Page 2067 - Sports

Sublime Sharath leads PSPB to team title at Senior Nationals

Veteran Sharath Kamal led PSPB to the men's team title with a fine display of table tennis that helped shut out Haryana 3-1 in the 79th edition of the 11Even Sports Senior Nationals at the Mega Sports Complex here. This was the 20th title triumph for the institution. Incidentally, it was Haryanas second consecutive runners-up finish. Earlier PSPB women, made a great escape to regain the crown when they overcame first-timer RBI 3-2 in a thriller. And the 15th title-victory was made possible by Manika Batra. Captain Sharath had to share the major burden at 36. With G. Sathiyan playing the third rubber and A. Amalraj benched, it was a huge risk the captain took. If Sharath had lost one of his matches and if matters had gone to decider, anything could have been possible. But Sharath doesnt believe in ifs and buts and knew what he was doing. Taking no time, he dismissed Jubin Kumar for 1-0 lead. After Harmeet lost to Somyajit Ghosh, the pressure was back on PSPB but Sathiyan ..

Marach and Pavic win Aussie men's doubles title

Seventh seeded Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic won their first Grand Slam doubles title today, crowned Australian Open champions in a tough final 6-4, 6-4. The seventh seeds, from Austria and Croatia, saw off the challenge from Colombian pair Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, seeded 11. It was Marach and Pavic's fourth Grand Slam as a team, with their best performance before now an appearance in the Wimbledon final last year. They came into the tournament in top form after winning warm-up events in Doha and Auckland.

Gayle, Root, Malinga go unsold at IPL auction

Reputation count for little, it was evident on day one of the IPL auction with heavyweights such as Chris Gayle going unsold alongside England captain Joe Root while Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh were bought only at their base price. Gayle, who formed one of the most dangerous opening pairings in the IPL alongside Virat Kohli, found no takers at his base price of Rs 2 crore. The West Indian could be brought back to the auction pool on day two with other unsold players at the request of a franchise. The 38-year-old Gayle has the fastest T20 century to his name, off 30 balls for RCB versus Pune Warriors in 2013. However, he has been battling with erratic form of late. He did not do anything noticeable in the away series against New Zealand in December-January. But he did grab a lot of attention after smashing an unbeaten 146 off 69 balls in the Bangladesh Premier League last month. Another IPL regular who went unsold was Sri Lanka pacer Lasith Malinga, who has been ...

Serena 'so proud' of friend Wozniacki

Serena Williams says she is "so proud" of her long-time friend Caroline Wozniacki after the Dane succeeded her to become the Australian Open champion today. Williams, who has not played a competitive match since capturing the title at Melbourne Park exactly a year ago, was too on edge to watch. "I got too nervous to watch but woke up to @CaroWozniacki new number one and aussie open champ," she tweeted soon after the 27-year-old beat Simona Halep 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4, become the new world number one in the process. "So awesome. So happy. Are those tears? Yup they are," Williams added, with Wozniacki sobbing after ending a long wait to win a Grand Slam title. "From a year ago to today, I'm so proud my friend, so proud. Literally can't even sleep now," added the 23-time Grand Slam winner. Williams was pregnant when she won the Australian Open last January. She gave birth to a girl, Alexis Olympia, last September and married father Alexis Ohanian in November. She is set to ...

Halep says her time will come after body gives up

Battle weary Simona Halep says her time will come after failing for the third time to win a Grand Slam final, admitting her body simply gave up after a draining Australian Open. Her 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4 defeat on Saturday to Caroline Wozniacki was a double blow for the Romanian, who will also lose her number one world status to the Dane when the new rankings come out next week. The courageous Halep, 26, admitted that she cried after the crushing loss, but was philosophical afterwards, saying "It is just a tennis match in the end" and that "life goes on". "But, yeah, I'm really sad I couldn't win it. I was close again, but the gas was over in the end. She was better. She was fresher. She had actually more energy in the end." Despite losing, she vowed to bounce back and planned to get back to work after having a break and giving her aching body time to heal. "I will fight and hopefully I will face another challenge like I did today," she said. I'm sad that I couldn't make ..

IPL auction 2018: Rashid Khan retained by SRH for whopping Rs 9 crore

Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan has been retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping Rs 9 crore at the Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction at the ITC Gardenia on Saturday.The 19-year-old young player entered the auction at a base price of Rs 2 crores and a hectic bidding ensued between Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Mumbai Indians (MI) before Rashid was eventually sold.It should be noted that Rashid was bought for a sum of Rs 4 crore by SRH in the IPL 2017 auction, but the first day of the this season's auction saw his price surged upward by another Rs 5 crores on the bidding table.Rashid has maintained an impressive economy rate of 5.86 since making his debut in 2016. He ended as Sunrisers Hyderabad's second-highest wicket-taker with 17 scalps from 14 matches.The Afghanistan spinner is currently featuring for Adelaide Strikers in Australia's Big Bash League (BBL).Meanwhile, the Indian spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav also attracted expensive bids in the auction ...

Elgar, Amla hit fifties as South Africa reach 136-3 at tea

Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla hit gritty half-centuries before India fought back with two quick wickets as South Africa reached 136 for 3 at tea on day four of the third Test here today. Amla and Elgar added 119 runs off 304 balls for the second wicket on a pitch that appears to have become less threatening. Just four overs before tea, Ishant Sharma dismissed Amla, while Bumrah accounted for AB de Villiers to give India a glimmer of hope. At the break, Elgar was batting on 61 runs, while Faf du Plessis (0*) was giving him company in the middle with South Africa still needing 105 runs with 7 wickets in hand. Post lunch, Elgar and Amla continued building their second wicket stand even as India looked to make quick inroads to gain footing back in the match. The duo batted calmly and took South Africa past the 100 -mark. Ishant (1-27) bowled a tight spell after lunch, but India struggled to string together a bowling partnership that could put Elgar-Amla under pressure. Soon the

S. Africa reach 136/3 at tea, still need 105 to win 3rd Test

India claimed two morale-boosting wickets even though South Africa inched closer to the target of 241, reaching 136/3 till tea on the fourth and penultimate day of the third and final cricket Test here on Saturday.

South Africa were 136-3 at tea on Day 4

South Africa were 136 for three in their second innings while chasing 241 against India at tea on the fourth day of the third and final cricket Test, here today. Dean Elgar (61 not out) and Faf du Plessis (0) were at the crease at the break with with South Africa still needing 105 runs for a win with seven wickets in hand. Brief Score: India 1st innings: 187 South Africa 1st innings: 194 India 2nd innings: 247 South Africa 2nd innings: 136 for 3 in 57 overs (Dean Elgar 61 not out, Ishant Sharma 1/27).

Jerpoth named Maharashtra Jr team captain for football meet

Central midfielder Bhuvan Jerpoth of Nagpur district has been named captain of the Maharashtra (WIFA) team that will participate in the upcoming AIFF Junior National Football Championship 2017-2018 (Tier-II) for the B C Roy Trophy. The tournament will be played in Una, Himachal Pradesh, from January 29 to February 6. The team was selected after long periods of trials, training sessions and practice matches against local clubs. Mohan Dass has been appointed the head coach of the team, a media release here said. Maharashtra is placed in Group-B along with Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. Maharashtra will play their first match against Andhra on January 29. In the second match, Maharashtra will meet Bihar on January 31 and take on Chandigarh in the last group game on February 2. Matches will be played on a single leg league basis in the group and the top team from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, the release added The squad - goalkeepers: Kamran Ansari ...

Krunal Pandya, Archer lead IPL windfall for uncapped players

Krunal Pandya today became the costliest uncapped buy in IPL history, going for a whopping Rs 8.8 crore to Mumbai Indians as rookie players, both Indian and overseas, turned overnight millionaires in the auction here. From India's U-19 World Cup stars to domestic and foreign recruits, uncapped players were the sought after lot for the eight teams. Little-known Jofra Archer from the West Indies attracted a Rs 7.2 crore winning bid from Rajasthan Royals. The 22-year-old all-rounder has had a decent stint for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash and plays first-class cricket for Sussex in England. Krunal going to Mumbai Indians was expected but not the astronomical figure he went for, surpassing Pawan Negi who was bought by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 8.5 crore in the 2016 auction. Krunal's base price was Rs 40 lakh. Mumbai Indians exercised the Right to Match for Krunal after a bidding war broke out between Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad. ...

I-League: Chencho strike helps Minerva maintain top spot

A first-half strike from Chencho Gyeltshen was enough for Minerva Punjab to claim three points against Neroca FC in a top-of-the-table clash in the I-League at the Khuman Lampak Stadium here on Saturday.

Ganguly responsible for current aggressive culture of Indian team: Bedi

Calling Sourav Ganguly's era the golden period of Indian cricket, legendary left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi however held the former India captain responsible for the aggressive culture on the field today.

Bangladesh pack Sri Lanka for 221 in tri-series final

Fast bowler Rubel Hossain claimed four wickets to help Bangladesh dismiss Sri Lanka for 221 runs in the final of the tri-nation one-day international tournament today. Hossain, who returned figures of 4-46, was ably supported by fellow paceman Mustafizur Rahman (2-29) as the hosts hurt Sri Lanka with regular strikes after they elected to bat first. Upul Tharanga top-scored with 56 off 99 balls while skipper Dinesh Chandimal added 45. Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella also contributed with 42.

McIlroy storms into halfway lead in Dubai

Rory McIlroy proved once again how good his game was after returning to competitive golf from a three-month break as he stormed to a two-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Dubai Desert Classic. McIlroy was among the entire afternoon session groups that could not finish their round in the $3 million event on Friday following a two hour, 50 minutes fog delay in the morning. He returned to the course Saturday sitting at 10 under par after 11 holes, and then made five birdies in the remaining seven holes to finish on 15-under 129. Welshman Jamie Donaldson, who finished his second round on Friday, was second, two behind McIlroy at 13 under par. China's Li Haotong was in sole third place at 12 under par, with a group of four players at 11-under, including South Africa's world number 29 Branden Grace. The Northern Irish world number 11, who finished with three birdies in his last three holes, said: "The conditions were very conducive for scoring. Especially with the greens ..

BCCI to announce cash prize for Blind World Cup winners: Rai

Close on the heels of India clinching the Blind Cricket World Cup, Committee of Administrators (COA) chief Vinod Rai on Saturday said the BCCI would soon announce a cash prize for the players, adding they are also trying to get them jobs.

I-League: Bottom-placed Gokulam aim to overcome Lajong test (Preview)

Bottom-placed Gokulam will look to overcome a firm test over Shillong Lajong when they host the fifth spot side in the I-League contest at the EMS Corporation Stadium here on Sunday.

Never known anything so cheap going so expensively, says Bedi on IPL

As money was spent without inhibition by team owners on the first day of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Bengaluru, legendary left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi slammed the cash-rich T20 cricket league, saying he hasn't seen "anything so cheap going so expensively".

Rajeev Shukla assures solution to IPL match timings issues

The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council chairman Rajeev Shukla on Sunday assured that the IPL match timings issue will be resolved amicably.The IPL match timings have been much talked about since the last season.Following it, its governing council also announced that the evening games would be preponed to 7 pm from 8 pm, while the day matches will start from 5:30 pm now than 4:00 pm.Shukla, during the IPL player auction, told reporters "The broadcaster [Star India] had requested [shift in match timings] and the GC has considered it during its meeting. After that, we have received objections from a couple of franchises.""Now, we will be meeting most of the franchises here. We'll discuss with them. We'll discuss with the broadcaster as well, and in an amicable way, we'll find a solution. It is an administrative issue. We can sort it out at our level," he added.Meanwhile, the governing council chairman also informed that the international boards will be paid 20 percent of an ...

Oz Open: Wozniacki vanquishes Halep to lift first Grand Slam title

Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki produced a spirited performance as she bounced back from a set down against top-seed Simona Halep of Romania to clinch this year's Australian Open title here on Saturday.After comfortably winning the first set, the world number two went down in the second before she rebounded strongly to clinch a 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-4 win over Halep, in a thrilling summit showdown of the women's singles event that lasted for two hours and 50 minutes.The victory saw Wozniacki bag her first Grand Slam title at the 43rd attempt and, now she would replace Halep as number one in the world rankings on Monday.Wozniacki, who has twice been a runner-up at the US Open, has also become the first Danish player to win a Grand Slam singles title.