Page 1264 - Sports
DDCA conundrum: Bhatia, Awana not qualified to be selectors
The Supreme Court order on new BCCI constitution has put the DDCA in a fix as two of its newly-appointed selectors -- Rajat Bhatia and Parvinder Awana -- do not qualify to hold the post as per stipulated norms. The Delhi & Districts Cricket Association's Cricket Committee comprising Virender Sehwag, Aakash Chopra, Rahul Sanghvi and Gautam Gambhir zeroed in on Bhatia for the senior committee, while Awana is a part of the junior panel. While former pacer Awana, who had played two T20 Internationals in 2012, announced his retirement from competitive cricket last month, Bhatia is yet to call it quits. The state association's constitution is supposed to be a mirror image of the parent body's constitution. The apex court order states that a player can only be eligible to become a national selector "if he has retired from the game at least five years previously". As per the new diktat, DDCA won't be able to issue appointment letters to Bhatia and Awana as it will not be in conformity ...
Proud Pogba happy to repay trust as Man Utd captain
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba declared his pride at being named captain for Friday's Premier League opening 2-1 win over Leicester, but pointedly suggested he wants to be trusted more by manager Jose Mourinho. Mourinho surprisingly put Pogba straight into the starting line-up and handed him the armband even though the Frenchman had just returned to training on Monday after his exertions in lifting the World Cup less than a month ago. Pogba responded with what Mourinho described as a "monster" performance and took responsibility from the penalty spot to open the scoring after just three minutes of the season. "Of course it makes me proud, it makes me happy to wear this (armband) at a big club like Manchester United," said Pogba. The man who cost United a then world record 89 million pounds (105 million euros, $116 million) in 2016 was routinely dropped by Mourinho last season, and had been linked with a move away from Old Trafford in recent days with Barcelona's interest ...
Khalin celebrates birthday with 7-under 64 to get to 2nd place
Local golfer Khalin Joshi celebrated his 26th birthday with a stunning bogey-free seven-under 64 that saw him rise to Tied-2nd after the third round of the TAKE Solutions Masters here today. Joshi is now just one shot behind new leader Argentine Miguel Carballo (67). On the traditional moving day, none moved better than Joshi, who a year ago had come within a whisker of grabbing his maiden Asian Tour title here. Sitting at 13-under, Joshi said the course was yielding good scores and 20-under could be the target. "Shubhankar and I spoke about it and he said you shoot 20-under. I spoke to my caddie as well and he said you shoot 20-under and you'll win! For me it was always a goal to shoot 20-under this week." The tightly packed leaderboard had no less than 10 players within three shots of the leader and it had a strong Indian flavour with five of them from the host country. On a day when the KGA course gave away a lot of good scores in perfect conditions, the only player among Top-24 to
Newly-elected DDCA official hits out at 'proxy' president
In a fresh case of in-fighting among the newly-elected Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) office bearers, its Director Cricket Sanjay Bharadwaj on Saturday threatened to go on a hunger strike if president Rajat Sharma did not address the issues of conflict of interest within the body.
New Delhi to host Combined Shooting World Cup ahead of Tokyo Olympics
New Delhi has been granted hosting rights of the Combined ISSF World Cup, to be held before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the development underlining India's growing stature in shooting sport. The International Shooting Sport Federation's Combined World Cup involves events in rifle, pistol and shotgun. This would be the seventh continental or global multi-nation shooting competition to be staged in the country since 2012. The decision was taken in principle at the ISSF's ongoing Executive Committee meeting in Vienna and conveyed to National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Raninder Singh, who attended the meeting. A formal intimation by the ISSF will follow soon. Thrilled at the development, Raninder said, "We are extremely grateful to the ISSF president and the entire executive committee for reposing faith on the country's and NRAI's ability to hold such big and important world level competitions. "We shall not only not disappoint as usual but also exceed expectations. Such ...
Selfie Star four-year-old grey
Selfie Star four-year-old grey filly trained by Dallas Todywalla and ridden by jockey Neeraj Rawal lifted The Eve Champion Trophy (Grade3) in record timing of 2 m 2-69 secs run over distance of 2,000 metres the main event on special race day of Pune meeting held here today. Trainer Dallas Todywalla and Mansoor Shah saddled a good double each, while jockey Neeraj Rawal scored a good double on a day.
Shami strikes to leave England 89-4 at lunch
India seamer Mohammed Shami struck twice to reduce England to 89 for four at lunch on the third day of the second cricket Test at Lord's here today. Shami bowled a fine spell, taking 2 for 27 as India put in a hard grind with the ball after they were dismissed for 107 in their first innings yesterday. At the break, Jonny Bairstow was unbeaten on 4, following the dismissal of skipper Joe Root at the stroke of lunch. After rain washed out the opening day and affected the proceedings on the second day, conditions changed drastically today as the sun came out with not a hint of rain around. Moisture, both in the air and on the surface, dried up quickly as batting seemed a lot easier. Even so, the ball continued to do something as Ishant Sharma (1-26) and Shami began proceedings for the day. They took a couple overs to find the proper line and length to bowl at the two left-handed opening batsmen. Shami troubled the batsmen more in this opening spell, with Sharma finding more impact as he .
India reduce England to 89 for 4 at lunch
England were 89 for 4 at lunch on the third day of the second cricket Test against India at Lord's here today. At the break, Jonny Bairstow was batting at 4, while skipper Joe Root (19) was dismissed by Mohammed Shami on the last ball before lunch. India were allout for 107 in their first innings yesterday after the opening day was washed out without a ball being bowled. England now trail India by 18 runs with six wickets remaining in their first innings. Brief Score: India: 107 England 1st innings: 89 for 4 in 24.4 overs (OJ Pope 28; Mohammed Shami 2/27).
Lather eager to forget CWG snub, eyes Asiad glory (IANS Interview)
Two-time Asian Boxing Championship silver medalist Sonia Lather is heading to the upcoming Asian Games with a positive attitude, leaving behind the disappointment of being excluded from the recently concluded Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (CWG).
Delhi Dynamos sign Rene Mihelic
Indian Super League franchise Delhi Dynamos today completed the signing of Slovenian playmaker Rene Mihelic on a one-year contract. Rene played a pivotal role in the title winning campaign of Chennaiyin FC last season as he notched up two goals and four assists in his 14 appearances with the club. The Slovenian's ability to cause havoc from dead-ball situations made him a vital cog in the South Indian side's impressive run till the very end. "Mihelic is a player we had identified from the start because he offers a lot both from dead ball situations and from open play. His creativity from the midfield will add extra quality for us when going forward. He is a motivated player who wants to build on his past success," Dynamos Head Coach Josep Gombau said. A graduate of the youth academy of NK Maribor, Mihelic at the age of 19 became the youngest player to feature for Slovenia at the international level. After leaving Maribor in 2010, Mihelic spent three seasons with Portuguese top tier ...
Brazilian forward Barbosa turns down Valencia offer
Brazilian forward Gabriel Barbosa has rejected an offer to join Valencia, committing himself to Santos until the end of the year, the Brazilian club's coach said.
Hoffenheim extend contract with defender Kaderabek
TSG Hoffenheim have extended the contract with Czech Republic right-back Pavel Kaderabek until June 2023.
Croatia forward Rebic extends contract with Frankfurt
Croatian forward Ante Rebic has extended his running contract with German football club Eintracht Frankfurt until June 2022.
Jayaram enters Vietnam Open final
India's Ajay Jayaram stood a step away from his first title of the season as he made it to the finals of the Vietnam Open after defeating Japan's Yu Igarashi in straight games here today. The 30-year-old Indian, who is making a comeback after recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered last year, saw off seventh seed Igarashi 21-14 21-19 in a 34-minute match. Jayaram, who had reached the finals at White Nights last month, will face Indonesia's World No. 79 Shesar Hiren Rhustavito in the finals of the USD 75,000 BWF Tour Super 100 tournament. Shesar, who had won four consecutive Indonesia International tournament, outwitted India's Mithun Manjunath 21-17 19-21 21-14 in a match that lasted 59 minutes here. This is the third time in as many weeks that an Indian will be fighting for a title in a badminton event. Last Sunday, Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu had settled for a silver medal after losing to Spain's Carolina Marin in the summit clash at Nanjing, China. A week before ...
Uruguay set to name interim coach as Tabarez mulls future
Fabian Coito is reportedly set to be named interim coach of Uruguay's men's football team amid uncertainty over whether Oscar Tabarez will continue
PGA Championships: Sharma likely to make cut, Lahiri to miss it
Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma was one-under through seven holes in the second round of the PGA Championships when play was stopped because of inclement weather. Sharma, playing his fourth successive Major this year, was two-under for the tournament at that stage and looked set to make his second straight cut in a Major. Earlier, the 22-year-old Indian had made the cut at the Open Championships last month. Sharma's senior colleague Anirban Lahiri had another miserable day on the greens as he missed a bunch of makeable putts and went through a horrible streak of four bogeys in five holes on the back nine to card three-over 73. Put alongside his even Par 70 in the first round, his three-over 143 may not be enough to see him through to the final two rounds at the 100th PGA Championship at the Bellerive Country Club course. Gary Woodland shot four-under 66 to get to 10-under, while in-form Kevin Kisner had a 64 to get to nine-under. Woodland hit 9 of 14 fairways and, for the second ...
Junior golfer Hitaashee wins Hong Kong Junior Championship
Junior golfer Hitaashee Bakshi emerged victorious in under 13-14 years age category, while compatriots Kartik Sharma and Sunhit Bishnoi finished second and third respectively in the 15-17 category at the Hong Kong Junior Golf Championship. The championship held at Discovery Bay Golf Club saw participation from about 60 juniors from eight countries. Six juniors from DLF Golf Academy Nurturing Excellence Programme participated in this year's championship. "The tournament has been a great experience for all us and I am thankful to our coaches and staff at DLF Golf academy who have guided us through the competition and helped us improve our game. I wish to learn and work on my skills and hopefully repeat such performances in the future," Hitaashee said. Earlier this year in March, Kartik had attained the No. 1 amateur ranking in the country, while Bishnoi is currently the No. 1 junior golfer in the country. "DLF Golf Excellence Program has helped me hone my skills and improve as a player.
Leave teenage shooting sensations Manu, Anish alone: Rana
Four-time Asian Games gold medallist shooter Jaspal Rana says "too much" is being expected from teenage prodigies like Manu Bhaker and Anish Bhanwala and they can surely do without the "unwanted" attention ahead of the Asian Games. Bhaker is 16 and Bhanwala 15. They both hogged the limelight at the Commonwealth Games, winning gold in the 10m air pistol and 25m rapid fire pistol respectively. While Bhanwala is training with the senior squad, Bhaker is in Bhopal with India's junior national coach Rana. "Everyone is expecting too much from these kids. There is too much focus on them when it should be on the seniors. They are like any other 15-16 year olds. They are on social media and are bound to get affected by this kind of attention," an angry Rana told PTI. "I am not saying that they cannot win medals at Asiad. But you have to remember that competition at Commonwealth Games is a lot easier than Asian Games. We have to deal with the Chinese in Asiad and they don't like losing," said ..
Laver leads Australia greats in Davis Cup reform fight
Four generations of Australian Davis Cup captains and players, led by Rod Laver, John Newcombe and Lleyton Hewitt, united Saturday to oppose proposed reforms, saying they will ruin an historic tournament. Currently, the Davis Cup is structured around a 16-nation World Group, contested over four weekends during the year. The remaining countries are then divided into three regional zones. But the International Tennis Federation wants the event reduced to a season-ending World Cup of Tennis final featuring 18 countries, which it says will allow it to attract more top players. The proposal must win approval at the federation's annual general meeting in Orlando, Florida this month. Australia is the second most successful team in Davis Cup history behind the United States, winning the coveted title 28 times, and while Tennis Australia acknowledges reform is needed, it is against the current plans. "It takes away too much of what makes the Davis Cup unique and special, especially the home ...
Messi to lead FC Barcelona for new season
Spanish football giant FC Barcelona has named Argentine football star Lionel Messi as the new captain of the club for the new season.Messi would be replacing Spanish football ace Andres Iniesta, who was Barcelona's captain since 2015 and has now joined the Japanese club, Vissel Kobe, ESPN reported.The 31-year-old Argentine forward, who led Barcelona earlier in Iniesta's absence, would now take over as the full-time skipper of the La Liga champions.Meanwhile, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Sergi Roberto would become the second, third and fourth captains of the Barca club respectively. Prior to this development, Messi was also the second captain of Barcelona, having held the role since 2015.Interestingly, it is the first time that Pique has been given the role of the captain of the club, since his return to the Spanish side from Manchester United in 2008. Also, Roberto recently led an inexperience Barca squad during their pre-season tour to the United States, as per the ESPN ...