Page 2062 - Sports
Expected good bid but not such huge amount: Unadkat
Overwhelmed by "surreal" bidding for him during the IPL auction, it took Jaydev Unadkat some time to believe that franchises were so willing to break their banks to grab a fast bowler. Unadkat was training with his Saurashtra teammates in Rajkot for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy and asked team physio to inform him when his name comes up for bidding during the IPL auctions. "After the physio told me that my bidding is on, I was hooked onto the live streaming for the next 15 minutes and found it surreal. The entire team stopped it's training to watch my bidding," Unadkat told PTI during an exclusive interview after he became the costliest Indian player at the auction with Rs 11.5 crore deal from Rajasthan Royals. The 26-year-old Saurashtra left-arm seamer has played a Test, seven ODIs and four T20 Internationals for India but in the last one year he has emerged as a parsimonious bowler in the shortest format. He did not expect franchises to splurge on a fast bowler ...
Laver says Federer playing as well as ever
Rod Laver says the ageless Roger Federer is playing as well as he was a decade ago and he can't see the Swiss master calling it quits any time soon. Federer claimed an incredible 20th Grand Slam title on Sunday in the stadium named after the Australian tennis great, beating Marin Cilic in five sets at the Australian Open. That is four more than his closest challenger Rafael Nadal and his third in the space of a year. Laver, an 11-time Grand Slam champion who has been watching the 36-year-old's progress at Melbourne Park this year, said he was as good as he's ever been. "He's certainly playing as well as he did eight or 10 years ago," Laver told Melbourne's Herald Sun ahead of Sunday's final. "I wouldn't say he's better but Roger is playing some of his best tennis. Not all the time maybe. But pretty close to all the time." A decade ago, Federer, who cites Laver as his idol, was virtually untouchable, reaching 18 of 19 consecutive Grand Slam finals between Wimbledon in 2005
Curran steps up as England beat Australia in final ODI
England finished their testing tour of Australia on a high today with a thrilling 12-run win in the fifth and final one-day international in Perth. In the first match at the new Perth Stadium, the tourists set Australia 260 to win in front of a record West Australian cricket crowd of 53,781. Despite resting frontline bowlers Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, and having quick Jake Ball struggling with illness, the tourists managed to defend their total. Young seamer Tom Curran was the match-winner with five wickets as Australia were dismissed for 247 with 10 balls remaining. England, beaten 4-0 in a lopsided Ashes Test series, bounced back to claim the limited-over series 4-1. The result continued the dismal recent run of the World Cup holders in one-dayers and Australian captain Steve Smith was again left frustrated with both batting and bowling. "We thought we'd pulled it back really well, but we didn't start well with the ball -- been a bit of trend," he said. "Again we lost .
Smooth start for Indian boxers at India Open
India were assured of a medal without a fight, owing to the small size of the draw, even as favourites such as M C Mary Kom (48kg) advanced to the quarter-final of the India Open boxing tournament here. Pooja was through straight to the welterweight (69kg) semifinals due to the small size of her draw, opening India's account on the first day itself. Seeded 12th, five-time world champion Mary Kom, who claimed a fifth Asian Championships gold medal just a couple of months ago, advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating surprise fifth-seed compatriot Varsha Choudhary. Mary Kom countered her rival's attack quite easily, digging from her experience to claim a unanimous win. Former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen got the better of last year's Nation's Cup gold-medallist Neeraj in her opening clash of the 51kg category. The national bronze- medallist won on a split verdict. Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Pinki Jangra, seeded sixth, had no trouble sailing past ...
Sports teach one about life: Sports Minister Rathore
Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Rathore on Sunday said that not just books, but sports also teach one about values of life.Speaking on the sidelines of 'Khelo India' pledge launch, Rathore told ANI, "Sports are for learning value of life. It is just not the books that teach you about life but also sports. We are trying to strengthen that culture (through 'Khelo India' initiative)."Rathore cited the example of Indian Army saying that the soldiers here play not for excellence, but for the values they learn by playing together.Talking about Khelo India, launched by Ministry of Sports to improve culture of sports in the country, he said, "There are 12 verticals in 'Khelo India', one of which is Khelo India school games and Khelo India college games to create a platform at the highest level for Under-17 and Under-21. We will provide them the same quality and infrastructure to make them feel as if they are playing in the Commonwealth Games or the Asian Games."The ...
Curran's fi-fer seals 4-1 victory for Eng
Tom Curran on Sunday took a five wicket haul at the new Perth Stadium, helping England win the fifth and final One Day International (ODI) match against Australia by 12 runs. The English team clinched the Gillette ODI series 4-1.Having being sent into bat, the English team looked comfortable and confident at the Optus Stadium, with opener Jason Roy christening the new venue with a four off the first delivery of the match.Roy (49) and Jonny Bairstow (44) added 71 for the first wicket.Alex Hales chipped in with 35, while Joe Root (62) slammed another half-century.Andrew Tye was the pick of the bowlers for Australia, claiming five wickets.Chasing 260, the hosts fell 12 runs short despite an impressive half-century from all-rounder Marcus Stoinis.Stoinis (87) consolidated the Australian innings after openers David Warner (15) and Travis Head (22) departed early.Glenn Maxwell (34) and Tim Paine (34) nearly lifted Australia towards the end, however lethal bowling from Curran ensured that ...
J&K cricketer Manzoor Dar to play for KXIP in IPL
While Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder Parvez Rasool and pacer Umar Nazir Mir found no buyers at the IPL auction, another local cricketer Manzoor Dar was bought by Kings XI Punjab on Sunday.
Atwal and Bhullar finish in Top-10 at Myanmar Open
Arjun Atwal and Gaganjeet Bhullar finished Tied-10th while Paul Peterson secured his maiden Asian Tour title with a two-shot victory at the Leopalace21 Myanmar Open, here today. Atwal (71) slipped from sixth to T-10, while Bhullar moved up marginally from T-12 to T-10 with a card of 69. Among other Indians, Ajeetesh Sandhu (70) ended Tied- 21st, while Rashid Khan (71) was T-48th and Shiv Kapur (74) and Jyoti Randhawa (75) were T-57th. Bhullar had four birdie against one bogey while Atwal had two birdies and two bogeys. Peterson dropped two bogeys in his closing four holes, but still ensured victory with a birdie on 18 to sign off with a five-under-par 66. The 29-year-old started his final day two shots off the lead, but stormed out quickly with two birdies and an eagle in his opening five holes. Petersons lead was briefly threatened when he dropped two shots on 15 and 17 but the American maintained his composure by sinking a crucial birdie at the last hole for his Asian .
Norde replacement Magar to check in tomorrow
Mohun Bagan's new signing Bimal Gharti Magar, who replaced their ace forward Sony Norde, will join the squad tomorrow ahead of their I-League fixture at Shillong Lajong on February 3. Youngest player to represent Nepal senior team when he made his debut at the age of 14 against Bangladesh, Magar underwent trials at some of the biggest clubs in Europe. He was invited by Dutch side FC Twente for a two-week trial, where he impressed with his skills. His major stint came in March 2014 when he was given a Belgian visa to try his luck with Anderlecht FC, one of the biggest clubs of Belgium. On trial, Bimal represented Anderlecht U-16 side in three tournaments -- AEGON Future Cup, Ten Brinke Bouw Tournament, and the Nuenen tournament. In June 2014, Magar penned a one-year deal to join Anderlecht U-19. Bimal's first tournament with Anderlecht was the Copa del Agatha in St Agatha, North Brabant, Netherlands. After scoring two goals, Bimal finished the tournament as a runner-up for
Sri Lanka beat Windies by 3 wickets to win Plate Championship
Openers Hasitha Boyagoda and Dhananjaya Lakshan featured in a double-century stand as Sri Lanka defeated the Windies by three wickets in the Plate championship final of the ICC U-19 World Cup here today. The 213-run stand between Boyagoda (116, 124b, 17x4,1x6) and Lakshan (98, 119b, 12x4, 1x6) put Sri Lanka in a position of strength to overtake the Windies' total of 254-5 but a batting collapse made things difficult for the 2000 finalists and they ultimately won with only two balls to spare. In the Super League, Bangladesh defeated England by five wickets in the play-off semifinal for fifth place to set up a match with South Africa on Wednesday in Queenstown. The winner of Wednesday's match will finish fifth in the tournament. England will next play New Zealand to decide the seventh place a day earlier on January 30 in Queenstown. The Windies scored a competitive 254 for five after being put in to bat. Alick Athanaze continued his fine form with an unbeaten run-a-ball 110
Unadkat 'elated' being costliest Indian at IPL auction
Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat, who became the costliest Indian player at Rs 11.50 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction 2018 on Sunday, said that it was a moment of elation.Unadkat was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals, which are making a comeback in the league after having faced a two-year ban in the famous IPL fixing scandal."It is a moment of elation but I think greater happiness will come along with the performance," Unadkat told reporters here.The Saurashtra player added, "I wish that the Rajasthan Royals, which is making a comeback, will do well in the IPL and hopefully we will grab the title."Asked about the bids of Rajasthan Royals, Unadkat opined that he felt the franchise planned a lot for the player auctions.With the whopping bid, Unadkat surpassed opener K L Rahul and middle-order batsman Manish Pandey, who bagged bumper deals of Rs 11 crore each on the first day of the auction.The pacer played for Rising Pune Supergiant in the last edition and grabbed ...
IPL Auction 2018: Afghan cricketers make huge strides
Four Afghan cricketers created history and made huge strides as they were picked up by their respective franchises in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) auction 2018 here on Sunday.The cricketers - Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Zahir Khan and Mujeeb Zadran were snapped up by different IPL franchise teams.On Saturday, Rashid was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping Rs. 9 crores via the right to match card, after there was heavy bidding by the Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians earlier. However, Sunrisers Hyderabad snapped him up with the right-to-match-card (RTM) card, thus retaining him. Rashid was hence, the most expensive Afghan player.On Sunday, Nabi was bought by the same franchise for Rs. 1 crore respectively. Both Rashid and Nabi have played for Sunrisers Hyderabad last year.Zahir and Mujeeb, who are currently playing in the U-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, were also snapped up by the respective franchises with lucrative deals.Zadran was .
Mohun Bagan recruit Magar arrives on Monday
Mohun Bagan's new signing, Nepalese Bimal Gharti Magar, missed his flight to the city on Sunday and is scheduled to arrive on Monday, the football giants said.
You can't find fault in Kohli's overall captaincy: Wessels
Former South African captain Kepler Wessels feels that while Virat Kohli can still try strike a balance in his aggression, his style of leadership can't be questioned as long as he gets the results for India. "Virat Kohli brings out the best in this Indian team. He gives them confidence to win, with his runs and his leadership on the field," Wessels told PTI. "He shows a lot of emotion on the field. Sometimes this can be a good thing and at other times, maybe it's not such a good thing. Definitely, that is an area where some more balance is needed. "But you cannot find fault in how he has led this Indian team overall," Wessels said a day after India salvaged some pride winning the third Test against South Africa by 63 runs. India maintained their unbeaten record at the Wanderers and avoided a whitewash in the Test series after losing the first two Tests in Cape Town and Centurion. Wessels thought that ideally India should have done a lot better in the second Test than ...
Gokulam ride on Jayraj's heroics to pip Shillong Lajong
Gokulam FC rode on Arjun Jayaraj's late strike to beat Shillong Lajong 3-2 and register their maiden home win of the season in a thrilling I-League match here today. Abdoulaye Koffi took only 25 minutes to put Lajong in the driver's seat as the visitors went into the changing room with the slender lead. More thrilling action unfolded in the second half with four goals being scored in the next 45 minutes. Bahrainian midfielder Mahmood Alajmi restored the parity for the hosts in the 52nd minute before they conceded another within 60 seconds as Lajong's Korean defender Zuho Oh headed Samuel's free kick home. Gokulam made the most of Lajong's defensive lapse as Kivi Zhimoni put the hosts back in the fight once again in the 74th minute. Finally, Jayaraj took responsibility and went whizzing past the Lajong defenders as he blasted the back of the net to swing the match in their favour. The visitors started on a high in their quest to bag three points on the road. The ...
My fairytale continues, says emotional Federer
Moments after becoming the first man to win 20 Grand Slam titles by beating Marin Cilic in five gruelling sets in the Australian Open final, an emotional Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer said on Sunday that the fairytale continued for him.
I-League: Gokulam Kerala rally to beat Lajong 3-2
Gokulam Kerala FC rallied to beat Shillong Lajong FC 3-2 here on Sunday as they jumped to the eighth spot in the I-League football championship.
Curran shines as England beat Australia in 5th ODI
Pacer Tom Curran bagged a five-wicket haul to help England defeat Australia by 12 runs in the fifth One-Day International (ODI) at the Perth Stadium here on Sunday.
Australian Open: Federer claims 20th Grand Slam
World No. 2 Roger Federer claimed his 20th Grand Slam and sixth Australian Open title at the Melbourne Park with a victory over Croatia's Marin Cilic here on Sunday.Federer was made to sweat by Cilic as the match went for five sets, which the Swiss won 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 under the Rod Laver Arena roof.With this win, the 36-year-old becomes only the fourth player after Australia's Margaret Court, America's Serena Williams and Germany's Steffi Graf to win 20 or more major singles titles."It's always a celebration of tennis when it comes to an end. I want to thank everyone for making it so special tonight," Federer said after the win."To all the fans. You fill the stadiums, you make me nervous, you make me go out and practice. I just want to thank you for everything," he added.Meanwhile, Cilic's dream of becoming the first Croat to win an Australian Open and his second major title was destroyed.Federer congratulated Cilic and said, "Congrats to Marin. World number three is an ...
India lose to Belgium in final of 4 nations hockey meet
India suffered a 0-3 loss via penalty shootout to Belgium after a 4-4 draw in regulation time in the final of the second leg of the Four Nations Invitational Hockey Tournament here on Sunday.