Page 1532 - Sports
India suffer 1-2 defeat against New Zealand in final league match
Head coach Stephen Constantine's strategy of making seven changes in his starting eleven did not yield the desired result as India suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of New Zealand in their final league match of the Intercontinental Cup football tournament here today. Despite the loss, the Indian team is still one foot in the final to be played on June 10 with six points from two earlier wins. The home team had beaten Chinese Taipei (5-0) and Kenya (3-0). India took the lead through captain Sunil Chhetri in the 47th minute but New Zealand rallied through goals from Andre Earnest De Jong (49th) and Moses Dyer (86th) as the Indian defence looked shaky all through the match in front of a full-house Mumbai Football Arena. For Chhetri, who was playing in his 101st match, it was his 62nd international goal, levelling with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic (62 from 116 matches) of Sweden and Ronaldo (62 from 98 matches) of Brazil. If Kenya beat Chinese Taipei tomorrow, it will be a complicated
Del Potro overpowers Cilic, advances to French Open semis
Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro on Thursday qualified for the semifinals of the French Open after he defeated Marin Cilic of Croatia 7-6, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 in a two-day rain-delayed match.
Rajiv Shukla congratulates Arjun Tendulkar for U-19 selection
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) senior official Rajiv Shukla on Saturday congratulated legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's son, Arjun Tendulkar, after the latter was named in the India Under-19 squad for the two four-day matches in Sri Lanka, starting next month.Shukla took to his Twitter handle and said, "Feeling happy for the selection of Arjun Tendulkar in India U-19 squad. My Best Wishes are with him @BCCI @sachin_rt"Earlier in the day, the All-India Junior Selection Committee met in Bengaluru to pick the India U19 squads for two four-day games and five one-dayers against hosts Sri Lanka, which are slated to be held from July 11 to August 11.The complete squads are as below:India U-19 squad for two four-day games: Anuj Rawat (C) (wk), Atharva Taide, Devdutt Padikkal, Aryan Juyal (VC) (wk), Yash Rathod, Ayush Badoni, Sameer Choudhary, Siddharth Desai, Harsh Tyagi, Y.D. Mangwani, Arjun Tendulkar, Nehal Wadhera, Akash Pande, Mohit Jangra and Pawan Shah.India U-19 ...
Bangladesh bowlers restrict Afghanistan to 145/6
The series already in its bag, Afghanistan wasted a good start to be restricted to a modest 145 for six by Bangladesh in the third and final T20 International, here today. Electing to bat, Mohammad Shahzad (26) and Usman Ghani (19) made a solid start, sharing 55 runs off 46 balls for the opening stand before Bangladeshi bowlers struck twin blows in consecutive overs to put brakes on their opponents. Shahzad, who hit three fours and one six, was the first to depart caught plumb in front of the wicket by left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam in the eighth over. Ghani, who struggled a bit, followed suit in the next over, edging one to Mushfiqur Rahim behind the stumps off right-arm pacer Aby Jayed's bowling as the Afghans slumped to 59 for two in 8.5 overs. Skipper Asghar Stanikzai played a short little cameo scoring 27 off 17 balls with the help of three sixes before perishing in the 13th over. Samiullah Shenwari remained unbeaten 33 off 28 balls while Najibullah Zadran made 15 towards the end
IOA forms panel to pick gymnastics team; football cleared, no equestrian team for Asian Games
The Indian Olympic Association today set up a five-member selection panel to pick the gymnastics team for the upcoming Asian Games while also giving clearance to the men's squads of football and handball. The IOA also took the decision not to send India's equestrian team in the Asian Games after a controversy erupted in the selection of the squad. In a meeting with the top officials of the IOA here, the Gymnastics Federation of India, which is recognised by the international federation, struck a conciliatory tone, saying that it "wishes to work in positive collaboration for the overall interests of sportspersons". The GFI, which is not recognised by the IOA as well as the Sports Ministry, recommended five names to be considered as members of the selection panel and the IOA accepted them. The five-member selection committee will be headed by IOA Vice-President Sunaina Kumari with other members being Suresh Sharma (Delhi Olympic Association Secretary), Rajinder Pathania, Makarand Joshi .
Bremen midfielder Gondorf joins Freiburg
Freiburg have signed Jerome Gondorf from league rivals Werder Bremen, both Bundesliga sides announced in an official statement on Thursday.
IPL-11 final records historic viewership
The Indian Premier League's final match between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad recorded a viewership growth of 34 per cent with 52.9 mn average impressions on the Star TV Network. it was announced on Thursday.
Amit Shah meets sports legends Balbir Sr and Milkha Singh
BJP chief Amit Shah, who was in the city today as part of his party's 'sampark Se samarthan' (contact for support) initiative, met sports legends Balbir Singh Senior and Milkha Singh, who appreciated the steps Narendra Modi government is taking for the betterment of sports in this country. After a meeting with SAD leaders at the residence of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal earlier in the day, Shah paid a visit to the Punjab BJP party office, paid obeisance at a local Gurudwara and visited the residences of the two legends. Before going to 85-year-old 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh's residence in Sector 8 here in the evening, Shah visited 94-year-old hockey legend Balbir Singh Senior's residence in Sector 36 here. At both places, Shah underlined that sports was a focus area of the Modi government. Creating more and better sports infrastructure, building stadia and giving all facilities which the sports-persons need was high on the government's agenda, he told them, both legends ..
Nadal continues his march into French Open semis
Spain's Rafael Nadal on Thursday secured his place in the French Open semifinals with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Argentina's Diego Schwartzman in a three hour and 42 minute long quarterfinal which was played over two days due to a rain delay.
Spain's king bids farewell to national team ahead of World Cup
Spain's king on Thursday bid his country's national football team farewell before their trip to the Russian city of Krasnodar, La Roja's homebase for World Cup play which kicks off on June 14.
Kuerten named as a Roland-Garros ambassador
The French Tennis Federation (FFT) on Thursday announced that it has named Brazilian tennis legend Gustavo Kuerten as a Roland-Garros ambassador.
Bangladesh appoint Steve Rhodes as head coach
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday unveiled former England wicketkeeper Steve Rhodes as the national team's new head coach.
Asian Junior Athletics Championships: Jakhar claims hammer gold
India got their campaign at the 2018 Asian Junior Athletics Championships off to a strong start winning four medals a gold, a silver and two bronze on the first day of the four-day event in Gifu, Japan on Thursday.Ashish Jakhar was the star of the opening day, as he set a new national record en route to winning a gold medal in the men's hammer throw event.Jakhar, a former gold medalist at the 2016 Asian Junior Championships, threw the 6kg iron ball and chain to a distance of 76.86m at the Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium to shatter the previous mark of 75.04m that he himself had set at the Junior Federation Cup in April this year.Jakhar began strongly with a throw of 74.97m in his very first attempt before managing to set a new national mark in his second effort.Jakhar would be joined on the podium by compatriot Damneet Singh, who also managed a personal best in Gifu. Singh, the 2017 World Youth silver medallist, was second with an effort of 74.08m to better his previous best effort of 70.37m
French Open: Del Potro sets up semi clash with Nadal
World No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro outclassed Marin Cilic of Croatia, 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 6-3 7-5, to set up a fascinating semi-final clash of Roland Garros with top seed Rafael Nadal here on Thursday.With this, del Potro progressed to the semi-finals for the first time since 2009. He is set to face Nadal on Friday.In the quarterfinal match, the Argentinian tennis ace, who had suffered a groin injury prior to the French Open fought back after losing the second set to Cilic.The Croatian who kept del Potro on the toes tried his best to thwart the latter's attempt of taking the match away. However, del Potro emerged victorious in the end after a hard-fought victory.During the course of the match, del Potro confronted a spectator who was creating a ruckus in the stand, distracting him. He immediately reacted and gestured angrily to the spectator.The Argentinian player then exchanged heated words with the umpire and threw his racquet in a fit of rage. However, he recovered well afterward.It may ..
Halep into third Roland Garros final, vows to erase 2017 heartbreak
Top seed Simona Halep reached her third French Open final on Thursday with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over former champion Garbine Muguruza. Halep, the runner-up in 2014 and 2017, will face either Sloane Stephens or Madison Keys in Saturday's final. Her victory over third seed Muguruza also means she will retain the world number one ranking next week. "I am really happy that I won the match, it was very important for my mind and I gave it all I had," said Romanian star Halep. After racing through the first set, Halep saved three break points in a marathon ninth game of the second which lasted 13 minutes. "I think I played one of my best matches on clay against a great opponent," added Halep, who will be appearing in her fourth final at the majors having also been beaten in Australia in January. "I was 2-4 down in the second set but I knew I had to fight for every ball, push her back and play the way I did in the first set." Halep has now defeated Muguruza in both their meetings on ...
Sri Lanka plans tougher laws against match fixing
Sri Lanka will enact tougher laws and create a special police unit to deal with match-fixing following a TV documentary exposing global corruption in cricket, the sports minister said Thursday. Faiszer Musthapha said existing laws were inadequate to deal with match-fixing and other forms of cheating exposed in the Al Jazeera documentary. The minister said the International Cricket Council (ICC) had advised him to legislate against the practice after three Sri Lanka officials were filmed agreeing to sway matches. "I am getting new laws drafted for this purpose and I am also proposing a special police unit to enforce the proposed legislation," Musthapha told reporters in Colombo after returning home from talks with the ICC in Dubai. Sri Lanka's cricket board has already suspended three of its employees -- two coaches and the curator of an international stadium -- after they were caught in the undercover sting by Al Jazeera. The board has also lodged a complaint with police, who have ...
Arjun Tendulkar makes it to India U-19 team for Sri Lanka tour
The Indian team list will once again have the famous Tendulkar surname back as legendary Sachin Tendulkar's son Arjun was included in U-19 side for the two four-day games against Sri Lanka. Standing at 6ft 1inch, the 18 year old Arjun is a left arm fast bowler and a handy lower middle order batsman. Two India U-19 squads were announced today in Bengaluru with Anuj Rawat and Aryan Juyal leading the side. However, an innocuous selection meeting became interesting as the three member selection committee comprising Ashish Kapoor, Gyanendra Pandey and Rakesh Parikh selected Tendulkar junior for the longer version. Arjun with his tally of 18 wickets from five Cooch Behar Trophy (National U-19) games is 43rd in the list of wicket-takers for the season. He had one five wicket haul (5/95) against MP. Incidentally, Himachal Pradesh's Ayush Jamwal (50 wickets) is not in any of the teams as he is now over age. "There is a clear direction from BCCI and coach Rahul Dravid that those who will ...
Germany's Merkel calls for EU coordination at UN's top table
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says European Union countries on the UN Security Council should coordinate their activities better, speaking as Germany hopes to win a two-year stint on the council. France will be the only EU country with a permanent seat after Britain leaves the 28-nation EU next year. Germany has long sought a permanent seat. Along with Belgium, it is expected to win a non-permanent seat tomorrow. Germany last held such a seat in 2011-2012. Merkel said in Berlin today that, as long as there is no fundamental UN reform, "we should, whenever a European member state gets a non-permanent UN seat... coordinate these seats Europe-wide and make them practically European seats." She said that would "greatly strengthen the consistency and coherence of our foreign policy".
Arjun Tendulkar breaks into India U-19 squad
Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar's son Arjun Tendulkar has found a place in the India Under-19 squad for the two four-day matches in Sri Lanka next month.
Ozil to skip Germany's pre-World Cup friendly
Germany and Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil is set to skip their final pre-World Cup friendly with the German Football Association saying it is "a precautionary measure."