Page 144 - Sports
'Want India to out-field every opponent in World Cup'
India's fielding coach R. Sridhar wants the Men in Blue not to put the foot off the peddle in the ongoing World Cup and outfield the opponents in the upcoming games of the showpiece event in England and Wales.
'Japanese Messi' Kubo set for Real Madrid move - media
Teenage sensation Takefusa Kubo is poised to be snapped up by Spanish giants Real Madrid, Japanese media reported on Friday. The FC Tokyo forward, who recently made his full Japan debut and is dubbed the "Japanese Messi", has also been linked with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and English champions Manchester City. Contacted by AFP, FC Tokyo declined to comment, but Kubo's likely destination now looks to be Madrid, where he will start at Real's feeder club, according to widespread reports. Kubo, 18, earned his high-profile nickname after being invited to Barcelona's youth academy as a nine-year-old. Barcelona have kept tabs on the player since, but Real Madrid now look to be the front-runners to sign Kubo, whose dribbling skills made him a YouTube hit as a small boy. Los Blancos have offered Kubo two million euros a year to play in Real's second-string Castilla side to gain experience, according to Japanese media. Fierce rivals Barca tried to sign Kubo back in 2014, but were hit by a
Hazard raises new 'Galacticos' expectations at Real Madrid
Eden Hazard has been officially presented as Real Madrid's newest player.
Australia, Qatar to play in 2020 Copa America
Australia and Qatar have been invited to take part in the 2020 Copa America, South America's football governing body CONMEBOL has announced.
Media talks more about Neymar than we do: Brazil coach Tite
Brazil head coach Tite on Thursday said that there are more talks about striker Neymar Jr in the media than there is talk about him within the squad.Brazil is all set to play in Copa America, beginning June 14 but the team would be without their striker Neymar as he was ruled out of the tournament due to an ankle injury."There's more talk about Neymar in the media than there is talk about him within the squad. Within the squad, we are focused on our preparations. I would never want to be in this situation of playing without Neymar, a top-three player in the world, but we have to be prepared," Goal.com quoted Tite as saying.Brazil would be looking to win their ninth Copa America title. The team last won the tournament in 2007.The team has had a good run going into the tournament as Brazil thrashed Honduras 7-0 in their final warm-up ahead of the Copa America."We cannot deny responsibility to win. Of course, we want to win. But we are aware that we have to build steps for the title. It .
ICC Women's C'ship: Jones, Taylor shine as England defeats Windies 3-0
Amy Jones and Sarah Taylor played knocks of 80 and 70 respectively as England defeated West Indies by 135 runs (D/L method) in the final ODI to win the series 3-0 on Thursday.England after being put to bat, scored 258 runs in 39 overs. Rain intervened in the match and as a result, the match was curtailed to 39 overs per side. Jones continuing her rich vein of form, scored 80 runs in the final ODI. She had registered a score of 91 in the first ODI of the series.She along with the other opener Tammy Beaumont put on 84 for the first wicket. Windies were not able to apply pressure as, after the departure of Beaumont, Taylor came out to bat and along with Jones, added 87 runs for the third wicket.Jones hit six fours and one six in her innings but she was unable to reach her ton as she departed after playing a knock of 80 runs.At the end of England innings, Heather Knight smashed 40 runs off just 19 balls to power England to more than in the 39 overs.Windies chase got off to bad start as ...
CWC'19: Key players to watch out in England-Windies clash
England and West Indies are currently placed at the fourth and sixth position respectively in the standings of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup and both the teams would look to achieve two points when they take on each other at Southampton today.England has played three matches so far and in those, they have recorded two wins and one loss. They have defeated South Africa and Bangladesh and registered a loss against Pakistan.On the other hand, West Indies has won one match and lost one. Their third match against South Africa got abandoned due to rain. Windies defeated Pakistan in their first match and they had to suffer a loss against Australia in their next match.West Indies has won the World Cup two times (1975,1979) and England has failed to lift the World cup trophy even once. The English team has managed to reach the finals of the World Cup three times (1979,1987 and 1992).England and West Indies took on each other in February, earlier this year and the five-match series was tied ..
CWC'19: Fans annoyed after another washout, call it as 'Worst World Cup'
The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup is in its 18th match and four matches have been abandoned due to rain which has exasperated the cricket enthusiasts, some of which even went on to call it the worst 'World Cup'.Soon after India's match against New Zealand got abandoned on Thursday due to rain, a deluge of reactions poured in on Twitter."Worst cricket world cup ever #RainStopsMatch #INDvNZ," a user tweeted.Another user tweeted: "Hey @ICC @cricketworldcup need to say something, thanks for giving us the worst world cup. I am hoping rain wins the world cup #INDvsNZ.""So much disappointed with the @ICC this is'nt a kind of #WorldCup2019 we want. We want matches to be played. Here only the rain is ruling. In future never put any WC in England or shift the match to other day if rain occurs. Atleast matches shud be fair. #nomorewolrdcupinengland," another tweet read.While some users seemed annoyed because of rain playing a spoilsport in the premier tournament, others used this opportunity for ..
Sridhar hails India's fielding abilities
India fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar is satisfied with team's fielding performance in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup. He believes that the players are very much committed to the game and are even ready to risk injuries to save one run."The biggest thing is the attitude of the fielders where they put the team ahead of themselves. These are qualities you need to go out and win championships. They are willing to risk injuries to save that one run, which is a great quality to have," Sridhar said during a press conference after India's match against New Zealand got abandoned due to rain on Thursday.This is the fourth game which got affected due to rain and both India and New Zealand have been handed one point each. Moreover, with the match being abandoned both the teams are still undefeated in the tournament.Sridhar also said that the team possesses fielder at the slip who have the ability to intimidate any batsman."We have a terrific slip catcher and a safe catcher in Rohit .
CWC '19: Ponting believes Warner can be the leading run scorer
Australian batsman David Warner's 107-run knock against Pakistan in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup has impressed team's assistant coach Ricky Ponting, who believes that if Warner manages to replicate such performance in the rest of the tournament, he will be the leading run-getter."You could see by the way he moved into his shots and picking up the length early, he hit a lot of pull shots early in his innings, which is always a good sign for him. He'd taken the handbrake off which has allowed himself to play with a bit more freedom. If he keeps playing like that for the rest of the tournament, he's probably going to be the leading run scorer," Cricket.com.au quoted Ponting, as saying.Warner was at his devastating best when he smashed his first century since making a comeback from his year-long ban and helped his side beat Pakistan by 41 runs on Wednesday.Warner has accumulated 255 runs so far in the tournament and is just five runs behind Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, who ...
CWC '19: Pak fan's reaction to team's fielding has triggered a flurry of memes
A Pakistan fan's reaction to his team's performance during the ICC Cricket World Cup match against Australia on Wednesday has triggered a flurry of memes.The fan's reaction came after Asif Ali dropped David Warner on 104 runs. The latter tried an upper-cut off Wahab Riaz's ball, but it landed in Ali's hand, who later dropped the catch.The bald fan, with both his hands on his waist, looked very disappointed at Ali, who was right in front of him.The reaction from the fan was so apt for the situation, so much so that the International Cricket Council (ICC) shared it on their official Twitter account.Twitterverse, too, made complete use of the opportunity to troll the fan."Man of the match today," wrote a Twitter user."We might have lost the match, but we definitely winning the meme game," wrote another Twitter user."Presenting u the meme face of 2019," a cricket fan said on Twitter."Two disappointed Pakistan cricket fans looking at each other," wrote another user on Twitter.Despite ...
Japan confident of trouncing India in FIH Series Finals semis
Japan hockey coach Siegfried Aikman expressed confidence of his team overpowering India in their semi-final clash in the ongoing FIH Series Finals."India win? Maybe, but it's not done. Still at this moment, we strongly believe we can win. It's a hypothetical question as of now. A match is over when it is over and we will do everything to win," Aikman said during a pre-match press conference here on Thursday.Acknowledging that India is a good team statistically, Aikman said it is the unpredictability that makes the sport of hockey interesting, as even an underdog can beat a strong team."Statistically, India should win. But if that happens in sport, sports will be boring. The fact that an underdog can flip the script makes hockey so interesting," he said. We will have the strategy to win. If I share the strategy with you, I can give it away. You can come tomorrow to watch, then you can see it and be surprised."Aikman agreed that the extreme heat had some effect on the players but ...
We have tactics in place: Hockey coach Graham Reid ahead of semis against Japan
Ahead of India's semi-final match against Japan at the ongoing FIH Series Finals, coach Graham Ried says the team has its tactics in place and will prepare in the same way they did previously, playing their best to win."This has to be a normal game for us. We have to prepare like we normally would. If you ask me this question before the (our) first game, I think I will say (would have said) we will be preparing the same way. We will be focussing on the first few minutes of the game and move forward from there. We have tactics in place and that's what will happen tomorrow," Reid said during a press conference here on Thursday.Reid also stated that the past record does not really matter as "yesterday's result does not necessarily determine today's result" and they will play their best game to win."I am always a believer that yesterday's result does not necessarily determine today's result. I don't drag too much into reading past performances. Japan played very well last night and we ...
Kothari enters finals of Pacific International Billiards
Reigning world billiards champion Sourav Kothari on Thursday stormed into the final of the Pacific International Billiards here with a thrilling win over Dhvaj Haria.
2011 Vuelta winner Cobo caught doping, paves way for Froome to take title
Juan Cobo has been found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation and could be stripped of his 2011 Vuelta a Espana victory, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said Thursday, a decision which would see the stricken Chris Froome crowned champion. Froome, who came second in the race in 2011, stands to be declared the winner should Spaniard Cobo lose the title. Cobo, now retired, was retrospectively found guilty of using a banned substance because of anomalies found in his blood biopassport between 2009-2011, the UCI said. Froome is currently in hospital in Saint-Etienne, France, recovering from serious injuries suffered in an accident in training for Wednesday's Criterium du Dauphine fourth stage. Cobo, who is now 38, made his professional debut on the Saunier-Duval team, alongside David de la Fuente, and in 2005 participated in his first Grand Tour, the Giro. In 2011, he achieved his greatest success when with the Geox-TMC team, he took victory on the Vuelta, which was assured thanks
Board members check in: BCCI office-bearer, CoA member land up in same VIP box
It is no secret that BCCI office-bearers and at least two CoA members don't see eye to eye but secretary Amitabh Chaudhary and Lt. Gen (Retd) Ravindra Thodge were seated together in the same hospitality box during India's abandoned World Cup game against New Zealand here Thursday. A lot of BCCI's state unit officials have already landed in the United Kingdom, primarily to watch the India versus Pakistan game at the Old Trafford on Sunday. "I will be there till the Pakistan game and then leave," Thodge informed as he waited outside the Trent Bridge gate for his pass. It was not exactly a comfortable situation for both as the Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators and the BCCI office bearers have been at loggerheads. However, it was difficult to arrange tickets for separate boxes. The CoA had sanctioned seven days trip for itself and the office bearers during the World Cup. However, both CoA chief Vinod Rai and member Diana Edulji are not coming to watch the World Cup. Rai,
Services boys crowned champions, Haryana dominates girls section in Youth Boxing Nationals
Services were crowned boys champions while Haryana girls dominated the final day with five gold medals in the 3rd Youth Boxing Nationals here Thursday. Services scripted a whitewash among boys, finishing their campaign with an impressive 10 medals -- 9 gold and 1 bronze -- while Haryana were too good for their opponents in lower weight categories in the girl's event to end with five gold, two silver and one bronze. Services collected 69 points to be declared best team of the tournament while Haryana girls topped with 46 points. It was a dominating show by the Services boxers, led by their frontline boxers of 2018 Youth World bronze medalist Bhavesh Khattimnani (52kg), Harsh Chaudhury (75kg) and Lakshya Chahar (81kg) as they got unanimous verdicts while Vijaydeep (69kg) ensured the top spot with a split decision. The only category where no Services boxer featured was the 91Kg, where Harsh Gill of Haryana won the gold after getting the better of Harsh Rana from Delhi, who had to settle .
Indian junior men's hockey team lose 1-3 to Spain
A flurry of goals unsettled the Indian junior men's hockey team, which lost 1-3 to Spain in a group stage game at the 8-Nations U-21 Invitational tournament, here Thursday. India went into the game wary of the minor errors that had denied them victory in their previous group encounters. The hosts on the other hand were brimming with confidence thanks to two successive victories. India defended hard in the goalless first quarter and dominated possession in the second. But Spain's dogged defence cut down on any goal-scoring opportunities. The teams went into halftime locked in a goalless stalemate. In a lively third quarter, both teams came out attacking from the word go. It was India who struck first, Pratap Lakra converting a penalty corner in the first minute. Spain hit back soon though, in a four-minute period, where they hit back with three quick goals. Ignacio Cobos struck their first, in the 35th minute with a PC conversion. Cesar Cusier (37') and Gonzalo Quijano (39') scored ...
Chris Froome could be awarded 2011 Vuelta a España
British cyclist Chris Froome could be awarded the 2011 Vuelta a España after the original winner Jose Cobo Acebo was retroactively stripped of the title for doping on Thursday.
It's not only Zampa, even Indian fielders use hand-warmers
Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa attracted unwarranted attention for using hand warmers during the World Cup game against India but even 'Men In Blue' use the same equipment to beat the biting cold. When Zampa was seen using hand warmers, the social media, especially the Indian fans, went on an overdrive, accusing the Australian of indulging in ball tampering. Skipper Aaron Finch was forced to clarify the use of handwarmer at the post-match interaction that it is a part of cricketing equipment when players need to keep their hands warm in cooler confines to get the feel back in hands. Asked how a fielding unit prepares for cold conditions, Sridhar replied, I think hand-warmers is obviously the first option to keep your hands warm." There are other options like "running from one fielding position to another or throwing the ball around" said Sridhar. "That also keeps you warm between overs and doesn't allow your body to cool down. Also, we practice in the same weather, so that also ...