Page 1517 - Sports
Bengaluru FC sign defenders Gursimrat Gill, Sairuat Kima
Bengaluru FC on Monday announced the signing of youngsters Sairuat Kima and Gursimrat Singh Gill on two-year deals till the end of the 2019-2020 football season.
I am a much improved batsman than what I was 2 years ago: Nair
Karun Nair says he is a much improved batsmen than he was two years ago and has his focus firmly set on his comeback Test against Afghanistan rather than the following A tour of the United Kingdom. "I have become fitter. For one-and-a-half years I have been out of the team and making efforts to improve my skills. I have worked on batting and fitness. I scored runs in domestic cricket. I know for myself, I am a better batsman than what I was two years ago," said Nair ahead of the one-off Test beginning here on Thursday. If Nair makes the playing eleven, it will be his first international appearance since the Test against Australia in March last year. A successful A tour of UK as captain can help him a secure a spot for the England series but Nair prefers staying in the present. "For me, there is still a long way to go. I still have this Test match to play and "A" series thereafter. I am not thinking so far ahead. Obviously preparations also are going on for "A" series. First and ...
Striker Alfaro extends contract with FC Pune City
Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Pune City retained the services of striker Emiliano Alfaro for the 2018-19 season, it was announced on Monday.
Slo-mo makes football referees stricter
Slow motion can be monumental when it comes to football, a new research has claimed.According to the study conducted by the Biomet Central, football referees penalise situations more severely when watching them in slow motion compared to real time.Jochim Spitz, W. Helsen, and colleagues studied the response of 88 elite football referees to video clips of a foul warranting a yellow card.The researchers found no significant difference in the accuracy of a referee's decision about if a foul had occurred or not, with slow-motion videos (63 percent accurate) compared to the real-time videos (61 percent accurate).However, the judgment of intention or force behind a foul differed. More red cards were given by referees watching in slow motion compared to those watching real-time video playbacks.Spitz, the corresponding author of the study, said, "Our results suggest that slow motion can increase the severity of a judgment of intention, making the difference between perceiving an action as ...
We need to play tough away games before Asian Cup: Chhetri
Indian football team has turned into a decent home side but it is in desperate need for away games, says inspirational skipper Sunil Chhetri, who feels the next target for the country should be a top-10 place in Asia so that the big guns invite them over. The 33-year-old was India's top-scorer with eight strikes in the just-concluded Intercontinental Cup which India clinched with a 2-0 win over Kenya in the final last night in Mumbai. The prolific skipper is now aiming for a strong showing in the Asian Cup next year where India are clubbed with UAE, Bahrain and Thailand. "For Asia Cup, the first thing that we need is to play many tough nations in away games. Well, whom we should be playing depends on the AIFF and our chief coach (Stephen Constantine) but we need away games now," Chhetri told PTI during an interaction on the sidelines of a promotional event organised by KIA Motors. "Look, let's be honest. With our rankings (97), we can't invite the better ranked teams at home. Also we .
We have better spinners than India: Afghan captain
Ahead of their Test debut against India this week, Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai has no hesitations in claiming that his side's spinners are better than star Indian duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Delhi Dynamos sign Siam Hanghal for two years
Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Delhi Dynamos Football Club on Monday roped in 25-year-old Manipuri midfielder Siam Hanghal for a two-year deal.
Prajnesh qualifies for his maiden ATP World Tour event
Indian Davis Cupper Prajnesh Gunneswaran qualified for the singles main draw of an ATP World event for the first time in his career when he defeated Christian Harrison in the final round of the Mercedes Cup Qualifiers in Stuttgart, Germany. The left-handed Indian, who touched his career-best rank of 169 today, got the better of his American opponent 6-3 4-6 6-3 in the second round of the Euro 729,340 grass court event. Prajnesh, who could have played at the French Open as 'lucky loser' but missed out since he had confirmed participation in an event in Italy, is satisfied at his progress. "I am happy to make it to my first ATP main draw. Especially since it's my first tournament on grass. I look forward to continuing the good run I have had in the last few months and keep pushing my limits," Prajnesh told PTI from Stuttgart. The 28-year-old Chennai lad said the transition from clay to grass was smooth for him. "Surprisingly yes. But I also worked on some grass court specific stuff in ..
Ronaldo 'doesn't look worried about his future' - Fernandes
Portugal midfielder Manuel Fernandes said Cristiano Ronaldo "doesn't look at all worried about his future" as the Real Madrid superstar contemplates a possible exit from the Spanish giants this summer. There has been intense speculation over Ronaldo's future after the 33-year-old suggested he could have played his last game for Real following their 3-1 victory over Liverpool in last month's Champions League final. Speaking on Monday at Portugal's World Cup team base camp on the outskirts of Moscow, Fernandes said: "I have nothing negative to say about Cristiano, he looks focused and doesn't look at all worried about his future." In the aftermath of Real's third successive European title in Kiev, Ronaldo said: "It was very nice to be at Real Madrid." A day later he struck a more conciliatory tone, telling Real fans gathering at Madrid's Plaza de Cibeles "see you next year", but Portuguese newspaper Record stoked the fire again last Thursday by claiming Ronaldo would definitely be ...
With 11th French, Nadal not obsessed with Federer's 20 Slams
Rafael Nadal's 11th French Open title raised his Grand Slam trophy count to 17, three away from the men's record held by Roger Federer. That doesn't necessarily mean Nadal is fixated on catching his rival. "Of course I would love to have 20, like Roger, in the future - or even more," Nadal said Sunday evening after beating Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in the final at Roland Garros, "but being honest, (it's) something that is not in my mind." He added that it's not an "obsession." "Let me enjoy this title," Nadal said. "I can't be always thinking of more. Of course, I have ambition. Of course, I have passion for what I am doing. But I never have been crazy about all this kind of stuff. No, you can't be frustrated always if somebody has more money than you, if somebody have a bigger house than you, if somebody have more Grand Slams than you. You can't live with that feeling, no?" Nadal's uncle, Toni, who used to also be his coach, attended Sunday's match and was asked afterward whether .
Football is my life and I am living it: Chhetri post Intercontinental Cup win
After striking a brace to help the Indian men's football team clinch Intercontinental Cup title, captain Sunil Chhetri has stated that "football is my life and I am living it fully".Chhetri struck two sublime strikes in the seventh and the 29th minute, one off his right and the second off his left, to help India beat Kenya 2-0 at Mumbai Football Arena and lift the Intercontinental Cup on Sunday.Speaking following the win, Chhetri said that his side have had tough 20 days, but their determination helped them to bounce back and come out victorious eventually."Football is my life and I am living it. After 20 tough days, we won the tournament. We had tough time. We lost match against New Zealand but we came back and seal the victory. All of us have the determination for the game and for the country," Chhetri said.Chhetri's two goals also drawn him level with the Argentina star striker Lionel Messi and placed him next only to Portugal's Crisriano Ronaldo on the list of active players with
IOA, HI urge SAI to improve food quality, hygiene
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Hockey India (HI) on Monday wrote to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) after the national men's hockey team chief coach Harendra Singh complained about the quality of food and the hygiene level at the SAI centre in Bengaluru.
Catch us if you can: Nadal keeps old guard in control
When Rafael Nadal broke down in tears on the Roland Garros podium on Sunday as 15,000 people, plus a smattering of Hollywood heavyweights, stood and honoured his staggering 11th French Open triumph, it was enough to make his desperate rivals weep. The 32-year-old Spaniard had wrapped up his 17th major, taken his career earnings beyond the USD100 million mark and extended his record in Paris to 86 wins and just two defeats. It also intensified the headache facing tennis' highly-rated but woefully under-performing next generation. How do you solve a problem like Nadal? Or Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray for that matter? Since Nadal won his first major at Roland Garros in 2005, the 'Big Four' have claimed 48 of the past 53 Grand Slam titles. In their careers, 36-year-old Federer has 20 majors, Nadal 17, Djokovic 12 and Murray three. Stan Wawrinka, it should not be forgotten, also has three Slams although his name is usually an absentee when it comes to such ...
Steyn included in Test set-up for Sri Lanka tour
South Africa's pace spearhead Dale Steyn has been included in the national side for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka starting next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Monday.
Delhi Dynamos sign midfielder Siam Hanghal
Indian Super League side Delhi Dynamos today signed Manipuri midfielder Siam Hanghal for a two-year tenure. The 25-year-old joins Delhi after completing a year-long season with Kerala Blasters, where he made eight appearances for the southern outfit. A product of the famed Tata Football Academy, Siam started his career with Pailan Arrows back in 2012 before joining Bengaluru FC in the I-League in 2013. The central midfielder won two I-League titles and a Federation Cup with the side before being loaned out to NorthEast United in the 2015 ISL season, where his side narrowly missed out on a place in the semi-finals. Hanghal then switched to Chennaiyin FC in 2016. "It is a big step forward for me. Dynamos are a side that has played some attractive attacking football over the years and it fits into my style of play perfectly," Hanghal said. His addition adds further steel to the Dynamos midfield that already boasts the likes of Vinit Rai, Romeo Fernandes, Nandhakumar Sekar and ...
Spain defender Pique leaves training early with knee discomfort
Spain centre-back Gerard Pique was forced to leave a training session early on Monday after hurting his left knee just four days before the team's opening Group B football match against Portugal.
Prannoy, Kashyap give US Open a miss, Jayaram to lead Indian challenge
Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram will lead the Indian challenge at the US Open in the absence of defending champion HS Prannoy and last year's finalist Parupalli Kashyap in the World Tour Super 300 tournament starting here tomorrow. World No 8 Prannoy has decided to skip the event to be in best shape for the upcoming hectic schedule including the USD 700,000 Malaysia Open, USD 1,250,000 Indonesia Open, World Championship and Asian Games. "I am not playing US Open. I haven't decided what events I will play," he said. Kashyap, on the other hand, is recovering from a stress fracture on his shin that he suffered after the Austria Open in February. "Just after Orleans GP it got aggravated and I had to stop playing. I was back on court a few weeks back. I hope to play in Thailand," Kashyap told PTI. Jayaram, who is on a comeback trail since recovering from a hamstring injury that took nearly eight months to heal, will eye a good outing when he begins his campaign against a qualifier here. In ..
We've better spinners than India: Afghanistan captain
Afghanistan skipper Asghar Stanikzai has stated that his side have got better spinners than India as the former team prepare for their historic maiden Test match at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Thursday.Teen sensation Rashid and fellow spinners Mujeeb ur Rahman, Zahir Khan and Hamza Hotak have been named in the 16-member Afghanistan squad for the inaugural one-off Test match against India.India, on the other hand, will be without their star skipper Virat Kohli, who decided to skip the historic Test for his maiden English county stint but was later sidelined with neck injury.In Kohli's absence, India are most likely to call up their star spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, the world's fourth and fifth-ranked Test bowlers respectively.However, Stanikzai backed his side's spinners saying that Rashid Khan and the other are stronger than the Indian spinners."The whole world knows that [we have very good spinners in] Rashid Khan, Mujeeb [Ur Rahman], [Mohammad] ..
Halep stays on top of WTA rankings after Grand Slam title
Romania's Simona Halep stayed atop the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings released on Monday with 7,970 points, after she claimed her first Grand Slam title at the French Open.
Nadal tops ATP rankings after 11th Roland Garros victory
Spain's Rafael Nadal stayed atop the men's Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world singles rankings released on Monday following his 11th career French Open victory.