Page 1774 - Sports
CM Mamata gives land to CAB
In a boost for the Cricket Association of Bengal, the state's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has allotted 12 acres of land in Dumurjola Sports Complex for the upliftment of the sport. Former India captain and CAB president Sourav Ganguly had written to the CM five months back, requesting for a plot of land to further develop cricketing facilities. "On behalf of CAB, I thank our beloved and respected Chief Minister for her continuous support to cricket and other sports in the state. We also appreciate the setting up of floodlights in the Mohun Bagan and East Bengal grounds which will go a long way to help other sports also," Ganguly said here today. Meanwhile, the practice sessions of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders were cut short because of showers as rain threat loomed over this season's first Indian Premier League fixture at the Eden Gardens tomorrow. RCB hit the nets first and skipper Virat Kohli straightway took some throwdowns along with AB de Villiers, ...
TN Governor congratulates weightlifter Sathish Sivalingam
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit today greeted weightlifter Sathish Kumar Sivalingam, hailing from the state, for winning gold in the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Australia. "Sathish Kumar has brought pride to India and Tamil Nadu through his remarkable achievement." " I am sure this will motivate him to win many more gold medals for India in the Olympics and other prestigious international tournaments in the future," he said in a Raj Bhavan statement. Purohit extended his" hearty congratulations" to Sathish, who won his second gold medal in a successive CWG event at Gold Coast in Australia.
'New look' Kings XI Punjab take on Delhi Daredevils in their IPL opener
A new look Kings XI Punjab under Ravichandran Ashwin will take on Delhi Daredevils in their opening encounter of IPL-2018 here tomorrow, as both sides look to begin the T20 tournament on a winning note. This season, KXIP look a balanced side with Ashwin set for his maiden stint as captain of an IPL team. It has players of the calibre of Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle, David Miller, K L Rahul and Aaron Finch not to speak of the likes of Manoj Tiwary, Mohit Sharma, Axar Patel and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman. Barring a few who have been retained, most of the domestic and some foreign players have joined the team this season. Punjab mentor Virender Sehwag rated the new-look team as the best of all seasons. "We have the best side, if I compare last ten years," Sehwag said, adding that the team is a balanced one with a right mix of Indian and foreign players. Punjab's captain in the previous season, Glenn Maxwell will now turn up for the opposition side and so will Rahul Tewatia and Gurkeerat Mann. Both ...
CWG 2018 Squash: India's campaign ends as Joshna Chinappa bows out
Multiple-time national champion Joshna Chinappa crashed out of the ongoing 2018 Commonwealth Games after slumping to straight-games defeat against New Zealand's Joelle King in the quarter-final of the women's singles squash event here on Saturday.The World No. 14, who picked the women's doubles gold with Dipika Pallikal-Karthik in the last edition of the quadrennial sporting event, failed to capitalize on her good start in the Games and slumped to a 5-11, 6-11, 9-11 defeat at the hands of fourth-ranked Joelle in a clash that lasted a little over half-an-hour.Earlier in the day, India's Dipika Pallikal gave a walkover to Samantha Cornett of Canada in the quarter-finals of the women's squash classic plate.However, the reason behind Pallikal's decision is still unclear while her opponent Cornett will now lock horns with Australia's Tamika Saxby in the last-four.Elsewhere in the day three of the prestigious multi-sport event, Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj missed out on 50m backstroke ...
Joshna loses to decorated Joelle King in quarters
Joshna Chinappa's campaign in the women's singles squash ended when the Indian lost to the decorated Joelle King of New Zealand 0-3 at the Commonwealth Games here today. Joshna lost the match in 34 minutes as the scoreline read 11-5 11-6 and 11-9 at the Oxenford Studios. The Indian did well to make the quarters but that is where her run ended. The other Indian women in the competition, Dipika Pallikal conceded a walkover.
India's results on Day 3 at CWG
Indian contingent's results on Day 3 of the 21st Commonwealth Games here. Weightlifting: Gold: Men's 85 kg: Ragala Venkat Rahul Gold: Men's 77 kg: Sathish Sivalingam 5th: Women's 63kg: Vandana Gupta Hockey: Men: India drew Pakistan 2-2 Badminton: Mixed Team quarterfinals: India beat Mauritius 3-0 Table Tennis: Women's team quarterfinals: India beat Malaysia 3-0 Men's team quarterfinals: India beat Malaysia 3-0 Lawn Bowls: Men's triples: India beat South Africa 18-17 Women's singles: Pinki beat Pauline Blumsky 21-9 Men's pairs: India lose to Norfolk Island 7-17 Women's fours: India beat Fiji 24-9 Women's four quarterfinals: India lose to Malta 11-13 Swimming: Men's 50m backstroke: Srihari Nataraj eliminated in semis Men's 200m butterfly final: Sajan Prakash 8th Gymnastics: Men's individual all around: Yogeshwar Singh finished 14th Women's individual all around final: Pranati Das and Aruna Reddy finished 16th and 14th Cycling: Men's sprint: Sanuraj 20th, Ranjit 21st, Sahil 22nd Women's
Kohli set to give up opening slot, will bat No 3
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli is all set to give up his opening slot and will bat at No 3, a position he has made his own in the national team. RCB has multiple opening options in Quinton de Kock, Brendon McCullum, Parthiv Patel, Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra to name a few. "In the past, it was more or less that I had to. I quite enjoyed that role. Predominantly, I will start at number three, having specialists at that order and that I have done well for Indian team at no 3." "I've a good understanding of playing at that position (No 3) and gives the team a lot of stability. I see myself starting there but it depends on who we playing against. But we are going to be flexible, adapting to different conditions," Kohli added on the eve of their IPL opener against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. Kohli scored 1,750 runs as an opener from 43 innings at an average of 53.03. Traditionally a batting-heavy unit, RCB have trimmed their star quotient -- in letting go .
The usually quiet Sathuvachari hamlet
The usually quiet Sathuvachari hamlet near Vellore in Tamil Nadu is abuzz with activity as people thronged the house of Sivalingam, burst firecrackers and began celebrations as news of his son Sathish winning a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games broke. The 25-year old Sathish defended his gold in the 77 kg category, won at the Glasgow Games in 2014, in some style, braving an injury to his thigh. He lifted a total of 317 kg (144kg+173kg) and was so far ahead of the competition that he forfeited his final clean and jerk lift. "He won overcoming pain in his thighs. I am very proud of his achievement. To win a second gold medal for the country is very big," Sivalingam, a weightlifter himself, told PTI. Sathish is also the reigning Commonwealth Championships gold medallist. "It is a joyous occasion for us. My relatives joined me in celebrating along with the local people. We were expecting him to win and he lived up to our expectations," he added. Sathish had his initial ...
CWG 2018: Manu, Heena in focus as Indian shooters eye glory
A 27-member Indian shooting contingent is all set to fire, as the shooting competitions of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games get underway on day four of the event, at the Belmont Shooting Complex on Sunday.The opening day of the seven-day shooting competition has three of the 17 finals scheduled.The women's 10m Air Pistol will shell out the first shooting Gold medal of the competition, followed by the men's 10m Air Rifle and the women's skeet.India has two competitors in each of the events.In the day's first final, India's Heena Sidhu and Manu Bhaker will vie for the Gold in the Women's 10m Air Pistol. The top eight make it to the final from the 25-strong field in qualification.Manu, who is in sublime form having collected six International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Gold medals in the last month and Heena, will be challenged among others by Singapore's Shun Xie Teo, the defending champion in the event and the host country's Lalita Yauhleuskaya, an Olympics Bronze ...
14 people killed in bus-tractor collision in Canada
14 people were killed when a bus carrying a junior league hockey team and a tractor-trailer collided with each other on Friday night in western Canada's Saskatchewan province, Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.The bus, carrying team members of the Humboldt Broncos, were heading towards Nipawin town for a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League semifinals playoff game when the crash happened north of Tisdale city.The police officials of RCMP said in a statement that 14 others were injured and were taken to a local hospital, adding that three of them were in critical condition, CNN reported.They further said that 28 people, including the driver, were on the bus at the time of the incident.Local authorities are yet to identify the victims. It is to be noted that players who are aged between 16 to 20 participate in the junior league hockey team.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to his Twitter handle to express his condolences and wrote, "I cannot imagine what these parents are going .
Srihari bows out in semi-final of 50m backstroke
India's Srihari Nataraj was ousted in the semi-final of men's 50m backstroke event in the 21st Commonwealth Games, here today. Starting in lane 2, Nataraj finished fifth in the second semi-final clocking 26.50seconds with Australian Benjamin Treffers winning it comfortably with a timing of 24.99 seconds. Another local swimmer Zac Incerti with a timing of 25.19 seconds was second while England's Harry Shalamon was third with 25.52 seconds.
All eyes on Neeraj as India's CWG athletics campaign to begin tomorrow
All eyes will be on Neeraj Chopra when India will begin the athletics competitions of the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, Australia on Sunday.No Indian athlete has ever won a gold medal in the javelin throw at the Games, but the 20-year-old from the village of Khandra in Haryana's Panipat district might well break that trend.Chopra, who has a personal best of 86.48m, is coming into the Games with the season's best of 85.94m- that throw is the best amongst CWG this season.Also in Chopra's favour is the fact that former Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott is skipping the games, while 2016 Olympic silver medalist Julius Yego of Kenya has been woefully out of form.If Chopra wins the gold, it would be India's fifth-ever medal in athletics, at the quadrennial Games.Milkha Singh (440 yards, 1958), Krishna Poonia (women's 4x400m and women's discus, 2010) and Vikas Gowda (men's discus, 2014) had won gold previously.Chopra is one of several medal winning prospects for the Indian ...
CSK opt to bowl against MI in IPL opener
Chennai super Kings (CSK) captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bowl against Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the 11th Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Saturday.
Aizawl FC face East Bengal in Super Cup quarters
Landing the knockout punch on reigning ISL champions Chennaiyin FC notwithstanding, Aizawl FC preferred to be the "underdogs" as they geared up to face another stiff challenge in East Bengal, in the first quarterfinal of the Hero Super Cup here tomorrow. Two days before the big win over Chennaiyin FC though, the 2016-17 I-League winners lost to Bengaluru FC in the AFC Cup two days back. "I believe top teams are under pressure now. They have to win the championship and they have their own plans to implement," Aizawl FC coach Santosh Kashyap said. "Chennaiyin were the favourites against us. East Bengal will also start as favourites and we're happy to be the underdogs and stage upsets. They have to perform better and beat us. East Bengal could not win any silverware this season and expectations are huge from them." The coach denied that the schedule might take a toll on the players. "It's a good opportunity for us. Yes, the schedule is tight but it happens in football. We're here to give
Leander's record will stay till eternity feels Indian tennis fraternity
What Leander Paes has achieved by creating a Davis Cup world record on a "phenomenal" day for Indian tennis is unlikely to be matched by anyone even in distant future, feels captain Mahesh Bhupathi and India's tennis fraternity endorsed the view. Paes, approaching 45, today surpassed Italy's Nicola Pietrangeli to take that record 43rd win, which made him the most successful doubles player in the history of Davis Cup. "I am very excited that it has finally happened. It was always inevitable. Now an Indian holding the record is very special for our sport especially. I believe this record will stay very long," non-playing captain Bhupathi told PTI from Tianjin. Bhupathi's predecessor Anand Amritraj also hailed Paes for his longevity. "Great achievement by Leander to get the record of 43 doubles wins in Davis Cup. He deserves it, and it will probably never be surpassed. I'm glad our paths crossed more than 30 years ago and I was able to pick him for our BAT Academy. He has done our ...
Ganguly's shirtless celebration a moment of pure emotion: Kohli
India cricket team skipper Virat Kohli feels his predecessor thrice removed Saurav Ganguly's famous shirtless tirade at the balcony of the hallowed Lord's dressing room to celebrate his team's emphatic victory against the home side in the 2002 NatWest Trophy final was a moment of pure human emotion coming through.
Super Cup: Aizawl aim to upset East Bengal's applecart in quarters (Preview)
Aizawl FC, who stunned Chennaiyin FC in the first Round of 16 encounter, will look to continue their great run and cause another upset when they take on East Bengal in the first quarter-final of the Super Cup here on Saturday.
This KXIP team has more superstars: Brad Hodge
Kings XI Punjab head coach Brad Hodge feels that presence of multiple superstars makes their team a "dangerous unit" going into the 11th edition of Indian Premier League. "If you look at the difference of this side compared to the past squads, I think there is definitely a rise in standard. We've got a lot of superstars, a lot of match-winners, which makes our team extremely dangerous, which should be good for future," said Hodge, prior to their opening encounter against Delhi Daredevils. While top order batsman Aaron Finch is not going to be available for tomorrow's match, Hodge said that while his absence is going to be "a huge loss", but the team has got the talent to cover his role. He said the side boasts of some of "extremely dangerous cricket players" and "all match winners on their own". In addition to Ashwin, KXIP has players like Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle, David Miller, Karun Nair, Axar Patel, Lokesh Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Manoj Tiwary, Andrew Tye, among others. About KL ...
CWG: Srihari, Sajan disappoint on third day (Swimming Roundup)
Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj finished ninth in the semi-finals of the men's 50 metre backstroke while Sajan Prakash finished a disappointing last in the men's 200 metre butterfly final at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Saturday.
CWG: Deborah 13th, Aleena 14th in cycling 500m time trial
India's cyclists Deborah Herold and Aleena Reji finished 13th and 14th respectively in the women's 500m time trial at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Saturday.