Page 2195 - Sports
We aren't taking Indian Arrows lightly: East Bengal coach
Indian Arrows are all set to challenge one of most historical Indian clubs, Kingfisher East Bengal when the two sides will meet each other in a I-League match at the Ambedkar Stadium in the national capital here on Tuesday.Earlier, Indian Arrows had held mighty Mohun Bagan to a 1-1 draw in their last match, that too with ten-men. They presently stand on seven points from six matches they have played so far.East Bengal coach Khalid Jamil, the man with the Midas touch who guided 'outsiders' Aizawl FC to a historic triumph in the last edition of the I-League, stressed that his team are "not taking the teenagers lightly at all.""The Indian Arrows are playing good football ranging from the goalkeepers to the forwards. There is a lot of confidence and they play as a unit on the field. It is evident that they are hungry and we are not taking them lightly", said Khalid."We are playing an away fixture with a good young team who have played excellently in their last two matches. We acknowledge .
Mohun Bagan hope to bounce back against Chennai
Former champions Mohun Bagan will look to return to winning ways when they face minnows Chennai City FC in an I-League football fixture at their home ground here tomorrow. The Mariners dished out an insipid show to be held one- all by a 10-man Indian Arrows at Mohun Bagan ground in the last round. It was for the first time an I-League match was held at the Kolkata Maidan but the green-and-maroon brigade failed to make it count against the Indian colts. Mohun Bagan's last win a 5-0 demolition of Churchill Brothers had come on December 12. Since then they have failed to make the home games count, dropping points for a third time in a row to slip to fifth place in the standings. Coach Sanjoy Sen has been in the line of fire and the latest draw did not go well at their home ground as supporters demanded his sacking shouting 'go back' slogans. "It's natural. To draw thrice in a row is more shameful than a defeat. But we have no excuse," Sen said. The Mariners have been ...
Vidarbha win maiden Ranji Trophy
Vidarbha claimed their maiden Ranji Trophy after beating Delhi by nine wickets in the final of Indias premier domestic tournament here today. Chasing a target of 29, Vidarbha completed the task with loss of skipper Faiz Fazals wicket. Opting to field, Vidarbha bowled out Delhi for 295 in the first innings with Rajneesh Gurbani picking up six wickets. In reply, Vidarbha notched up a mammoth 547 all out, as Akshay Wadkar struck his maiden century in first-class cricket. Overnight 528 for seven with wicketkeeper Wadkar unbeaten on 133, Delhi quickly picked up the remaining three wickets in the morning. Young pacer Navdeep Saini was the most successful bowler for Delhi, returning figures of 5 for 135 after bowling a marathon 36.3 overs. Delhi were a bowler short through the Vidarbha first innings as left-arm spinner Manan Sharma remained off the field due to a knee injury. Manan, though, batted in the second innings. In their second innings, Delhi were all out for 280 with .
Agents don't understand what's right: De Matos on Dheeraj move
Indian Arrows coach Luis Norton de Matos is livid with U-17 World Cupper Dheeraj Singh for deciding to trial for a Scottish club, calling it a wrong career move instigated by agents, who don't understand what is important for the development of a youngster. Norton is coaching the AIFF developmental side which comprises mostly of U-17 World Cuppers and U-19 India players. Dheeraj has decided to try for Scotland's Motherwell FC but he would only be able to appear for trials once he attains adulthood in September. "At this level, around the players, there are a lot of people, agents and most of the times, these people don't know or don't understand what is important for development of a player," De Matos said when asked whether Dheeraj has made the right career move. "I don't think it is the best decision for his career. I will be happy if I am proved wrong," De Matos didn't mince words about what he felt about U-17 World Cup goalkeeper's career choice. For the Portuguese .
Halep, Sharapova off to flying 2018 starts
World number one Simona Halep began the year in emphatic style with a 6-4 6-1 victory over Nicole Gibbs as Maria Sharapova also romped through her first-round match at the Shenzhen Open, here today. Romania's Halep, who will be seeking her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in two weeks' time, struck 12 winners to blitz the 110th-ranked American in one hour and nine minutes. "We had a big crowd, which was nice to play in front of," Halep said after her first-round match in the southern Chinese city, where she won in 2015. Halep won the first set with the help of an aggressive forehand, and then opened the second set with a crunching backhand winner down the line before running away with the match. "It's always nice to play here in Shenzhen," she added. "I won a title here three years ago already. It's my first victory this year as number one in the world, so I'm just happy and enjoying the time." Meanwhile five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova, making her .
New Zealand, West Indies T20 abandoned
The second Twenty20 between New Zealand and the West Indies ended as a no-result washout at Mount Maunganui today. After a 20-minute rain delay at the start, only nine overs were possible before the rain returned and the umpires took the players from the field with New Zealand 102 for four. Colin Munro blasted a whirlwind 66 off 23 deliveries after the West Indies won the toss and put New Zealand into bat. Munro equalled his own New Zealand record when he reached his half-century off 18 deliveries. His rollicking knock included 11 fours, three sixes, and just two singles and a two. New Zealand remain 1-0 up in the series with the third and final match at Mount Maunganui on Wednesday.
Sports fraternity wishes fans a 'Happy New Year'
With the hope that 2018 will be a prosperous and peaceful year, our favourite sports personalities took to their social media handles to wish their fans a very 'Happy New Year'.Posting a picture of himself celebrating New Year with his wife Aarti, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag wrote on Twitter, "May god bless you with happiness, peace, strength, wealth, beauty, patience, simplicity, success, prosperity, attiqutes and health from the very first hour of the new year."Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal along with her mother also extended their warm greetings on New Year, while hockey player PR Sreejesh wished his fans a successful and a great year ahead.Sharing a video of herself with her mother on her Instagram account, Nehwal captioned the video, "Mummy and me wishing u a very Happy new year 2018.""Wish you all to have the sweetest , marvellous , wonderful, successful and a great year ahead .... Happy newyear to all #HappyNewYears #2018," Sreejesh tweeted.Here are New Year 2018 .
I-League: Dheeraj-less Arrows aim to overcome leaders East Bengal (Preview)
Indian Arrows, devoid of the services of their star goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, will face a stern test against the I-League leaders and Kolkata football giants at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Tuesday.
I'm not affected by criticism: Mohun Bagan coach Sen
Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen, who is under the cosh after a string of draws, asserted on Monday that speculation of him being removed from the club does not affect him.
I-League: Matos upset with Dheeraj pursuing European opportunities
Indian Arrows head coach Luís Norton de Matos on Monday said his star goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem should have stayed with the club and played for the I-League to gain further experience before heading for European trials.
Star Sports to broadcast Khelo India School Games
The Union Sports Ministry on Monday announced Star Sports as the broadcast and production partner for its flagship initiative Khelo India School Games until 2022.
Experienced East Bengal play youthful Indian Arrows tomorrow
It will be a battle of experience vs youthful exuberance when table toppers East Bengal face debutabants Indian Arrows, a team made up of teenagers in a Hero I-League match, here tomorrow. The Indian Arrows, the developmental team of All India Football Federation (AIFF), is a project where a bunch of 16, 17 and 18 year olds are playing together in a side in the premier league of the country. And a top teams of the country can underestimate the Indian Arrows at the their own peril as they held mighty Mohun Bagan to a 1-1 draw in their last match and that too with 10- man at the Mohun Bagan ground. Like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal is a giant in Indian football and they are presently leading the table with 14 points. The Arrows, on the other hand, are lying at the seventh spot with seven points from six matches. East Bengal coach Khalid Jamil, the man with the midas touch who guided 'outsiders' Aizawl FC to a historic triumph in the last edition of the Hero I-League, ...
Under-pressure Mohun Bagan keen to bounce back against Chennai (Preview)
On the back of three back-to-back home draws, under-pressure Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen will hope his team can return to winning ways when they take on laggards Chennai City FC in an I-League game at their club ground here on Tuesday.
24-member Indian team for British Junior Open Squash
A 24-member Indian team will take part in the prestigious British Junior Open Squash to be held in Birmingham from January 3 to 7. The players will be competing in various categories in the championship, a SRFI press release said. Last year Indian lad Velavan Senthilkumar had won the boys under-19 title beating Abhay Singh in the final while Adhitya Raghavan had finished third. The following players will take part in the tourney: Boys: Under-13: Yuvraj Wadhwani, Arnav Tevatia; U-15: Neel Joshi, Tanay Punjabi, Arnaav Sareen, Kanhav Nanavati, Shreyas Mehta; U-17: Saksham Choudhary, Utkarsh Baheti, Veer Chotrani, Tushar Shahani, Yash Fadte; U-19: Aryaman Adik, Yash Bhargava, Rutvik Rau, Aryan Parekh, Anuj Unadkat. Girls: Under-15: Ananya Dabke, Aishwarya Khubchandani; U-17: Sanya Vats, Yoshna Singh, Samita Sivakumar; U-19: Ashita Pranaya Bhengra, Aaradhana Kasturiraj. Coaches: Surbhi Misra, Puneet Singh.
PCB should have a coach like Dravid for the U-19 team: Raja
Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has advised the Pakistan Cricket Board to follow in the footsteps of the Indian cricket board and appoint a respected former player like Rahul Dravid with the U-19 team. "I think the PCB should also consider appointing a former Test player who is well reputed and respected with the national junior team just like India has done in the case of Rahul Dravid (India U-19 and A coach)," Raja said as Pakistan prepare for this months ICC U-19 World Cup in New Zealand. Raja insisted that at the youth level identifying individual talent and preparing them for the future was more important than team achievements. "I dont think winning is as important as recognising individuals who are talented and then educating and grooming them. India will benefit from the presence of someone like Rahul Dravid who is a role model for youngsters," he said. He noted that when a youngster has a teacher and mentor like Dravid he learns a lot and becomes a better ...
Star Sports bags broadcast rights of Khelo India School Games
Star Sports has bagged the broadcast rights of Sports Ministry's flagship 'Khelo India School Games (KISG)' for a period of five years from 2018 to 2022. The inaugural Khelo India School Games 2018 will be held from January 31 for under-17 age group (boys and girls) across 16 sports disciplines. "After careful deliberation and following a transparent bidding process, we are delighted to announce that Khelo India School Games 2018 will be partnering with Star Sports for the broadcast of event. It will be the first time that school games will be broadcast LIVE simultaneously on TV and digital platform," Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said in a statement. Revamped Khelo India aims to inculcate a nationwide culture of sports through a grassroots sports revolution, and KISG is an important aspect of this strategy. The revamped Khelo India was launched to achieve the twin objectives of broad basing of sports and achieving excellence in sports. In line with Prime ..
Playing for Afghanistan in past will help in U-19 WC: Naveen-ul-Haq
Afghanistan's Naveen-ul-Haq and Mujeeb Zadran have both talked about how their experience of playing for the senior team in the past will help in the upcoming 12th edition of the U-19 Cricket World Cup, which will be held in New Zealand from January 13 to February 3.The presence of these two cricketers, who both have not only played for senior team in the past but are also among the players who will feature in the coveted tournament, will most likely to make Afghanistan a capable unit going into the U-19 Cricket World Cup."Playing for the senior team in the past will definitely help in the U-19 World Cup, especially in terms of handling pressure and being able to play more freely," captain Naveen-ul-Haq said.Echoing similar views, Zadran said, "It has been a helpful experience (having played senior international cricket) and will obviously help at the Under-19 level. There is obviously more pressure playing at the senior level but it is also great for gaining experience."It should be .
Sumit Nagal into main draw of Maharashtra Open
India's Sumit Nagal has booked his place in the main draw of the men's singles event of the Maharashtra Open, after winning the second round of the qualifying event here at the Mhalunge Balewadi Stadium last evening.Meanwhile, Ilya Ivashka, Ricardo Ojeda Lara, and Thiago Monteiro have all cemented their place in the main draw of the tournament.In one of the most-anticipated matches of the day, Nagal beat Spain's Adrian Menendez-Maceiras in a nip-and-tuck second encounter which finished 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the Indian's favour.The match saw world no. 223 Nagal start on the front foot as he looked in good touch. However, Menendez-Maceiras bounced back in the second set to take the match into the decider. In the third set, both players produced a fight but it was the 20-year-old youngster from India who crossed the finish line.The win for the 20-year-old Nagal means that he will be playing fellow qualifier Ilya Ivashka in the first round of the tournament starting today.Speaking after ...
Ex-Napoli defender Henrique set for Corinthians move
Brazilian Serie A champions Corinthians have reached an agreement to sign former Brazil international defender Henrique, just days after the 31-year-old parted ways with rivals Fluminense.
Guptill returns to Kiwis ODI squad against Pak
Opener Martin Guptill, who has recovered fully from a hamstring injury, has been recalled in the 13-man New Zealand squad for the first two ODIs of the five-match series against Pakistan, beginning January 6 here at the Basin Reserve.The 31-year-old was recently forced to miss New Zealand's 3-0 triumph against West Indies in the three-match ODI series due to the injury, though he has since returned to fitness and is currently playing in the ongoing T20I series against the Caribbean side.New Zealand national selector Gavin Larsen said that they are thrilled to have 'world-class' Guptill back in the squad, however, adding that George would continue to push for selection."It's tough on George missing out, but he'll continue to push for selection and will get further opportunities down the road. Martin is a proven world-class player, so we're naturally thrilled to have him back in the mix. He and Colin (Munro) have been strong for us at the top of the order," ESPNcricinfo quoted Larsen as