Page 2183 - Sports
Lajong Look To Salvage Pride Against Rejuvenated Chennai
After suffering a shocking 0-3 defeat in their last Hero I-League match against Indian Arrows, Shillong Lajong FC will be hoping to salvage some pride when they take on Chennai City FC here tomorrow. Shillong Lajong coach Bobby Nongbet made it clear that the team is looking for nothing less than a win against their opponents tomorrow. "We are heading into the match with the hope of winning another three points. We can understand that the task will not be easy but we have all worked very hard for this," said Nongbet in the pre-match press conference. "We obviously have a game plan worked out but we will have to see what happens tomorrow," said the Lajong coach. Meanwhile, Nongbet divulged that Kenstar Kharshong will be replacing central defender Juho Oh who has been forced to sit out for the upcoming game due to injury. After a revitalising 2-1 victory against football giants Mohun Bagan, a motivated Chennai City FC is heading into the match with renewed confidence. After .
I-League: Lajong aim to salvage pride against rejuvenated Chennai (Preview)
After suffering a shocking 0-3 defeat in their last I-League match against Indian Arrows, Shillong Lajong FC will hope to salvage some pride when they take on Chennai City FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Friday.
Lanka may get new ODI captain; Mathews, Chandimal in contention
Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal are in the running to be appointed captain of Sri Lanka's ODI squad, replacing current skipper Thisara Perera.The decision was taken in a meeting attended by SLC office bearers, selectors and team head coach Chandika Hathurusingha."During the discussion, the Chairman of selectors informed me that they are considering appointing either Angelo Mathews or Dinesh Chandimal to fill the role," ESPNcricinfo quoted SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala, as saying.The final call on the captaincy will be announced on January 9, before the islanders depart for the ODI tri-series in Bangladesh.The shift in captaincy comes in less than two months after Perera was named as Sri Lanka's skipper for the ODI and T20I matches against India in November 2017, replacing Upul Tharanga.The change came due to poor performance and whitewash losses under Tharanga's captaincy.Both Mathews and Chandimal have led the 50-format side in the past.Mathews had stepped down following the
Neroca challenge for young Indian Arrows
Debutants NEROCA FC will be aiming to keep up their unbeaten run to six successive matches when they host a young Indian Arrows in their third home game I-League here tomorrow. With 11 points from six games, the Manipur-based side are placed third and they have a great opportunity to leapfrog Minerva Punjab FC and trail leaders Kingfisher East Bengal (17 points) by three points, that too with a game in hand. The defeat to Minerva Punjab FC in their first game now seems a distant past as they are unbeaten in five games. Coached by Gift Raikhan, the side also has managed to hold Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and Kingfisher East Bengal to draws. The recent signing of Serbian forward Nedo Turkovic to partner Felix Chidi has provided the unit with a much-needed tooth in attack and with the presence of experienced Indians in Gouramangi Singh and Singam Subash Singh, the men in orange look a force to reckon with. Raikhan, who has surprised many with his astute tactics did not ...
Ngbakoto back to French football league from QPR
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) international midfielder Yeni Ngbakoto has made his appearance back to the French football league as he joined Ligue 1 outfit Guingamp from Championship side Queens Park Rangers.
Indonesian shuttlers to play in Thailand Open
A total of seven mixed doubles teams and six men singles players from Indonesia will compete in the Thailand Badminton Open this month.
Everton to sign Turkish forward Tosun
Everton Football Club are close to signing their first winter target -- Turkish forward Cenk Tosun, coach Sam Allardyce said here on Thursday.
Sharapova cruises into Shenzhen Open semis
Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova stormed into the semi-finals of the Shenzhen Open after clinching a comfortable straight-sets win over Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan here on Thursday.The five-time Grand Slam champion, who is unseeded for the tournament which acts as a warm-up to the Australian Open, remained dominated throughout the match as she eased past world No 66 Diyas 6-3, 6-3 in a thrilling clash.Despite the win, Sharapova said that though she eventually ended as the winner of the match, she failed to play at the best of her abilities."I'm glad that I ended up being the winner of the match. I didn't play my best tennis and there's certainly a lot of things to improve on in the next. The great thing is that I'm through and have another chance to play tomorrow," the WTA quoted Sharapova, as saying.Sharapova smashed 24 winners and five aces, while making just 22 unforced errors to clinch victory in one and a half hour.Sharapova, who has climbed to 59 in the world rankings since ...
Ankita Raina to lead India's challenge in Fed Cup
The country's top singles player, Ankita Raina, will lead the Indian challenge at Asia/Oceania Group I in Fed Cup, to be hosted in New Delhi's DLTA from February 7 to 10. Raina, ranked 259 in the world, has been selected alongside the promising Karman Kaur Thandi (285), Pranjala Yadlapalli (482) and Prarthana Thombare, who is India's second-highest ranked player at number 144 after Sania Mirza (12). Sania, who is carrying a knee injury and has already pulled out of the Australian Open, will not play in the event. The selectors also have reserves in the talented Zeel Desai and Rutuja Bhosale, according to sources. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) is expected to announce the team after getting clearance from the ITF. The selectors discussed the names recently after which AITA sent the names to the world governing body. India will strive to qualify for the World Group II in the eight-team Group I. The group features China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, ...
Need to bring confidence back into Mohun Bagan: Coach Shankarlal
In his first-ever media interaction as head coach of a football club, Shankarlal Chakraborty on Thursday urged his deflated Mohun Bagan players to bring back their self-confidence and make a strong comeback in the remaining I-League matches.
Golfer Sachin qualifies for National finals
Sachin Gangal earned the distinction of becoming the first golfer to qualify for the National finals of the 18th edition of the Mercedes Trophy, it was announced on Thursday.
ISL: Jamshedpur host Mumbai in battle of defences (Preview)
Two of the stingiest defences of the Indian Super League season four will clash in what is expected to be a tactical battle between wily coaches Alexandre Guimarães and Steve Coppell at the JRD Tata Sports Complex here on Friday.
Pune's Sachin qualifies for Nationals Finals of MercedesTrophy
Sachin Gangal earned the distinction of becoming the first golfer to qualify for the National Final of the 18th MercedesTrophy, here today. Playing on day one of the opening leg of the tournament at the Oxford Golf Resort here, Sachin carded a Nett. score of 70.6 to finish in top spot. Day two will determine the second and final qualifier from the city. Pune will also host the National Finals at the same venue between April 4 and 6. "It feels fantastic. I have been trying this for the last two years. This is a unique format the Double Peoria. In fact, last two years I played even better but this year I got lucky," Sachin said. The best Gross Winner of the day was Shishir Donde with a score of 80, while Nachiket Yeole won the Ballantine's Long Drive Challenge with a mammoth drive of 235 yards. Rajesh Kailat won the Mercedes-Benz Closest to Pin contest on the Par 3 14th hole landing the ball 11ft from the pin. In the Mercedes Benz Closest to Pin in Two Shots played at the
ISL: Delhi Dynamos sign Spanish goalkeeper Xabi Irureta
Delhi Dynamos on Thursday signed up Spanish goalkeeper Xabi Irureta -- their eighth foreign player of the Indian Super League (ISL) season four.
Allow Bihar to participate in Ranji Trophy: SC to BCCI
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow the Bihar state team to participate in the Ranji Trophy and other Cricket tournaments.A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, passed the order.BCCI had not allowed Bihar to participate in state-level competitions, as the state body was not a full-time member of the Cricket board.The three-judge bench of the apex court also observed that it was in the interest of the game of Cricket that Bihar be allowed to participate in cricket tournaments.
Muguruza gets Sydney wildcard after Brisbane pull-out
World number two Garbine Muguruza accepted a wildcard into the Sydney International today to get match fit after retiring with severe cramp from a tournament this week. The Wimbledon champion was ahead 2-1 in the deciding set against Serbia's Aleksandra Krunic in the second round of the season-opening Brisbane International when she collapsed after a serve. The Spaniard could not continue, derailing her Australian Open preparations. "This wildcard is a very valuable opportunity for me get back on the court and hopefully play a few more matches before the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne," said Muguruza. "The Sydney draw is incredibly strong and there will be no easy matches." Muguruza joins reigning French and US Open champions Jelena Ostapenko and Sloane Stephens in the draw for the Sydney tournament, starting Sunday. Venus Williams, Petra Kvitova, and Angelique Kerber will also play.
Malan backs 'disappointed' Root after latest ton shortfall
Dawid Malan has backed his captain Joe Root to convert his innings into centuries after again missing out on an elusive first century in the Ashes series against Australia. Root took another sickening body blow when his 141-ball vigil was ended by a superb diving catch by Mitchell Marsh with two overs left on the opening day of the fifth Test here today. Root dejectedly slumped to his haunches as the Australians celebrated his wicket for 83, the fourth time in the series he has failed to convert a half-century. "No-one means to get out, I thought Rooty played fantastically well up to that point," said Malan, who reached stumps on an unbeaten 55. "The second new ball is always a challenge. You don't know if it's going to swing, you don't know if it's going to skid off the wicket. "We were definitely speaking about trying to get through this period. Still looking to be positive, still looking to have our scoring intent. "Unfortunately, he clipped that to square leg and if .
Sri Lanka to have a new ODI skipper
Sri Lanka is set to name a new ODI captain next week, replacing current skipper Thisara Perera with either Angelo Mathews or Dinesh Chandimal, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said. Both Mathews and Chandimal have led the ODI side in the past, while Perera had captained Sri Lanka in the recent ODIs against India. Mathews had stepped down from captaincy across all formats following the loss against Zimbabwe in July last year, while Chandimal, who is currently leading the Test team, had lost his place in the ODI squad last month. "The Chairman of selectors has informed me that they are considering appointing either Angelo Mathews or Dinesh Chandimal to fill the role," SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said. The SLC sources said the new head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe is focused on the 2019 World Cup and wants a permanent solution to the captaincy problem. A final decision regarding the captaincy will be taken on January 9 before Sri Lanka leaves for the ODI tri-series in ...
ISL: Farcical fixture between Goa, Kolkata leaves coaches high and dry (Roundup)
Bizarre and unprecedented scenes crossed paths on Wednesday night and continued to run amok till the wee hours of Thursday morning when an Indian Super League (ISL) football match between ATK and FC Goa kicked off an hour and 15 minutes before midnight.
Delhi Dynamos sign Spanish goalkeeper Xabi Irureta
Delhi Dynamos today roped in 31- year-old Spanish goalkeeper Xabi Irureta as their eighth foreign recruit for the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL). Born in Ondarroa, Xabi, who has previously excelled in teams such as Eibar and Real Zaragoza in La Liga, will hope to make his mark in the bottom placed Delhi Dynamos team which has just won one game this season. "Xabi brings a lot of experience and can help us to stabilise our way of playing. I am sure he would fit in well in our scheme and in our game philosophy," Delhi Dynamos Head Coach Miguel Angel Portugal said. Xabi started his career with Spanish local side Real Union before he went onto represent Eibar for seven seasons, where he helped the side move from Spanish Segunda Division to the top tier. "I am excited to welcome Xabi. He brings a lot of experience and has played against the world's best. He will be a calm and solid presence in our net," Delhi Dynamos Director Rohan Sharma said.