Hafeez after Abbas wrecks Australia
Pakistan lost opener Mohammad Hafeez early in their second innings but were still at 51-1 at tea on the second day of the second Test in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Fakhar Zaman was unbeaten on 32 and Azhar Ali on 12 not out as Pakistan stretched their lead to 188 with eight wickets in hand to force a 1-0 win in the two-match series. Hafeez, who scored a hundred in the drawn first Test in Dubai, fell to a lazy shot off pacer Mitchell Starc, caught at short mid-off for six. Earlier, medium pacer Mohammad Abbas (5-33) and spinner Bilal Asif (3-23) wrecked Australia for 145 in their innings. Abbas had Shaun Marsh, in the fourth over of the day, for three and Travis Head for 14 before wrapping up the innings by trapping Starc leg-before for 34. This becomes Abbas's third five-wicket haul in a burgeoning career of ten Tests. Asif had removed Aaron Finch (39) and in the last over before lunch trapped Tim Paine leg-before for three. Marnus Labuschagne offered some resistance during his 25 ...
Gambhir-led Delhi up against high quality Jharkhand
Gautam Gambhir-led Delhi will need to negotiate Jharkhand's potent bowling attack with guile when the two teams meet in the second semifinal of the Vijay Hazare Trophy here on Thursday. Gambhir leads a formidable Delhi unit comprising Unmukt Chand, Nitish Rana and Dhruv Shorey. The captain himself has led from the front, scoring 490 runs in the competition at 61.25 including two hundreds. He had smashed 104 off 72 balls in the quarterfinal against Haryana after pacer Kulwant Khejroliya claimed six wickets including a hat-trick to set-up the five-wicket victory. Both Delhi and Jharkhand, who have won the tournament once each, are high on confidence going into another knock-out fixture. Jharkhand's win against Maharashtra was fashioned by their quality bowling attack, boasting the spin duo of Shahbaz Nadeem and Anukul Roy, and the pace combine of Rahul Shukla and a resurgent Varun Aaron. Left-arm spinner Nadeem, who has been knocking on the India doors for a while now, is the ...
Asian Champions Trophy: India look to make a winning start against Oman
Indian men's hockey team will look to open their campaign at the 5th edition of the Men's Asian Champions Trophy with a convincing performance as they face hosts Oman in their opening match on Thursday.World number five India go into the tournament as the highest ranked the Asian nation, and will be looking to bounce back from their subdued Bronze Medal finish at the recently-concluded 18th edition of the Asian Games.India beat Oman 7-0 when the two teams met the last time during the 2014 Asian Games, but Chief Coach Harendra Singh believes that facing the hosts will be a good test for the Indian team ahead of other crucial round-robin pool matches."We are very excited to start our 5th Men's Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018 campaign against the hosts Oman, who will be playing in front of their home crowd. The opening match will be a good test for us ahead of some crucial pool matches against the likes of Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan and South Korea," Singh said."It is important for us .
Hisar: 30 female wrestlers tonsured their hair to focus better
Thirty female wrestlers of Haryana, striving hard to make their mark at the global level, have tonsured their hair to focus better on their game.Explaining the reason behind the same, coach Sanjay Malik explained that in a match wrestlers get a 30-seconds break for recovery after a bout of three minutes. But due to long hair, they used to spend all of the recovery time in dressing their hair impacting their performance in the match.He further stated that instead of looking beautiful, a player, irrespective of gender, should focus on playing beautifully.Speaking to ANI Malik said, "During a national competition, I saw a girl wrestler who spent all the 30 seconds of her recovery time to manage her hair. Her hair acted as an obstacle to her recovery process. Consequently, she did not perform well in the next half of the match.""I thought that same could be faced by my players as well. A player should utilize their time on improving their performance. Instead of looking beautiful, the ...
Holders India face lightweight Oman in Asian Champions Trophy opener
Determined to redeem pride after a below par show at the Asian Games, the Indian men's hockey team is expected to make a solid start when it clashes with hosts Oman in the Asian Champions Trophy opener, here Thursday. The Indian team was favourite to win gold in Jakarta but had to settle for a bronze after a disappointing loss to Malaysia in the semifinals. World No. 5 India goes into the tournament as the highest-ranked Asian nation and tackling Oman should not be problem for the side at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. India beat Oman 7-0 when the two teams met the last time during the 2014 Asian Games 2014, and coach Harendra Singh believes that facing the hosts will be a good test for his team ahead of other crucial round-robin matches. "We are very excited to start our campaign against the hosts Oman, who will be playing in front of their home crowd. The opening match will be a good test for us ahead of some crucial pool matches against the likes of Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan and