Page 1726 - Sports
Virat Kohli is Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket, says Dwayne Bravo
West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo today heaped praise on India and Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kolhi and equated him with legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. It's (equation with Virat is) good. Virat actually played under-19 (cricket) with my younger brother Darren and I always tell my brother that Virat is a person he shall look up to, I am not saying that because I am here, 34-year-old Bravo, who plays for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, said here. I actually asked Virat to talk to my brother personally about batting, about cricket. When I see Virat, I see Christiano Ronaldo of cricket. "For me as a cricket player to play against him and to watch him play when he represents India, even RCB, I admire the talent that he has, the passion he has for the game, for the sport when he plays. So hats off to him and he deserve all the achievement, he added. Legendary football player Cristiano Ronaldo represents Spanish Club Real Madrid and is a winner of five-time Ballon .
Red Bull Tashan Kabaddi meet qualifiers from April 21
Red Bull Tashan, a Kabaddi tournament for players at the college and club level, will hold its qualifiers in three cities from April 21, it was announced on Monday.
BCCI to stick to SG balls for domestic tourneys
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) technical committee on Monday decided to stick with the SG ball for domestic tournaments while also saying that they have considered the recommendations made at the BCCI conclave for the captains and coaches recently which would now be sent before the general body for final approval.
Djokovic thrashes Lajovic in Monte Carlo opener
Former world number one Novak Djokovic showed signs of a return to form with a 6-0, 6-1 thrashing of fellow Serb Dusan Lajovic in the Monte Carlo Masters first round today. It was an impressive performance from the 30-year-old in his first match since splitting from coach Andre Agassi and starting to work again with long-time former coach Marian Vajda. Ranked 13th in the world after lengthy spells off the court with an elbow injury, Djokovic is training with Vajda for the first time since last year's Monte Carlo Masters. "I train on this court, so I feel at home," said Djokovic, who lives in Monaco. "I've had a very difficult time in the last 12 months with the injury and everything else that's happened. "I'm very happy as he (Vajda) is more than a coach. He's more like a brother, a father. "The reality is I've played six or seven matches since July. I'm lacking matches and a bit of confidence on court. But I'm looking ahead." Djokovic dominated from the outset as Lajovic struggled, .
FIFA to begin Morocco World Cup inspection
FIFA inspectors arrived in Morocco today ahead of a three-day assessment of the north African country's ability to host the 2026 World Cup, the local bid committee said. The five-member FIFA Task Force will begin its inspection on Tuesday, visiting stadiums, training facilities, fan sites and media centres. "Morocco is offering FIFA and the global football family an innovative and compact concept to ensure operational efficiency, outstanding profitability and a lasting legacy in Morocco and Africa," said the bid committee's president, Moulay Hafid Elalamy in a statement. "The World Cup in Morocco would not only be a source of pride but also a great catalyst for development." The only other bid is a joint one from the United States, Mexico and Canada. Due to FIFA's intention to spread the hosting rights for the World Cup more evenly across the globe, European and Asian countries were not allowed to bid for 2026 -- this year's World Cup will be in Russia with the next one in 2022 in ...
Kenyan Kirui eyes maiden medal at London Marathon
Chicago Marathon silver medallist Abel Kirui finished his training on Monday without any injury scares and said he is ready for his first medal attempt at the London Marathon on Sunday.
Barcelona and Sevilla in league action ahead of Copa del Rey final
FC Barcelona go into a busy week which could end with their winning the Copa del Rey and moving to within touching distance of the league.
Pollard seeks advice from media as MI eye turnaround
Stung by three straight defeats, Mumbai Indians' burly all-rounder Kieron Pollard today sought advice from the media, asking if they could help the beleaguered outfit in effecting a turnaround in their fortunes in the Indian Premier League. "Three games in a row, we have lost in the last over. If you guys have any idea to tell us how to get over the line, if it happens again, you guys obviously know a lot of cricket, so, give us an idea of what to do," Pollard asked scribes on the eve of their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Mumbai suffered dying-moment defeats in the three games played so far - against Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Daredevils. Pollard, though, refused to be pessimistic and brushed aside suggestions that the team was down and out. "I don't think we are down right now. If we were down right now, we should be home. We have got over that," said Pollard. "We have had conversations going. We had talks at different levels where we need to go .
Sindhu vulnerable on counter-attack: Vimal Kumar
PV Sindhu appears "vulnerable" on counter-attack and that is a big factor in her losing many a title clashes, including recent CWG final, observed former India coach Vimal Kumar, who believes with little more maturity and bit of luck she will be able to pull off close matches. Sindhu, an Olympic and World Championship silver medallist, settled for a silver after losing a close final to compatriot Saina Nehwal in Gold Coast. It was yet another final loss for the 22-year-old, who had faced defeat in the finals of Rio Olympics, Glasgow World Championship, Dubai Super Series Final last year and India Super Series and All England Championship this year. "When Sindhu plays against other girls (compared to match against Saina) , she looked subdued in the final. She didn't have the same sort of aggression that she has when she plays others. What I have noticed is when rallies are long and when there is counterattack, I find Sindhu little vulnerable and Saina exploited that. She kept ...
ATP Rankings: Yuki Bhambri re-enters Top 100
After a period of over two years, Indian tennis player Yuki Bhambri featured among the top 100 ranks in the ATP men's singles chart on Monday.Yuki, who leapfrogged 22 places to secure the 83rd spot on the charts, registered his career-best rank till date, surpassing his previous feat of attaining rank 88 in November 2015.The 25-year-old's latest achievement brings India its best ATP ranking since July 2011, when tennis ace Somdev Devvarman ranked 62 in the world rankings.Meanwhile, Bhambri's Davis Cup teammate Ramkumar Ramanathan rose to a career-best 116, after registering a 17-place jump.On the doubles front, Rohan Bopanna continued to lead for India at the 19th place, Divij Sharan moved one place up to 41, while Leander Paes continued to be placed at the 49th position.In the WTA rankings for women, Ankita Raina jumped three places to a career-best rank of 194, while Karman Kaur Thandi dropped one place to 268.In the women's doubles arena, ace Tennis star Sania Mirza remained at the
Domestic season to start with Hazare Trophy, pre-quarters for Ranji
The BCCI technical committee today proposed a slew of recommendations including starting the 2018-19 domestic season with the national one- day championship for the Vijay Hazare Trophy and incorporating an extra round of matches in the Ranji Trophy. During a two-and-a-half-hour meeting in Kolkata, there was elaborate discussions on whether the Ranji Trophy could be played with kookaburra balls instead of the currently used SG Test. One of the key suggestions placed was the introduction of Round of 16 (pre-quarter-final) matches in Ranji Trophy. "After the Captain-Coaches' Conclave in Mumbai, most of the state team skippers wanted a per-quarterfinal to be added. Now we have four groups with two teams qualifying for the quarterfinal. "Captains feel that knockouts should start from the pre-quarters itself, so technical committee wants a round of 16 to be included. It would mean eight extra matches and also one extra match for 16 teams," a member of the technical committee told PTI on the
East Bengal pip FC Goa to reach Super Cup final
East Bengal rode on a late strike from Dudu Omagbemi to defeat FC Goa 1-0 to reach the final of the inaugural edition of the Hero Super Cup football tournament here on Monday.
IPL: Delhi opt to field against Kolkata
Delhi Daredevils skipper Gautam Gambhir won the toss and asked the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to bat in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Eden Gardens here on Monday.
PKL: Tamil Thalaivas appoint Edachery Bhaskaran as chief coach
Chennai-based Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) franchise Tamil Thalaivas on Monday announced Edachery Bhaskaran as their chief coach for the upcoming sixth season, beginning in October.
Manangoi, Rudisha lead Kenya charge at Shanghai DL athletics meet
World and Commonwealth Games 1,500m champion Elijah Manangoi, silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot and Olympic 800m winner David Rudisha will be among a galaxy of stars at this year's Shanghai Diamond League meeting in China on May 12.
Special athletes step up training for Unified Football Cup in Chicago
Six intellectually challenged athletes from Special Olympics Bharat have teamed up with five mainstream athletes to participate in a training camp in the run-up to the United Football Cup in Chicago. The United Football Cup is slated to be held from July 17 to 20. The unified training camp is being orgainsed at the Don Bosco Oratory grounds and the Bambolin Athletic Grounds in Goa. Participants including three coaches are from Delhi, Goa, Maharashtra , Punjab and Rajasthan. The first training camp was held from March 24-28 at the Scottish High International School in Gurgaon. The event is expected to see participation of coaches from the GFDC and the FC Goa who would look to hone the skills of players with intellectual disabilities and improving team coordination.
Pro Kabaddi League: E Bhaskaran named head coach of Thalaivas
Pro Kabaddi League franchise Tamil Thalaivas today named Edachery Bhaskaran as their head coach for the upcoming season starting in October. As the former U Mumba coach, Edachery Bhaskaran takes over the reigns as head coach while his predecessor, Kasinatha Baskaran, transitions to the role of Technical Director - Thalaivas? Strategic Grassroot Programme, a media release said today. With a Diploma in Coaching from National Institute of Sports, Bhaskaran has over 20 years of experience in the sport, including his tournament-winning stints as the national team coach. He had also led U Mumba to the Pro Kabaddi title in season 2. Speaking about his appointment, Bhaskaran said, "As a coach, while I look to build on Tamil Nadu?s deep, historic affinity with kabaddi, I am also working on building a team that could complement each others strength." "I am also glad to be working alongside the management of the Tamil Thalaivas who have, in past discussions, indicated a similar ...
Bayern Munich's Vidal to undergo knee surgery
Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal is due to undergo surgery for a knee injury, preventing him from participating in Bayern Munich's upcoming matches, the German football champions announced on Monday.
Haryana to honour all 22 medalists of Commonwealth Games from state
The Haryana government will honour all 22 medallist of the 21st Commonwealth Games from the state at a programme on April 26, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced today. The gold medal winners will get a cash award of Rs 1.5 crore, silver medal winners Rs 75 lakh, and bronze medallist Rs 50 lakh, Khattar said at a public meeting in Siwah village in Panipat district. The Indian contingent finished third in the medal tally at the Commonwealth Games held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, between April 4 and 15. They won a total of 66 medals, and players from Haryana - especially the women - led the medal tally with a total of 22 individual medals. Describing Haryana as a hub of sports, Khattar said the state has just 2 per cent of the country's population but the players have brought laurels at the national and international level with their performance. In Haryana, he said, a cash award of Rs 6 crore is given to players for winning the gold medal in Olympics, Rs 4 crore .
CWG bronze-medallist Ankur Mittal eyes Asian Games gold
Few days after missing out on the gold medal in the men's double trap event of the recently-concluded 2018 Commonwealth Games, bronze-medallist shooter Ankur Mittal has said that he would try his level best to change the colour of his medal in the upcoming Asian Games.The 26-year-old, who picked silver medal in the World Championships in Moscow last year besides bagging a silver and gold in the ISSF World Cups, finished on the third spot after posting a score of 53 in the finals to settle for the bronze at the Belmont Shooting Centre.Reflecting on his performance in the prestigious quadrennial Games, Ankur admitted that he failed to give up to the mark performance in the finals, adding that he would try to clinch gold in the upcoming games."According to me, I failed to give up to the mark performance in the finals. I missed out on gold . I was standing at the top position after 30 rounds. But I somehow fell down thereafter and had to settle for bronze. Now, Asian Games are coming I ..