Page 1217 - Sports
Given pocket-less shorts by kit supplier, Indian tennis stars use their own at Asiad
The Indian men's tennis team turned up in taped kits to hide personal sponsors' names in today's Asian Games semifinal as the ones provided by the official sponsors are unusable for them due to the absence pockets in shorts. After the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) pointed out to the tennis contingent that they were not supposed to wear shorts of brands other than Li Ning, the players today turned up in taped clothing hiding their sponsor's logo. Unlike other sports, tennis players cannot do without pocket-less shorts as they have to keep spare balls in them. "It is not at all the fault of the tennis players. They have been wearing the official kit even in training. But since there are no pockets in shorts, they have no option but to wear what they have. There is no time to fix this with the competition about to end in two days time," said a source in the IOA. The matter at best can be described as an oversight on the part of the kit supplier. Since Li Ning is the official sponsor ..
I think 38 changes in 38 Tests is too much: Harbhajan
Veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh feels it is a bit too much to make 38 changes in as many Tests but it doesn't matter as long as Virat Kohli and Co. keep delivering results. India played their 38th combination in as many Test matches under Kohli at the Trent Bridge Test which the visitors won by a massive 203 runs to keep themselves afloat in the five-match series. "Personally I think 38 changes in 38 Tests is too much. But every captain is different, and every team's dynamics are different. Maybe they want horses for courses, and it works for them," Harbhajan said. "They were close to winning the series in South Africa. They have turned things here in England. If the captain believes in it, the management agrees and players accept it, then what you and I think doesn't matter." Kohli has been in impressive form during the England tour as he blasted two centuries to lead India from the front. The India skipper had practiced with Raghu (member of Indian support staff) in Mumbai ...
England's batting weak and vulnerable, series is wide open: Harbhajan
England's batting line-up look weak and vulnerable to both pace and spin bowling, feels veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh, who backed India to clinch the five-Test series after their dominating 203-run win in the third Test here. Lagging 0-2 after losing the first two Tests, India produced a stupendous performance at Trent Bridge, dismissing England's second innings for 317 to register a massive 203-run win yesterday. "The English batting line-up looks more problematic than the Indian batting at the moment. They are playing as if they are touring India, and not the other way round," Harbhajan told PTI. "Their batting line-up is more vulnerable to both pace and spin, and they look weak. Some of their first-choice batsmen have an ordinary record in domestic cricket, averaging 30-35 at best. "In India, you have to average over 50 to be even considered. They have good depth in ODI cricket but in Tests, their batting has not done much," he added. Harbhajan feels the Indian team copped a lot .
Asiad 2018: Srihari Nataraj qualify for men's 200 metre backstroke final
Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj advanced to the finals of the men's 200 metre backstroke competition of the 18th Asian Games here on Thursday.
Asiad 2018: Dattu Bhokanal finishes sixth in men's single sculls final
Indian rower Dattu Bhokanal missed a medal in the men's single sculls competition of the 2018 Asian Games here on Thursday.
Liga de Quito downs Deportivo Cali 1-0 in Copa Sudamericana
Ecuador's Liga de Quito pipped Colombia's Deportivo Cali 1-0 in a first-leg match of the 2018 Copa Sudamericana here.
Asiad 2018: Champa Mourya in final of canoe single women
India's Champa Mourya qualified for the women's canoe single final of the 2018 Asian Games here on Thursday.
Asiad 2018: Virdhawal Khade in men's 50m butterfly swimming finals
Indian swimmer Virdhawal Khade on Thursday advanced to the men's 50 metre butterfly swimming finals of the 18th Asian Games here.
Khade qualifies for final of 50m butterfly, out of 100m freestyle
India's Virdhawal Khade kept himself in the medal hunt by qualifying for 50m butterfly final but crashed out of the men's freestyle 100m along with Anshul Kothari at the 18th Asian Games, here today. Khade, who narrowly missed bronze in men's 50 metre freestyle on Tuesday, clocked 24.09 to top Heat 2 but was placed fifth overall. Kothari also topped three-man Heat 1 with timing of 25.45 but that was 28th best from among 40 swimmers. Top-eight qualify for the final. Khade though had a disappointing result in 100m freestyle as he finished last in his heat and was placed 43rd overall. His timing was 59.11. His compatriot Aaron Desouza was best in his heat with a timing of 51.50 but that placed him at 27th.
Anand holds Carlsen in Sinquefield Cup
Viswanathan Anand gave nothing away and played out a keenly contested draw with reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the fourth round of Sinquefield Cup, a part of the Grand Chess tour. Playing his second white in the event, Anand tried the Rossolimo variation to counter Carlsen's Sicilian defense, an opening that the Norwegian chose second time against Anand in the current year. The game took a complicated turn in the middle game when Carlsen sacrificed a pawn to open up the position on both flanks and it was up to Anand to fight for an advantage thereon. As it happened in the game, Anand neutralised black's initiative post the pawn sacrifice and parted with the pawn back to reach a level endgame once again in the event. The queen's got traded on move 33, and by move 54 none had any piece left on the board to call it a fight. Anand took his tally to a respectable two points out of a possible four after the draw while Carlsen remained in joint lead on 2.5 points after ..
World Cup failure haunts German stars as Bundesliga returns
The Bundesliga returns tomorrow with German football shaken by the shambolic early World Cup exit while Bayern Munich hope new coach Niko Kovac can maintain the relentless success the club expect. Germany's embarrassing failure to defend their title in Russia, crashing out after finishing bottom of their group, leaves several Bundesliga stars with a point to prove in the new season. Bayern kick off the new campaign on Friday at home to Hoffenheim, who will make their debut in the Champions League group stages this season, with midfielder Thomas Mueller admitting the World Cup debacle provides extra motivation. "It's about how we can do better - after going out like that, you handle failure very badly, because no-one expected it," Mueller told the Bayern website. After the debacle in Russia, Germany coach Joachim Loew is expected to make sweeping changes when he names his squad on Wednesday for the home game against newly-crowned world champions France on September 6 in the Nations ...
Woods, Mickelson confirm $9 million duel
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will go head-to-head in a winner-take-all $9 million (7.78 million euro) duel in Las Vegas in November, it was announced. Woods and Mickelson, who have 19 Major titles between them, will face off at the Shadow Creek Golf Course on November 23, coinciding with Thanksgiving weekend in the United States. The match play duel between the two veterans, a head-to-head meeting that has been mooted repeatedly over the years, will be screened on pay-per-view. "It's an opportunity for us to bring golf to the masses in prime time during a period where we don't have much going on in the world of golf," Mickelson told ESPN on Wednesday. "It's a way to show a side you don't normally see by having us miked up to hear some of the interaction between us." Mickelson and Woods had an occasionally frosty relationship during their prime years at the summit of men's golf but have enjoyed warmer ties recently after working closely during various Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup ...
Djokovic excited by prospect of Federer doubles link
Novak Djokovic is looking forward to possibly forming a doubles dream-team with Roger Federer as Europe prepares to take on the Rest of the World in the Laver Cup next month. Djokovic and Federer will spearhead the European challenge in the second staging of the tournament, which takes place in Chicago from September 21-23. Team Europe completed their roster for the event with Britain's Kyle Edmund being added to a strong team which also includes Germany's Alexander Zverev, Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov and Belgium's David Goffin. In last year's inaugural event, Federer teamed up with Rafael Nadal in the doubles for the first time. But with Nadal missing this year's tournament, Djokovic is now expected to form a partnership with Federer. "I am looking forward to it if it comes to that," said Djokovic, who was ruled out of the 2017 event through injury. Djokovic said the opportunity of spending time with fellow professionals in a team environment was too good to pass up. "I am looking ...
Asian Games: Sanda medalists eye gold
Indian Wushu players Roshibina Devi and Narendra Grewal, who clinched bronze medals in their respective categories of Sanda event in the ongoing 18th edition of the Asian games, expressed their desire to bag gold medals for the country in the future.Speaking to ANI post her bronze medal performance in the 60 kg category, Devi said, "I am very happy, I participated for the first time and I am very proud that I got a medal for my country. Next time I will train harder and will win a gold medal for my country."Meanwhile, Grewal, who won the bronze medal in Men's Sanda 65 kg category, expressed his displeasure at failing to win the gold medal."We worked very hard and we all prepared for a gold medal, I cried after my fight because I know I could have done much better," he opined.Apart from Devi and Grewal, Surya Bhanu Pratap and Santosh Kumar too won bronze medals in their respective categories of the Sanda event.While Grewal finished third after being defeated 2-0 by Iranian player ...
Vijay, Kuldeep dropped for remaining Tests against England
Veteran opening batsman Murali Vijay, along with chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, were axed from the Indian cricket squad for the remaining two Test matches against England, while youngsters Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari received their maiden call-ups.Following his wretched form, which saw him being dismissed for a pair in the Lord's Test, Vijay was left out of the playing XI at the Nottingham Test, with his woes in England culminating in him being replaced by 18-year-old Shaw.Favourable conditions for seam bowlers, coupled with Ravichandran Ashwin's scheduled recovery in time for the fourth Test match account for Yadav's omission from the team for the final two games. However, he has been included in the squad for India A's encounter with Australia A in two four-day matches.Apart from captaining the Under-19 team to World Cup glory in February, Shaw has also been a consistent performer in the domestic arena.Meanwhile, Vihari, the 24-year-old middle-order batsman from Andhra Pradesh, boasts ..
India U-16 football team beat Cameroon U-16 in friendly match
India U-16 team registered a 2-1 victory over Cameroon U-16 side in a friendly match in Istanbul today. Ridge Melvin (1st minute) and Rohit Danu (20th) scored to give India a comfortable lead at the half-time, though Cameroon reduced the margin in the second half, according to a release from the AIFF. Ridge took only 30 seconds to open the scoring against the African side when he converted a sublime Vikram cross from the left. Four minutes later, Vikram tried once again but an alert Cameroon goalkeeper collected the ball safely. The Indian attackers continued to press hard to double the lead and they did not need to wait for more to breach the Cameroonian defence once again. In the 20th minute, Givson floated a long ball forward and Rohit slotted it home calmly. Cameroon attackers, who were lurking inside the Indian half, finally found the back of the net in the 63rd minute.
BFC go down fighting against Altyn Asyr 2-3 in AFC Cup semis
Bengaluru FC went down fighting 2-3 against Turkmenistan side Altyn Asyr in an enthralling AFC Cup Inter-Zone semifinal here today. The first half belonged to Asyr as they found the target twice before going into the break. The star performer for the visitors was Vahyt Orazsakhedov who scored twice in the match. He and Altymyrat Annadurdyyev bulged the net in the 11th and 25th minute. Vahyt scored Asyr's third goal and his second in the 46th minute. BFC had three chances in the first half but all went awry. First, Nishu Kumar failed to find the target in the 40th minute from the centre of the box following a corner. In the 41st and 42nd minutes, Miku and Sunil Chhetri also missed the target. In contrast, the second half belonged to BFC who made constant forays into the visitors' danger zone, and got two goals. Six minutes into the second half, the home side missed yet another chance through Xisco Hernndez, when his left-footed shot from outside the box flew high and wide to the left ..
Indian team planning to donate match fees for Kerala flood victims
In a novel gesture, the Indian cricket team in all likelihood will donate their entire match fees earned for the Third Test for the Kerala flood victims. While the amount is yet to be ascertained, it could be in the region of Rs 2 crore or more. "We as a team want to dedicate this win to the flood victims in Kerala. This is our bit we can do as the Indian cricket team. A tough time there," Kohli said in the post-match presentation after the 203-run win over the home team. Kerala has been devastated by floods, leading to over 300 deaths. The Indian players are the richest amongst the sportspersons in the country with the top players earning in millions. For a Test match, a first XI player earns Rs 15 lakh while the reserves get half that amount. It is learnt that since BCCI's new constitution has just been adopted under Registrar of Societies, it will take some time before the Indian board can make any official donations. However if the players in their own capacities want to help the .
Kedar, Ambati picked for quadrangular series
Fit-again Kedar Jadhav is set to return to action along with Ambati Rayudu, who cleared the mandatory Yo-Yo test on Wednesday, as the duo were picked for the India A and India B squads, respectively.
Prithvi, Hanuma picked for remaining England Tests; Vijay, Kuldeep dropped
Prithvi Shaw, the 2018 Under-19 World Cup winning skipper, on Wednesday broke into the India Test side even as the BCCI senior selection committee dropped off-colour opener Murali Vijay and Kuldeep Yadav from the squad for the remaining two Tests of the five-match rubber against England.