Page 1256 - Sports
India eves secure semis berth with 1-0 win over Bhutan
India progressed to the semi-finals of the SAFF Under-15 Football Championship, defeating hosts Bhutan 1-0 at the Changlimithang Stadium here on Monday.
Kohli slips to No.2 in ICC Test rankings
India skipper Virat Kohli dropped a spot to No.2 in the latest ICC rankings for Test batsmen, a day after his side slumped to an innings and 159-run loss to England in the Lord's Test.
Nadal not to play 2018 Cincinnati Open
Spain's Rafael Nadal announced on Monday his withdrawal from the 2018 Cincinnati Open to have some rest, following his recent victory at the Canadian Open.
Chhetri adjudged 'Best Sportsperson' by Calcutta Sports Journalists' Club
India football captain Sunil Chhetri was today adjudged the country's 'Best Sportsperson of the Year' by the Calcutta Sports Journalists' Club. "Recognition always feels good but to be adjudged best by sport journalists makes this one special. That it comes from Kolkata too makes this memorable because not only have I played for three clubs in the city, now I also have a personal connection with the city," Chhetri said in a statement. The 34-year-old, who is currently taking part in Bengaluru FC's pre-season training in Spain, will receive the award at the annual programme on August 16. Former Davis Cup coach Akhtar Ali, former India opener Arun Lal and Aroon Ghosh, member of the 1962 Asian Games gold medal winning football team, will be given Lifetime Achievement awards in the programme, which will be held at the Swami Vivekananda Auditorium at the state youth centre (Moulali Yuba Kendra). Bengal pacer Ishan Porel (Junior Sportsperson of the Year), Mohun Bagan's Shilton Paul ...
England remain unchanged for third Test against India
All-rounder Ben Stokes was not considered for selection as England today named an unchanged 13-man squad for the third Test against India, starting in Nottingham on Saturday. The only addition could be of Stokes. But the England selectors will take a call on the same once his ongoing court-trial in Bristol for affray charges ends later this week. Stokes's ongoing trial on a charge of affray saw him left out by England as they embarrassed India by an innings and 159 runs in the second Test at Lord's yesterday to go 2-0 up with three to play in the five-match series. A brief statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said they would review Stokes's position following the conclusion of the trial, which is expected to end before the third Test starts. "The ECB will make an assessment of Ben Stokes's availability after the trial in Bristol has concluded," the statement said. England retained uncapped Essex paceman Jamie Porter and off-spinner Moeen Ali, both of whom ...
Sarin dumps Parligras, set to become next Grandmaster
Young International Master Nihal Sarin made his final stride towards the third and last GM norm, disposing off higher rated Grandmaster Parligras Mircea-Emilian of Romania in the sixth round of Abu Dhabi Masters here. Taking his tally to 4.5 points out of six rounds, Nihal currently clocks a rating performance of over 2700 and a fifty percent score in the last three rounds should get him the coveted GM title. Playing the white side of a Queen pawn game, the 14-year-old Kerala boy was always in control as he capitalised on an opportunity to play in the centre and netted a pawn in the ensuing complexities arising out of the middle game. The Queen's gambit declined may have a solid reputation but Nihal proved that if consistent pressure is applied, a Grandmaster, way above him in ranking, could be tamed. Parligras realised that the endgame he ventured in to was not so easy and easily caved in when faced with the prospects of losing second pawn. The game lasted 67 moves. Even as Daniil ...
Zimbabwe Cricket confirms non-renewal of staff contracts
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has decided not to renew the contracts of its staff members, owing to a financial reconstruction of the organisation. The board, however, assured that the players' contract would be reviewed and agreed by the next week.The decision came in the backdrop of the financial crunch which the Zimbabwe board is presently facing. Earlier, it was offered a lifeline in the form of funds by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in the month of June, which helped the board to pay the outstanding salaries to its players that were due since four months, ESPNcricinfo.com reported.In an official statement, the ZC said that tough measures were needed to preserve the game of cricket in Zimbabwe."These are tough times and tough decisions are required to preserve cricket in Zimbabwe," the official statement read.Zimbabwe are slated to play three ODIs and three T20Is against South Africa, later in the year.
More friendlies with West Asian countries in pipeline: AIFF
Newly-elected vice president of the South West Asian Football Federation Subrata Dutta today said the Indian team will play more friendlies with West Asian teams on a regular basis from now on. "This will help India improve their rankings. I believe SWAFF will surely help India to develop," AIFF senior vice-president Dutta said. Dutta was elected for a four-year term by the newly formed SWAFF during its general assembly in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia yesterday. India are currently ranked number 97 in the FIFA chart and will compete in the Asian Cup in January next year. India are clubbed with UAE, Thailand and Bahrain in group A of the continental showpiece and it's expected that they would play international friendlies against higher-ranked Saudi Arabia and China in AFC Asian Cup build-up later this year. "I believe SWAFF will surely help India to develop. AIFF shall support SWAFF to fulfil its objectives. We shall also give our best efforts for the achievement of SWAFF's mission and ...
Fancied players have it easy
Top-seeded Megh Bhargav Patel of Gujarat sailed into the second round of the boys singles in the 26th Adidas-MCC National Junior Clay Court tennis championship here today, with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Delhi's Shivank Bhatnagar. Chandigarh's Rishab Sharda, seeded three, joined the no. 1 seed in the second round, with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Deepender Grewal. Tamil Nadu lad V M Sandeep, sedeed 14, also advanced with a straight sets win over Aman Patel of Gujarat. Earlier, Kundana Sri Bandaru, Mridula Palanivel of Tamil Nadu (in the girls section) and P Hitesh, Krishna T Raja and Sukunthan Elangeswaran (boys) qualified for the main draw. Important results: Boys singles: Main draw (1st round): Megh Bhargav Kumar Patel bt Shivank Bhatnagar (Del) 6-2, 6-3; Yeswanth Loganathan (TN) bt Fardeen Qumar (Raj) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2; Atharva Sharma (Mah-S16) bt Rajesh Kannan R S (TN) 7-5, 7-6(3); Aaryan Mehul Zaveri (Guj-S12) bt DhruvTangri (Punjab) 6-4, 6-7(1), 7-5. D Wadhwa (Del-S5) bt Nitin Jaipal
Valencia's Coquelin back after 5-month injury
Valencia midfielder Francis Coquelin returned to the field after being out for five months due to injury, the La Liga side confirmed on Monday.
Real Madrid's Odriozola to miss UEFA Super Cup with injury
Real Madrid's Spanish right back Alvaro Odriozola is to miss the UEFA Super Cup clash against Atletico Madrid with a right leg abductor injury, the Champions League reigning champion announced on Monday.
Kalinic praises Costa, Griezmann during presentation as Atletico player
Croatia forward Nikola Kalinic praised Atletico Madrid's forwards, France's Antoine Griezmann and Spain's Diego Costa, during his presentation as a Rojiblancos player on Monday.
Kohli loses No.1 spot in Test rankings after Lord's debacle
Barely a week after bagging the top spot in the ICC Test batsmen rankings, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli's stay at the top was cut short as he conceded the No. 1 ranking to Australia's Steve Smith.Kohli, who is now at the second position, failed to lift his team out of the tough situation at the Lord's Test against England and could only muster knocks of 23 and 17 as India succumbed for 107 and 130, ultimately crashing to an innings and 159 runs defeat against England and trailing 0-2 in the series.All-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin was the notable exception, moving up in the list for batsmen from 67th to 57th. All-rounder Hardik Pandya has moved up 25 places to take the 74th spot among the bowlers.Meanwhile, England pacer James Anderson became the seventh bowler from England and the first in 38 years from his country to breach the 900-point mark in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings following an excellent performance in the second Test against India at Lord's.Anderson's ...
Emery needs time to rebuild Arsenal -- Cech
Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech pleaded for patience after Unai Emery's first match as Arsene Wenger's successor ended in a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City. The Gunners were largely outclassed by the Premier League champions yesterday and struggled to implement some obvious changes demanded by Emery in the off season. Cech nearly scored an embarrassing own goal and looked uncomfortable in trying to play out from the back as City pressed high. After a series of risky passes, a long clearance by Cech was met with huge cheers from the Arsenal fans, but the veteran called for Emery's methods to be given time. "I think they have to understand that when you start building a new team with a new manager and a completely new way it may take time," said Cech, who kept his place in goal ahead of new signing Bernd Leno. A tough start for the Spanish coach continues next weekend against Cech's old club Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea's new boss Maurizio Sarri did get off to a winning start in his ..
Squash meet: Mumbai's Chaitanya Shah upsets seeded Jaikishan
Chaitanya Shah of Mumbai upset third seed Vivaan Jaikishan in the Under-19 section in the 3rd Indian Classic Junior Open Squash Tournament here today. Shah started strongly by taking the first two games, dropped the third before regaining focus to carve out a 11-3, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6 victory in the second round. Top two seeds of the Under-19 category, Tushar Shahani and Rahul Baitha, remained unchallenged as they advanced to the 3rd round. Shahani beat unseeded Zahaan Heeramaneck in straight games 11-4, 11-3, 11-4, while Baitha made short work of unseeded Aman Kumar, winning 11-3, 11-5, 11-2. In the girls U-19 section, unseeded Sanya Vats overpowered Tanaya M Parakh, who is seeded in the (5/8) bracket, 11-2, 11-5, 11-1. In another match, Sparshi Mattas, seeded in the (5/8) bracket, demolished unseeded Bijali Darvada dropping only 4 points on her way to an easy victory. Results: Boys U-19 (2nd round): Tushar Shahani [1] bt Zahaan Heeramaneck 11-4, 11-3, 11-4; Sonu Kumar ...
Iyer, Bawne hit fifties as India A win series 1-0
Skipper Shreyas Iyer and semior batsman Ankit Bawne hit patient half centuries after early stutter as India A won the two-match series against South Africa A by 1-0 margin after the second 'Test' ended in a draw. India A won the first four day 'Test' by an innings and 30 runs. Starting the final day on 294 for 7, the Proteas added 25 runs losing the remaining three wickets to get all out for 319 in 98.2 overs. Mohammed Siraj (4/72) and Ankit Rajpoot (3/52) shared bulk of the spoils while limited overs specialist Yuzvendra Chahal grabbed two for 84 in 22 overs. With a slender 26-run lead, India A finished their second essay at 181 for 4 with Iyer (65) and Bawne (64 no) steadying the ship with a 86-run stand for the fourth wicket. Iyer hit four boundaries and four sixes in 103 balls while Bawne hit nine boundaries in 100 deliveries. This was after Prithvi Shaw (4) and Mayank Agarwal (28) were dismissed cheaply. "I am happy that I got some runs under my belt. For sure, there was nothing
Delhi Dynamos rope in goalkeeper Dorronsoro Sanchez
Delhi Dynamos today added experienced goalkeeper Dorronsoro Sanchez to their ranks ahead of the fifth Indian Super League. The Spaniard becomes the third foreign recruit by the club following the signings of Rene Mihelic and Marcos Tebar. The 33-year old was last plying his trade with Spanish second division outfit Lorca FC where he made 82 appearances in two seasons, in process helping the side gain promotion from Spanish second division B. The Torrelavega born goalkeeper has past represented the likes of Albacete, Alcorcon, Alcoyano in Spain and has also been crowned Champion of Spanish second division B with Albacete in 2013-14. "I am looking forward to this new phase in my career. Indian Super League has grown immensely, and we have a lot of Spanish players and coaches here, so they have given great reviews about the league. I am very excited to be a part of this club and this league," Dorronsoro said. Dorronsoro joins Albino Gomes, Sukhadev Patil and Sayan Roy as the list of ...
Team Avengers win 2nd Tango League India
Team Avengers was named the new champions of the second edition of the Tango League India, a five-a-side football tournament.
Tyson to grace Kumite 1 MMA league next month
Boxing legend Mike Tyson is all set to set foot on Indian soil for the first time at the launch of the first global team Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) league -- Kumite 1 League on September 29 here.
Indian U-15 women beat Bhutan to secure semi-final spot
The Indian U-15 women's team progressed to the semi-finals of the age-group SAFF Championship after defeating hosts Bhutan 1-0 at the Changlimithang Stadium here today. Shilky Devi's 58th minute strike proved to be the difference between the two teams in a tightly contested match, in which India rattled the bar twice. The semi-finals of the championship are slated to kick off on Thursday, and India will face either Nepal or Bangladesh. Although Bhutan started the game on an attacking note and dominated possession initially, the Indian women had an excellent opportunity to go ahead in the 13th minute when Kiran failed to make the most of her chance from inside the box. In the 31st minute, India rattled the woodwork after Sunita Munda found Kritina Devi on the flanks with some crafty work. Kritina's first-time effort from long range hit the bar and came back into play, only for her to shoot wide off the resulting ball. Five minutes later, Bhutan caught the Indian defence napping and hit