Page 1791 - Sports
Indian women's hockey team begins campaign against Wales
The Indian women's hockey team begins their Commonwealth Games campaign against Wales here tomorrow, with an eye on ending its 12-year medal drought at the multi-sporting event. The women's team had last won a Commonwealth Games gold in 2002 followed by a silver in 2006. Brimming with confidence, the Rani Rampal-led Indian team is eager to begin the show. "We are here to finish on the podium and nothing less," said Rani who led the team to Asia Cup victory in November last year. But to reach the podium, the team needs to get past the initial hurdle in Pool A which has Wales, Malaysia, England and South Africa. "It is a challenging Pool but I believe we can advance to the next stage," asserted Chief Coach Harendra Singh on the eve of their first match. Though India have excelled in the past against Wales, Rani said the team will not rely on history. "Every tournament is like a new chapter, any team can come up as a winner and we cannot take an opponent lightly going by previous ...
Ghosal India's best bet for maiden singles medal in squash
Third seed Saurav Ghosal will be India's best bet for a first-ever singles medal in squash when the individual events begin at the Commonwealth Games, here tomorrow. Ghosal, who had lost the bronze medal play-off in Glasgow four years ago, gets another shot at making history. He has got a first round bye and starts his campaign only on Friday. Ghosal, who reached a career-high 13 in the world rankings at the start of the month, is drawn to meet eighth seed Alan Clyne of Scotland in the quarterfinals and second seed Paul Coll of New Zealand in the semifinals. "I am feeling really good about my game and fitness-wise too I have not felt better. A major reason for that is the time I spent at Abhinav Bindra's high-performance centre," Ghosal had told PTI before leaving for Gold Coast. Other Indians in the men's singles draw, Harinder Pal Sandhu and Vikram Malhotra, play their opener tomorrow. Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa made history in Glasgow by winning the women's doubles gold ...
Pakistan invites England cricket team back after 13 years
Pakistan's interior minister has invited the England cricket team to tour the country for the first time since 2005, after a successful visit by the West Indies amid improved security boosted hopes of an international revival. A visit by a major Test-playing nation such as England would be hugely significant, in terms of both cricket as well as Pakistan's wider security and the message it hopes to send about its crackdown on extremism and militancy. Interior minister Ahsan Iqbal extended the invitation to UK High Comissioner Thomas Drew on Tuesday, urging the international community to recognise the strides Pakistan has made. "The successful staging of international matches in Pakistan is a clear proof that we have defeated terrorism and extremism," he said, according to an official statement. Drew said he was already looking forward to "this summer's big cricketing event", Pakistan's upcoming England tour. "But I also hope that it will not be long before I can welcome an England team
Djokovic splits from Agassi, Stepanek
Former world number one Novak Djokovic, struggling back from a long injury lay-off, confirmed today that he had split with his coaches Andre Agassi and Radek Stepanek. The 12-time Grand Slam winner lost his opening game at the ATP Miami Masters last month, the latest setback for the Serbian star as he bids to return from the elbow injury that sidelined him for six months and finally saw him have "minor" surgical intervention after a disappointing Australian Open. "After Miami Novak Djokovic and his tennis coach Radek Stepanek decided to end their cooperation. The cooperation between Novak and Andre Agassi has also ended," according to a statement on Djokovic's official website. "Novak remains focused and eager to come back stronger and more resilient from long injury break that has affected his confidence and game." There was no word about which future coaches might be lined up as Djokovic departed on a short family holiday ahead of preparations proper for the upcoming clay ...
Women's league: Rising Student Club outplay Indira Gandhi Academy
Rising Student Club outplayed Indira Gandhi Academy for Sports and Education 6-1 in a group stage match of the second edition of the Hero Indian Womens League here on Wednesday.
Kohli, Pujara retain ICC Test spots; Markram vaults to top-10
India skipper Virat Kohli and Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara held on to their second and seventh position respectively in the latest ICC Test Player rankings, while the biggest gainer was South African opener Aiden Markram jumping to a career-best No.9 spot in the list released here on Wednesday.
Tributes pour in for retired Morne Morkel
The cricket fraternity has come in unison to send heartfelt messages to South African pacer Morne Morkel, who bid adieu to international cricket.The lanky fast bowler finished with a career-best 9 for 110 in the third Test at Newlands, while claimed two wickets in the concluding Test as the Proteas beat Australia to win a series in home for the first time since 1970.In his career, had played 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is, picking up 309, 188 and 47 wickets respectively and called time on his career becoming the fifth on the list of South Africa's all-time leading wicket takers with 309.On his farewell day, tributes, from team-mates and other international cricketrs, poured in on Twitter for one of the 'nicest guys' in cricket.Morne's brother Albie Morkel, congratulated his younger brother for his success story and wished him luck for life."Well done brother @mornemorkel65. End of a real success story. In the end family wins.. Enjoy life!" he wrote.Former Australian coach Darren ...
Indian hockey eves look to begin mission CWG with win over Wales
The Indian women's hockey team will aim to end their 12-year medal-drought at the Commonwealth Games when they begin their campaign in Gold Coast against Wales on April 5.The women's outfit had last won the Commonwealth Games Gold in 2002 followed by a silver medal in 2006.Packed with confidence and a refreshing winning attitude, Rani-led Indian women's squad is ready to recreate history."We are here to finish on the podium and nothing less," expressed Rani who led the team to Asia Cup victory in November last year.But to reach the podium, the team need to get past initial hurdle in Pool A which consists of Wales, Malaysia, England and South Africa."It is a challenging Pool but I believe we can surmount to the next stage," asserted Chief Coach Harendra Singh on the eve of their first match."I am happy with the way they played in the practice matches where we beat Queensland 5-0 and lost 1-3 to Canada. Though against Canada we could have started the first quarter better, I am sure the .
Super Cup: Determined East Bengal to take on Mumbai City FC
Kingfisher East Bengal have left the woes of losing I-League title in Kolkata before landing in Bhubaneswar to take the fight to Mumbai City FC in the penultimate game of the Super Cup Round-of-16 on Thursday."We have to be positive before hitting the pitch tomorrow. We are not thinking about the past. East Bengal have a matured set of players who have trained very hard for last few days before coming here", coach Khalid Jamil said.East Bengal are going to approach the game with a more patient lookout and they might prefer to read their opponents before hurling the attacks on the Mumbai-based club."Surely we'll tweak our strategy for a knockout game. We have to be more patient. It's our first match at this ground whereas Mumbai City FC have already been here once. We have to be very alert defensively and mentally strong to get the job done", Jamil added.Except Md. Rafique, everyone is available for selection and that would surely provide Khalid Jamil more options to try out.The ...
Indian Women's League: Rising Student thrash Indira Gandhi Academy
Rising Student Club steamed past Indira Gandhi Academy for Sports and Education 6-1 in a group stage match of the second edition of the Indian Women's League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Wednesday.Rising Student Club (RSC) maintained their grip throughout the match and braces by Pyari Xaxa , Anju Tamang and Sanju led the club to an easy win. Indira Gandhi Academy scored their lone goal in the 54th minute through Amsavalli Narayanan.Pyari proved to be a threat for the opposition defence, leading the attack, and in the 9th minute her header from inside the box crashed into the back of the net, off a cross from the right flank, to give her side the lead.Shortly in the 13th minute, Pyari once again burst into the box but this time she acutely slipped the ball beneath the onrushing goalkeepers' legs to double Rising Student Club's lead. In the 27th minute, Anju Tamang blasted her shot into the back of the net make the score 3-0.Sanju's strike in the 50th minute made it 4-0 for ..
Bremen's head coach Kohfeldt extends contract
Werder Bremen's head coach Florian Kohfeldt has penned a contract extension ahead of schedule with the German club.
Hannover's Jonathas suffers new injury
German football club Hannover 96 has announced that striker Jonathas suffered a new injury during a training session.
US, Latin American fans lead FIFA World Cup ticket demand
Fans from North and South America have driven foreign demand for 2018 football World Cup tickets, according to the latest figures from world football governing body FIFA.
Following is India's schedule on Day 1 of
Following is India's schedule on Day 1 of competitions at the 21st Commonwealth Games here tomorrow. BADMINTON: Mixed Team Group Play Stage - Group A India vs Sri Lanka (9am Local Time) India vs Pakistan (7pm Local Time) HOCKEY: Women's Pool A India vs Wales (9:30am Local Time) WEIGHTLIFTING: Men's 56kg Final (9:40am Local Time) Women's 48kg Final (2:15pm local Time) Men's 62kg Final (6:40pm Local Time) BOXING: Men's Preliminary Round of 32 Manoj Kumar vs Osita Umeh (Nigeria) (8pm Local Time) SQUASH: Women's Singles Round of 32: Dipika Pallikal vs Charlotte Knaggs (Trinidad and Tobago) (8pm Local Time) Joshna Chinnappa vs Lynette Vai (Papua New Guinea) (6:40pm Local time) Saurav Ghosal vs To be Decided (1:30pm Local Time) Harinder Pal Sandhu vs Cameron Stafford (Cayman Islands) (1:50pm Local Time) Vikram Malhotra vs Manda Chilambwe (Zambia) (3:10pm Local Time) BADMINTON: Mixed Team Group Play Stage - Group A India vs Sri Lanka (9am Local Time) India vs Pakistan (7pm Local ...
India begins quest for coveted gold in mixed team badminton event
A star-studded Indian badminton team will begin its quest for a maiden gold medal when they take on minnows Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the mixed team championship on the opening day of the 21st Commonwealth Games here tomorrow. India have been accorded the top seed this time and are clubbed with Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Scotland in Group A. With the likes of Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu, world no 2 Kidambi Srikanth and a promising men's doubles pair of Satwik Ranki Reddy and Chirag Shetty in their ranks, formidable India will hardly break any sweat en route to the knockout stage. Silver medallists in 2010, India had narrowly missed a bronze medal in the 2014 Glasgow Games after losing to Singapore in the medal play-off and Pullela Gopichand coached team would look to make amends. India is a formidable side and the only countries likely to trouble them are three-time champions Malaysia and England, who have won the gold six times. Mayalsia, who clinched the gold in the 2006, 2010 .
East Bengal take on Mumbai City FC
East Bengal and Mumbai City FC will look to start afresh when they lock horns in a pre-quarterfinal game of the Super Cup here tomorrow, aiming to improve on their showings in the I-League and ISL respectively. The Red & Golds are going to approach the game with a more patient approach and they will prefer to read their opponents before attacking. "We have to be positive before hitting the pitch tomorrow. We are not thinking about the past. East Bengal have a matured set of players who have trained very hard for last few days before coming here," coach Khalid Jamil said at the pre-match press conference today. "Surely we'll tweak our strategy for a knockout game. We have to be more patient. We have to be very alert defensively and mentally strong to get the job done," Jamil added. Everyone sans Md. Rafique is available for selection and that would surely provide Jamil more options to try out. Brazilian defender Eduardo Ferreira added, "The preparation has been same for us. We are .
Aussie boxer becomes first CWG medallist without a fight
Australian boxer Taylah Robertson has become the first medallist of the 21st Commonwealth Games without even stepping into the ring after she got a bye straight into the 51kg category women's semifinals. The 19-year-old has got what is called the lucky medal due to the small size of her draw, luck that eluded Indians, including the celebrated M C Mary Kom (48kg), who will fight her quarterfinal contest on April 8. Robertson said she wouldn't stop just at a bronze in what is her debut appearance at the Games. India have not fielded any boxer in the 51kg category for women boxers. "I want the gold medal and I am not going into the ring here to win bronze, said Robertson. "It's nice to have a medal but I want gold - and with all the training I've done, I want to earn it. I am not worried about who I meet in the semifinal, I am ready," she added. Robertson's semifinal is scheduled for April 13, while the boxing competition will get underway at the Oxenford Studios tomorrow. India will ...
JGU collaborates with Delhi Daredevils team for sports studies
In an endeavour to strengthen teaching and research in the field of sports, IPL team Delhi Daredevils has joined hands with O P Jindal Global University to help students garner a practical perspective of the mechanics of sports law and governance work in the popular cricket league. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed yesterday by the IPL team and the university's Centre for India Australia Studies (CIAS) at an event held at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium here which was also attended by former captain of the Australian cricket team Ricky Ponting, who is the current Delhi Daredevils coach. The event was presided over by the Australian High Commissioner to India Harinder Sidhu, who said the MoU will further strengthen the bond between India and Australia. "India and Australia share a longstanding relationship and have been constantly working together in sports, a field that is a natural fit between our two countries. This MoU will offer an opportunity to further expand sports ...
Rising Student Club crush Indira Gandhi Academy 6-1
Rising Student Club breezed past Indira Gandhi Academy for Sports and Education 6-1 in a group stage match of the second edition of the Hero Indian Women's League here today. Rising Student Club maintained their grip throughout the match and double strikes by Pyari Xaxa, Anju Tamang and Sanju led the team to a crushing win. Indira Gandhi Academy had reduced the deficit in the 54th minute through Amsavalli Narayanan. Pyari Xaxa proved to be a threat for the opposition defence, leading the attack, and in the 9th minute her header from inside the box crashed into the back of the net. Shortly after in the 13th minute, Pyari once again burst into the box but this time she acutely slipped the ball beneath the onrushing goalkeeper's legs to double Rising Student Club's lead. In the 27th minute, Anju Tamang blasted her shot into the back of the net to consolidate Rising Student Club's position going into the half time. Rising continued their attacking tempo in the second half. Sanju's strike .
PM Modi extends wishes to Indian contingent at CWG
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday wished luck to the Indian contingent vying for medals at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.The prestigious multi-sport event's opening ceremony will be held at the Carrara Stadium later in the day."All the best to the athletes representing India at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games! Our sportspersons have worked tremendously hard and the Games will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase their talent. Every Indian is cheering for our contingent. #GC2018 @GC2018," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.India have sent 227 Indian athletes to represent the country at the Games.The contingent at the ceremony will be led by flag-bearer P V Sindhu, the Rio Olympic silver medallist.The 21st edition of the Games is the biggest ever in its history.More than 4,500 athletes from 71 nations and territories will be vying for 275 gold medals at the multi-sport event.