Page 2111 - Sports
CSK is like second home to me: Dhoni
Former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Friday said the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was like a second home and he had never thought of being with any other IPL team.Dhoni was retained for whopping Rs 15 crore by the CSK in the IPL retention held on January 14.The CSK is making a comeback after the franchise was banned for two years following an IPL fixing scandal.Talking to media persons here at an event, Dhoni said, "A lot of people approached me, I can tell you that. But I cannot think of not coming back to CSK and it is because of everything. What we have been through, how we have conducted ourselves, how the management has been, how the players have been."The wicketkeeper-batsman added, "It is like a second home to me. The fans here have literally adopted me. They accept me as one of their own. There cannot be any bigger compliment than that. That thought of being with any other franchise was never a question."Dhoni admitted that the CSK ..
Nadal cruises into Australian Open pre-quarters
World no. 1 Rafael Nadal stormed into the fourth round of the Australian Open after defeating Bosnia's Damir Dzumhur here on Friday.The Spaniard continued his straightforward progress as he edged past Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 to wrap up his third-round victory in an hour and 50 minutes.Nadal's quest for 17th Grand Slam and second Australian Open title will continue when he meets Argentine tennis player Diego Schwartzman on Sunday.Meanwhile, Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov also advanced into the round of 16 after winning a tough match against 30th seed Andrey Rublev.Third seed Dimitrov won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in high temperatures on Rod Laver Arena.He will now lock horns with Australia's Nick Kyrgios who outplayed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Day Four of the season's first Grand Slam.Kyrgios, the Brisbane International winner, registered an impressive 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 win over Tsonga..
T20 controversy: Hyderabad captain Rayudu submits reply to BCCI
Hyderabad cricket team captain Ambati Rayudu has submitted his reply to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the wake of his argument over an umpiring decision in a thrilling high-scoring T20 match against Karnataka.On January 11, Karnataka edged past Hyderabad by two runs in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Twenty20 match at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.However, a thrilling last-ball finish was marred by an unwanted protest and arguments after two runs were added to Karnataka's total at the end of the innings.Later on January 15, the BCCI had issued a notice to Rayudu and Hyderabad manager Krishan Rao as per the board's Codes and Guidelines Article 4 Notification Procedure and given a seven-day deadline to file their reply.While Rayadu had submitted his reply on the matter a day later, the BCCI is yet to hear from Rao.The decision to add runs was taken during the innings break after the umpires were made aware of an error during the second over of the ...
Harbhajan backs beleaguered Kohli and Indian team
Virat Kohli, copping criticism for his debatable selection policy for the Centurion Test, should be backed to the hilt since it is his first "real overseas tour" as captain, reckons seasoned Harbhajan Singh. Chasing two sub-300 targets -- 208 at Capetown and 287 at Centurion -- India's much-vaunted line-up crumbled against South African pace attack to concede a 0-2 lead in the three- match series. Kohli dropped Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the second Test despite a good show from the paceman at Cape Town and has not included Ajinkya Rahane in the playing XI so far. "Everybody wants to improve. Let's support the team in this hour. We have not played as well as we would have expected. Maybe next time. This is a great learning curve. Hopefully we will bounce back strongly. They need to back each other," Harbhajan told PTI after his arrival here for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Twenty20 tournament. Kohli has the luxury of a formidable pace attack, well complemented by off-spinner R ...
Aizawl host Neroca in I-League tie (Preview)(Lead)
Reigning champions Aizawl FC will aim to return to winning ways when they host fellow north-eastern outfit Neroca FC in an I-League match at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Saturday.
All-round Root powers England to 4-wkt win in second ODI
England rode on Test skipper Joe Root's all-round show to beat Australia by four wickets in the second One-day International and take a crucial 2-0 lead in the five-match rubber here on Friday.
Canara Bank, PNB face off in Hockey Senior Men National C'ship
Gagandeep Singh and Gurjinder Singh struck twice each as Punjab National Bank handed Bengaluru Hockey Association a humiliating 8-1 defeat in the semifinals to set up a summit clash with Canara Bank at the Senior Men National Championship here today. In the first semi-final, Nikkin Thimmaiah scored the solitary goal in the 25th minute as Canara Bank prevailed 1-0 over Central Secretariat in a close encounter. Canara Bank had earlier topped their Pool in the early stages of the competition and had defeated Delhi Hockey 4-1 in the Quarter Final. In the second semi-final, Punjab National Bank taught Bengaluru Hockey Association a few lessons in hockey as they completely outclassed their opponents here. Gagandeep Singh (5th minute), Gurjinder Singh (15th), Sukhjeet Singh (18th) and skipper Gagandeep Singh Sr (19th) put PNB 4-0 ahead within 20 minutes. Gagandeep Singh struck again in the 30th minute to extend the lead to five goals at half-time. In the last two quarters, ...
Nadal eases into Australian Open last-16 for 11th time
Spaniard Rafael Nadal on Friday thrashed Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 to book a place in the fourth round at the Australian Open tennis tournament for the 11th time in his career.
Carla Suarez beats Kanepi at Australian Open, eases into 4th round
Spain's Carla Suarez on Friday continued her Australian Open run defeating Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the third round.
Kerala, Karnataka post wins in national basketball
Defending champion Kerala defeated Chhattisgarh 76-62 today in a women's Group 'A' match of the 68thSenior National Basketball Championship here. The fancied Kerala women, who had suffered a reverse at the hands of Karnataka yesterday, faced stiff resistance from the Chhattisgarh girls. The first quarter saw the two teams locked at 15-all before Kerala nosed ahead in the second, by seven points. Though their rivals tried hard, they couldn't quite bridge the gap and went down by six points. Karnataka women, who shocked Kerala yesterday, continued the good run, beating Madhya Pradesh 79-68. They hit back strongly after conceding a small lead in the first quarter and won rather comfortably. In a Group 'B' game, Delhi overcame a deficit in the first quarter to post a 73-53 over Maharashtra, dominating towards the end of the match. In the first game of the day, Himachal Pradesh men cruised to an easy 70-34 win over Sikkim. In a men's Group A fixture, Rajasthan and Odisha were
Guptill, Henry lead Kiwis to ODI series sweep against Pak
Opener Martin Guptill smashed a scorching century before seamer Matt Henry bagged a four-wicket haul as New Zealand beat Pakistan by 15 runs in the fifth ODI to complete the five-match series whitewash at the Basin Reserve on Friday.Chasing a target of 272 runs in their stipulated 50 overs, Pakistan struggled against New Zealand bowlers and were eventually bundled out for 256 runs with an over to spare.Haris Sohail (63) and Shadab Khan (54) were the only two players to provide their side with some resistance with their blistering half-centuries.Meanwhile, Aamer Yamin remained unbeaten on 32.Henry was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand for his figures of four for 43 followed by Mitchell Santner's three for 40.Lockie Ferguson and Colin de Grandhomme also contributed with two and a wicket, respectively.Earlier, Guptill shone with the bat as he not only struck a 100-run knock, including 10 boundaries and a six, but also shared a crucial 112-run stand for the third wicket with Ross ...
AIFF U-16 team departs for exposure trip to Dubai
After a successful qualifying campaign for the AFC U-16 Championship to be held in Malaysia later this year, India U-16 head coach Bibiano Fernandes firmly believes the exposure trip to Dubai "will be the perfect way to kick-off preparation" for the tournament proper."The AIFF has planned some exposure trips for the boys, starting with Dubai. I think this will be the perfect way to kick off preparation for the AFC U-16 Championship," said the coach.The exposure trip to Dubai is just the beginning of a series of trips that has been planned by the AIFF for the U-16 team.Reflecting on the same, Bibiano revealed, "After Dubai, we travel to Qatar to play some friendlies. There are also plans to travel to various other countries between January to August."Former Indian team captain Abhishek Yadav, presently Director of AIFF's Scouting Network, said the "real test begins now.""Now that we have qualified for the final phase of the AFC U-16 Championship, the real test begins now. The AIFF ...
U-19 World Cup: India thrash Zimbabwe in last group tie
India crushed Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in a Group B clash to maintain their all-win record at the ICC U-19 World Cup here on Friday.
Sergi Roberto agrees new Barcelona contract
FC Barcelona on Friday confirmed that defender Sergi Roberto has agreed a new contract which will keep him at the Catalan football club until the end of June 2022.
Golfers Nagaraj, Nagesh qualify for National finals
Golfers Nagaraj and Ramesh Nagesh qualified for the national finals of the Mercedes Trophy, it was announced on Friday.
Kapur, Bhullar tied 6th and tied 9th after Rd 2 at Singapore
Shiv Kapur and Gaganjeet Bhullar returned with cards of four-under 67 and one-over 72 to finish tied sixth and joint ninth respectively after the weather-hit second round of the SMBC Singapore Open here today. Kapur, who clinched three titles last season, endured a rough finish with three bogeys on the back nine after being six-under through 11 holes in the second round here. The 35-year-old, who had to come early in the morning to finish his final two holes, birdied the last to end the first round at 70. Later, Kapur had an electric start from the tenth in the second round with four birdies in the first six holes. He added a fifth birdie on 18th and then yet another on first to move to six-under for the day and 7-under for the tournament. However, he dropped two quick bogeys on third and fifth and later another on ninth, but before that he birdied the eighth and is Tied-sixth at 5-under 137. Bhullar after being two-under through his first nine, the front stretch of the ..
Hosts FC Pune City look to repeat away show against ATK
FC Pune City, looking to hold on to the third place, lock horns with defending champions ATK in the Indian Super League (ISL) here tomorrow, as the race for one of the four semi-final spots heats up. Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC and to some extent FC Goa should be happy with their campaign in the first leg that propelled them to the top half of the table. FC Pune City have also done reasonably well but are still to convince that they are the real contenders for a place in the knockout stage. With 16 points from 10 matches, they are currently placed third on the table but will know that there are others circling around to knock them off and occupy that slot. Once such team surely is ATK, and when they face off against each other at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium, it would make for an interesting contest. Both teams know that semi-final spots are limited and they would need to displace the other if they are to work their way to the top. Pune, in ...
ISL 2018: FC Pune City sign Austria's Marko Stankovic
Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Pune City have recruited two new international players in the second international transfer window of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), starting from January 15 to February 16, 2018.Spaniard Manuel Jesus Ortiz Toribio, also known as 'Lolo', and Austrian Marko Stankovic have joined the club, and will be available for selection ahead of their match against ATK.FC Pune City, however, have released Damir Grgic and Robertino Pugliara.The Pune-based club are currently standing at the third spot , having won five and drawn one out of ten games they have played so far.Pune will lock horns with ATK on Saturday at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex.
Nation is proud of Virat Kohli: BCCI
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) acting president CK Khanna has said that the entire country, including the cricket governing body, is proud of Indian skipper Virat Kohli for winning the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2017."Not only BCCI but the entire nation is proud of him", Khanna told ANI.He added, "Lot of credits for this achievement goes to his fitness level and he is a living example for other cricketers to be as fit as him".The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the men's individual award winners of 2017 on Thursday where Kohli bagged the ODI Cricketer of the Year, while Australia skipper Steve Smith was declared as the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.In the qualification period from September 21, 2016, to December 31, 2017, Kohli scored 2,023 runs in 18 Tests with eight centuries and three half-centuries. He also smashed 1,818 runs in 31 ODIs with seven centuries and nine half-centuries and 299 runs at a ...
Impressive England beat Australia in second ODI
England turned in an impressive all-round team performance to beat Australia by four wickets in the second one-day international at the Gabba today. After restricting Australia to 270 for nine from their 50 overs, the English cruised past the total with 5.4 overs to spare. "I thought our bowlers were exceptional," England captain Eoin Morgan said. "On a really hot day they coped very well." All of England's batsmen contributed to the run chase, which was always in control following a 117-run second wicket partnership between Jonny Bairstow (60) and Alex Hales (57). Joss Buttler (42), Morgan (21) and Chris Woakes (39 not out) all made handy contributions, while Joe Root held the innings together with a measured 46 not out. "We did enough to win," Morgan said, adding: "It's far from our best performance with the bat. "I suppose that's exciting in a way. We're two-nil up in the series and we're still looking for a complete performance as a batting unit. "Hopefully that comes .