Page 2009 - Sports
Fed Cup: Ankita wins but India lose to Kazakhstan
Indian tennis player Ankita Raina displayed an immense form to win her singles encounter, but her efforts went in vain as India lost 2-1 to Kazakhstan in the Pool A tie of the Federation Cup here on Thursday.Raina leveled India to 1-1 after Kamran Kaur Thandi lost her respective singles match. However, India eventually lost the tie with the decisive doubles defeat.Riana overcame Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 in a hard fought battle, which lasted for over two hours and 25 minutes.In the decisive doubles, the duo of Anita and Prarthana Thombare were defeated 0-6, 4-6 by the team of Diyas and Putintseva.Earlier, Thandi lost her opening singles of the Asia/Oceania Group I tie to world number 55 Zarina Diyas.With this defeat from Kazakhstan, India are out of the World Group Play-offs.It will be either China or Kazakhstan from Pool A to clash with winner of Pool B for a place in the Play-off, which is slated to be held in April.Earlier on the opening day of the Asia/Oceania Group I ...
Bengaluru to host 7th Annual India Golf Expo in April
The Golf Industry Association (GIA) on Thursday announced that the 7th Annual India Golf Expo will be held on April 20 and 21 here.
Football: FIFA chief sets VAR ruling for next month
FIFA President Gianni Infantino today said football's governing body will decide next month whether to officially endorse the video assistant referee, a move that could see the controversial technology used at the World Cup. VAR, so far trialled in nearly 1,000 matches, reviews key moments linked to goals, penalty decisions, straight red card decisions and cases of mistaken identity. Its merits have been vigorously debated by football fans and pundits across the world, with some criticising the introduction of tech for slowing down the game. Speaking in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, Infantino raised the prospect of VAR being co-opted into the rules of the global game well in time for the World Cup in Russia. "On the 3rd of March, we will decide whether the video assistant refereeing will be part of the laws of the game and will become an official help for referees or not," the FIFA chief told reporters. Infantino, who has previously endorsed the system, said he is ...
Minerva Punjab FC win Nike Premier Cup
Minerva Punjab FC lifted the Nike Premier Cup trophy with a 40 drubbing of DSK Shivajians here today. DSK Shivajians and Minerva Punjab FC competed at Bambolim Athletic Stadium. Held in association with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Nike Premier Cup provides young Indian footballers the opportunity to compete with the best athletes in their age group. This year, 78 teams from across the country competed in the U15 Youth league to earn a spot in the Nike Premier Cup. The final witnessed high-octane action as the two best teams competed fiercely to lift the prestigious trophy. The winning team was awarded a cash prize of INR 5 lakh and the runners up received INR 1.5 lakh. Thoi Singh from Reliance Foundation Young Champs was awarded for being the highest scorer of the tournament.
Sandhu stuns seeded Lake to enter quarters
Former national champion Harinder Pal Sandhu sprang a surprise in the inaugural USD 35,000 Vedanta Indian Squash Open here today by ousting seeded English rival Nathan Lake of England 3-1. Sandhu, ranked 49th in the world currently, out-stroked his 53rd ranked opponent 11-7, 12-10, 5-11, 11-8 in 51 minutes and will meet third seeded Scot Greb Lobban, the world number 33, tomorrow for a place in the semis. "It was indeed a tough match. Nathan was hitting good lengths from all over the court. I ensured not to give him anything loose in the front and centre as he was hitting the loose balls very well," Sandhu, who has recently recovered from an injury, said. Earlier, top seed and India number 1 Saurav Ghosal got off to a splendid start with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Egyptian qualifier Karim El Hammamy at the NSCI courts. The 31-year-old national champion, currently the world no. 14, had things his own way barring the occasional hiccup and carved out an impressive 11-3 .
Afghani not allowed to enter Imphal, set to miss Neroca game
Aizawl FC's star defender Masih Saighani is set to miss his side's I-League match against Neroca FC on February 10 as he was asked to leave Manipur after arriving here without a Protected Area Permit (PAP) required for Afghan nationals to enter the state. "One of our players -- Saighani -- was not allowed to enter as he was not carrying the PAP, which is required for people from Afghanistan, China and Pakistan to enter Manipur," said Aizawl FC owner and president Robert Royte. The 31-year-old Saighani landed here yesterday with his team and he was initially not allowed to leave the airport and enter Imphal city. But, after the intervention of Neroca FC owner, he was allowed to spend the night at the team hotel on special permission. He left Imphal this morning. "He has now been sent back to Guwahati and is currently there. We did apply for the permit but since time is limited, he is unlikely to be part of the squad for our next game," Royte added. Aizawl FC are currently
Karnataka thrash Assam by 111 runs; Punjab, Baroda also win
Opener Mayank Agarwal led Karnataka's strong batting performance with a brisk 84 as they thrashed Assam by 111 runs in a Group A Vijay Hazare Trophy match here today. The star of the day, however, was medium pacer Prasidh Krishna, who returned impressive figures of 6/33 to help Karnataka complete an easy win. Sent into bat, Ravikumar Samarth and skipper Karun Nair contributed an unbeaten 70 and 58, respectively, at the Just Cricket Academy Ground. While Samarth slammed his runs in 61 balls, Nair needed 57 deliveries to score his runs, as Karnataka notched up a competitive 303 for six in the stipulated 50 overs. Down the order, Pavan Deshpande made a quick 43 off 39 balls. In reply, Assam were bowled out for 192 in 47.2 overs, failing to stand up to Krishna's bowling. Sibsankar Roy top-scored for Assam with 64 off 93 balls, while seamer Abu Nechim Ahmed made a breezy 43 off 33 balls with the help of four boundaries and three sixes. Had it not been for Roy and Abu's ...
Golfers Gursimar, Neha share lead after Round 2 of Hero women's Tour
Golfer Gursimar Badwal overcame a topsy-turvy round to finish the second day in shared lead with first round leader Neha Tripathi at the end of 36 holes in the third leg of the Hero womens Pro Tour here on Thursday.
Koreas conduct joint training ahead of Winter Olympics
Short track speed skaters from the two Koreas conducted joint training at the Gangneung Ice Arena here on Thursday, the first time the athletes have warmed up together.
Dalwinder, Sureshkumar storm into quarter finals
National champion Dalwinder Singh of Punjab and third seed Manish Sureshkumar of Tamil Nadu moved into the men's singles quarter-finals in the AITA Ranking JVPG Anirudh Desai All-India Open Tennis Tournament today. The 21-year-old Punjab player, seeded two, used his strong serves and impressive all-round play to sideline 18-year-old Dhruv Sunish of Maharashtra, winning in two sets 6-3, 6-4 in a second round match at the Juhu Vile Parle Gymkhana's tennis courts. Dalwinder faced some initial resistance from the younger Maharashtra player and did well to save a break point in the fifth game. But, he hit back hard by breaking Dhruv in the sixth to open up a 4-2 lead before going on to claim the first set in 36 minutes. Dalwinder continued to call the shots in the second and, with a lone break in the fifth, went on to win it to wrap up the match and take his place in the last eight. Earlier, 18-year-old Manish Sureshkumar quashed the aspiration of his state mate 16-year-old .
Odisha win boys' hockey gold, Haryana bag girls' title
Odisha clinched the men's boys hockey gold after a 2-1 victory over Punjab while Haryana bagged the girls' title after beating Jharkhand by an identical margin in the summit clash of the Khelo India School Games here today. The Odisha boys, who had beaten Punjab 3-0 in the league stage, once again dominated the final match, proving that their previous victory over their rivals was no fluke. In fact, the scoreline do not reflect the domination by Odisha who could have won by a much bigger margin. Chandigarh boys won the bronze after beating Uttar Pradesh 5-1. In the morning, a goal in the dying moments by Anu helped Haryana pip Jharkhand 2-1 in the girls' hockey final. It was Jharkhand, who struck first and led 1-0 at half time, but the Haryana girls struck back later, scoring twice in the second half. Punjab won the bronze after beating Chandigarh 5-4. In archery, Haryana grabbed the lions share of medals on the final day of competition. The four gold medals on offer ...
Schoolboy Sumehr downs Ootam to enter round three
Schoolboy Sumehr Mago of Khar Gymkhana, stunned Nikhil Ootam of the Cricket Club of India 3-2 win to enter the third round of the Rs 12.25 lakh prize money CCI All India Open Snooker Championship today. Mago fought back twice to carve out a creditable 13-70, 46-37, 21-69, 63-42, 70-61 win in the all-Mumbai second round encounter at the Cricket Club of Indias Wilson Jones Billiards Room. Undaunted after Ootam started with a flourish with a break of 64, the 13-year-old cueist rallied from 0-1 and 1-2 to notch up a fine victory. In the fifth frame, Ootam led 61-52, but faltered on a not-too-easy long blue to the bottom pocket. Mago, with a thin slice potted a difficult blue before sinking the pink and black balls to complete a sensational win. Pune's Sahil Gadiya powered his way past local rival Vishal Gehani 3-0. Gadiya potted confidently and consistently to overcome Gehani 62-29, 57-16, 72-70, winning the third on the black. Also through to the third round was Delhis ...
I let my racquet do the talking: Ankita on TOPS exclusion
Kept out of TOPS, Ankita Raina has made a huge statement by pulling off consecutive wins over higher-ranked players in the ongoing Fed Cup, and the young Indian tennis player is hoping for just reward after letting her racquet do all the talking. In a surprise decision, the Sports Ministry had left out 25-year-old Ankita, the country's top singles player from TOPS and added second-highest ranked Karman Kaur Thandi, doubles player Prarthna Thombare along with the seasoned Sania Mirza. AITA had said that national observer Somdev Devvarman had made the recommendations for players' inclusion in TOPS and he felt Ankita has not shown any progress. In the ongoing Fed Cup, it is only Ankita who has won singles matches for India so far, while Karman and Thombare have not managed a single win. And Ankita's victories have come against players such as Yuliya Putintseva, who was ranked as high as 27 last year and played French Open's third round in 2017, apart from beating top-10 ...
Brazil legend Ronaldo wants Neymar in Madrid
Retired Brazilian footballer Ronaldo feels his former club Real Madrid need Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar.Neymar moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain 2017 in a transaction worth 222 million euros, making him the world's most expensive player.He signed a deal with PSG until 2022.Ronaldo said Madrid need best players in the world and thus the club should go after his compatriot."Neymar is a superb player, maybe he will be the best in the world in a few years, and Real Madrid need the best," Marca quoted Ronaldo as saying.Ronaldo, who spent more than four seasons at Madrid, said his former club were always looking to sign the best, and that included Neymar.Madrid are currently fourth in La Liga, 19 points behind Barcelona, but the 41-year-old feels the club could perhaps win a third straight Champions League despite their struggles this campaign."I haven't heard any official representative of Real Madrid say anything about Neymar," Ronaldo said.He added, "They should think ...
Fire & Ice: Sehwag, Afridi spice it up on Lake St Moritz
At his prime, Virender Sehwag never had "surface tension". Now at 40, with spectacles and big bald patch, it still does not matter. Just like he had thrashed a young Shoaib Akhtar 10 years back on turf wickets, a slightly round Akhtar was handed the same treatment in front of 500-odd spectators at the inaugural St Moritz Ice Cricket Challenge. Mostly Asian expatriates and tourists along with a few bewildered locals trying to figure out what the game was all about were present. A Swiss sitting on the stands commented: "This game seems as relaxed as a game of golf. Very relaxed I must say." There was Sehwag hitting those sixes at the backdrop of breathtaking Alpine range, Shahid Afridi's customary celebrations, Akhtar sledging Sehwag in jest -- every ingredient needed to make the event a success. The ground is basically the frozen St Moritz lake and the matting pitch fixed on a wooden plank. Pink ball is being used but as Sehwag wants at least T10 to be included in the ...
Akshay supports Khelo India Games
Bollywood star Akshay Kumar has supported the inaugural edition of the Khelo India School Games by taking a pledge and urging everyone to come forward and play.
Ranjane stars in Mumbai's win over TN; Goa beats Rajasthan
Mumbai today handed host Tamil Nadu a second straight defeat, winning by two wickets to secure a third consecutive victory in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy Group 'C' League here. Chasing 184 for a win after Tamil Nadu had been bowled out in 49.3 overs, Shubam Ranjane (59 not out) came to Mumbai's rescue after the team had slumped to 79 for 5. India Test spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had brought Tamil Nadu back into the game with a tight spell, during which he scalped skipper Aditya Tare (17) and Surya Kumar Yadav (21). Earlier, the host endured a poor start as Dhawal Kulkarni sent back opener M Kaushik Gandhi caught behind by Tare in the first over for a duck. Tamil Nadu, who were without Test opener Murali Vijay, stuttered as wickets fell at regular intervals. Ashwin (41) and N Jagadeesan (31) managed the only half-century partnership of the innings as the team struggled to 183 all out. Kulkarni was the most successful Mumbai bowler with three wickets while Ranjane and ..
ISL: Bengaluru aim to capitalise on vulnerable Goa defence (Preview)
Leaders Bengaluru will aim to capitalise on the vulnerable FC Goa defence at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Friday to further strengthen their top spot in the Indian Super League (ISL) season four.
IOA writes to CGF to include Khatun in India's CWG squad
The Indian Olympic Association and its Paralympic counterpart are making a last-ditch attempt to ensure para-powerlifter Sakina Khatun participates in the upcoming Commonwealth Games after she threatened to commit suicide if not selected. Khatun, who won a bronze in powerlifting in the women's lightweight (up to 61kg) category in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, has also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention for her selection in the Indian team. The IOA has written a letter to the Commonwealth Games Federation to resolve the issue so that Khatun can participate in the multi-sporting event. In the letter addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Games Federation, IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta has pointed out that Khatun has qualified for the Gold Coast CWG according to qualification norms and the parent international body has also confirmed this. "Ms Sakina Khatun, Indian powerlifter (W), in lightweight category ...
Koreas hold join short track training before Winter Olympics
Short track speed skaters from the two Koreas conducted joint training on Thursday at Gangneung Ice Arena, the first time for the athletes have warmed up together.