Page 2197 - Sports
I-League: Aizawl beat Gokulam 2-0
Reigning champions Aizawl FC settled with a 2-0 win over debutants Gokulam Kerala, here, at the EMS Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode, on Sunday.Gokulam Kerala FC started without their star striker Kamo Bayi and opted to hold their own-half rather than attacking the Reds from the kick-off.On the other hand, Aizawl FC's foreign recruits Kobayashi and Ionescu continued to press hard, but the hosts managed to contain with the flurry of attacks until the last minute of the first-half.Lalram Hmunmawia put in a low cross for Kobayashi from the left-flank, but eventually Daniel Addo, the Ghanaian defender of the team, poked it into the net in the 45th minute to the host team's dismay.After the changeover, Aizawl FC took only seven minutes to double the lead from Andrei Ionescu's brilliant effort.Lalmuankima took on his own to charge a counter-attack from their half and unleashed a lively pass to the Romanian striker, who blasted the back of the net from the top of the box.Bino George, who ...
Chance for Indian youngsters to shine on big stage
Indian youngsters, led by Yuki Bhambri, will look to exploit the familiar home conditions and start the new season on a high even as Wimbledon finalist and world number six Marin Cilic will start as favourite at the inaugural Tata Open Maharashtra, beginning here tomorrow. Its easier said than done for the home players since there cant be drastic progress in their game overnight but Bhambri and Ramkumar Ramanathan did enjoy stupendous success against top players in 2017, raising hopes. Apart from these two senior Pros, Sumit Nagal will also compete in the singles main draw after coming through qualifying stage. Nagal will make his debut on the ATP World Tour at this event, which moved out of Chennai due to financial issues. Much more is expected from the doubles draw, which will have four Indian pairs competing. Bhambri enjoys an unbeaten run on the tennis courts at the Balewadi Sports Complex since October 2015. The 25-year-old has won 10 matches here on the trot, ...
Ponting likely to coach home team for T20I World Cup
Former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting is reportedly in talks with Cricket Australia to coach his country's team for the next World T20I tournament.According to News.com.au, Cricket Australia is in negotiations for Ponting to coach the home team for the event which is to be played on the home soil in 2020.The two-time World Cup winning captain had earlier been the assistant coach for the T20I side in a three-game series against Sri Lanka earlier this year.The 43-year-old will also play an assistant's role to Darren Lehmann in Australia's T20I tri-series against England and New Zealand in February.But with Lehmann's contract expiring in 2019, CA is likely to appoint Ponting for the lead role for the T20I side.Ponting is also likely to return to coaching for next year's Indian Premier League (IPL) as the head coach for Delhi Daredevils.
India on verge of achieving something special: Ravi Shastri on South Africa tour
Indian Cricket team coach Ravi Shastri on Sunday said the team was on the verge of achieving something special in South Africa, despite its poor record in the country since 1992."Tell me one team in world cricket that has travelled well over the last two years? We have that opportunity and we sense it," Shastri told Sport24.Having drawn one and lost five Test series in South Africa since 1992, the pressure will be on India to perform well. However, Shastri is optimistic and feels that the demons of the previous disastrous tours are a thing of the past."This team is up for the challenge. If you had asked me four years ago if it was up for the challenge, I would have said 'no'," he said.He added, "This team has gained in experience now. We have strength in our fast bowling department which is key in taking 20 wickets."The India-South Africa series will include three Test matches, six One-Day Internationals and three T20Is.The first Test match at the Newlands in Cape Town will commence ..
Kohli finishes 2nd, Cook climbs to 8th spot in ICC Test rankings
India skipper Virat Kohli will finish the year with his unchanged second spot, trailing Australia captain Steve Smith, in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings.In the rankings updated on Sunday, a magnificent unbeaten double-century in the Ashes by Australia's prolific batsman Alastair Cook saw him ending the year in the top 10.The 33-year-old left-handed opener scored 244 in his side's first innings score of 491, which helped him to climb nine places to eighth position.Cook had begun the year on the 15th position, while he had entered the Ashes on the 10th position.Meanwhile, Steve Smith has not only strengthened his position at the top of the table, but has also taken the sole possession of the spot for the highest-ever ranking points.Smith, who contributed 76 and unbeaten 102 in Melbourne, earned two points and is now just 14 points behind Don Bradman (961) and two points ahead of Len Hutton (945) in the all-time list.England captain Joe Root is the other ...
We have skills to do well in any country: Kohli
Indian skipper Virat Kohli is extremely optimistic about the upcoming 2018 Freedom Series against South Africa and feels that the present Indian team has the required skill set to perform well in any country.The 29-year-old in a press conference said, "We are looking forward to this period of playing away from home. We feel we have the skill set to do well in any place in the world. Now is our opportunity because of the average age of the group and the amount of cricket we are going to play together," reported Espncricinfo."We know exactly what we need to do if we need to bounce back, how we need to do it or if we want to create chances, how we need to create them", he added.Talking about the Indian team not being used to playing on bouncy pitches, the captain said that the team has accepted the fact that the wicket will hold many surprises for the Indian players and the key is to believe in their abilities and take the bowlers head-on."The most important thing is not to get surprised
Clinical Aizawl beat Gokulam 2-0 to grab full away points
Reigning champions Aizawl FC logged home full points beating debutants Gokulam Kerala 2-0 in an away encounter of I-League, here today. Daniel Addo's own goal (45th min) and Andrei Ionescu (52nd minute) sealed it for Aizawl. Aizawl with 10 points are placed fifth in the league table. On the other hand, Bino George's boys are still placed ninth with only 4 points from 6 matches. Gokulam started without their star striker Kamo Bayi and opted to hold their own-half rather than attacking the Reds from the kick-off. On the other hand, Aizawl FC's foreign recruits Kobayashi and Ionescu continued to press hard but the hosts managed to defend the flurry of attacks until the last minute of the first-half. Lalram Hmunmawia put in a low cross for Kobayashi from the left-flank but eventually Daniel Addo, the Ghanaian defender of Gokulam poked it into the net in the 45th minute much to the dismay of the home team. After the changeover, Aizawl FC took only seven minutes to double the .
'Dream Catcher' wins the main race
Three-year-old 'Dream Catcher' ably ridden by Suraj Narredu won the Majestic Plate, chief event of Hyderabad Winter Races held here today. Winner was trained Satyanarayana. Trainers Arjun Anne and Satyanarayana scored double each, while Jockies Suraj Narredu scored a treble and Akshay Kumar scored a double. Six first favourites obliged in a card of eight events.
South Africa have slight advantage against India: Morkel
Proteas pacer Morne Morkel feels that South Africa have a slight advantage over India in the upcoming 2018 Freedom Series."In the past, the build-up has always been great, the talk of the wickets, the talk of the bounce, we do have a slight advantage, but we still need to land the ball in the right areas, still need to bowl with intensity", Morkel told Sport24.However, Morkel also feels that endurance will be the key for the team at home as they seek twenty wickets against a quality India batting lineup."Majority of the runs in Test cricket are scored after tea time. So for us, it's going to be if we have enough petrol in the tank to knock India over at the back end of the day", he added.The India-South Africa series will include three Test matches, six one-day internationals and three T20Is.The first Test match at the Newlands in Cape Town will be played on January 5.
Amarjit extends contract with Arrows after Dheeraj blow
Indian Arrows captain Amarjit Singh today extended his contract till the end of 2019-20 season, giving the All India Football Federation's developmental side a boost after the loss of goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh. Just like Dheeraj, who quit the I-League side to appear for a trial with Sottish Premier League side Motherwell FC, the contract of Amarjit also was to end today. But the Manipuri, who also captained India's U-17 World Cup team, decided to extend his contract for the rest of the current I-League season, plus another two years. All the remaining players, except for Jeakson Singh, Anwar Ali and Nongdamba Naorem, have earlier signed contracts till the end of 2019-20 season, according to team sources. Jeakson, Anwar and Naorem are currently with the Indian Arrows on loan from Minerva Punjab. "Amarjit's contract was to expire today but he has signed to extend his contract till 2019-20 season. Except for Jeakson, Anwar and Naorem, all the players now have same contract ..
Kohli holds on to 2nd spot in ICC rankings
Indian captain Virat Kohli held onto the second spot in the year-end rankings for Test batsmen just behind Australian Steve Smith, while Cheteshwar Pujara remained at the third spot.
Golfer Shiv prevails at Royal Cup, Bhullar finishes 3rd
Indian golfer Shiv Kapur scored a four-under 67 to defeat overnight leader Prom Meesawat of Thailand by a stroke, while Gaganjeet Bhullar finished third after a 66 in the fourth and final round of the $500,000 Royal Cup here on Sunday.
Kapur wins third title of the year, ends 2017 on a high
Indian golfer Shiv Kapur today produced a dramatic turnaround in the closing stages to win the Royal Cup and end the year on a high note by claiming his third Asian Tour title of 2017 here. The 35-year-old, who had just one win in almost 11 years till April this year, has now won three times in last eight months. Making the win sweeter for Kapur was that his wife Maya and five-month old daughter, Veda, were present on the 18th green. Kapur came through a see-saw battle as he shot four-under 67 to finish at 14-under, while Thailand's Prom Meesawat (70) ended at 13-under. Making it a great week for Indian golf was Gaganjeet Bhullar (66) who was sole third at 11-under 273, while Khalin Joshi (67) was sole sixth at 8-under 276. Jyoti Randhawa (72) finished tied 41st at one-over 285. Kapur first won on Asian Tour in his debut season in December 2005, but it took more than 11 years and four months for the next Asian Tour win, which came in April 2017. Now he has won three ...
Stokes loses place in ODI squad against Australia
Former England vice-captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the one-day squad for the Australia series with Dawid Malan to be his likely replacement.The all-rounder remains in limbo due to the delay on a decision on whether or not he'll be charged in the Bristol incident in September, which led to his arrest for allegedly inflicting bodily harm on a man.Stokes was earlier named in the five-match series ODI squad by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), citing his selection was dependent on the outcome of the police investigation, which has now been delayed, reports ESPNcricinfo.The Bristol incident, which also involved Alex Hales who was later cleared of any wrongdoing, led to the replacement of Stokes in the last two ODIs against West Indies at the end of the English summer, and the ongoing Ashes in Australia.The case also led to the suspension of the pair indefinitely by the ECB.However, Stokes returned to competitive cricket last Sunday after New Zealand's domestic side ...
Juventus beat Verona; Inter, Lazio play draw, Roma held
Argentine forward Paulo Dybala signalled his return to form with a brace as Juventus defeated Hellas Verona 3-1 on a day Inter Milan and Lazio played a goalless draw and Roma were held 1-1 by Sassuolo in the Serie A.
U-19 CWC: Former Aussie, Kiwi players reminisce successes
Ahead of the 12th edition of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup, which will be held in New Zealand from January 13 to February 3, cricketers from Australia and New Zealand recalled what the big matches taught them.Here is what these accomplished cricketers have to say:"We won the tournament; so that was one of my first taste of real success within a cricket team. Looking back, I was not sure where cricket was going to take me. That was certainly the start of a journey, but definitely a very enjoyable one. We had a couple of trips with that group or a similar group. I forged some friendships that remain strong till this day," said George Bailey, who played the U-19 Cup in 2002.Mitchell Marsh, who led the team to victory in 2010, said, "I think probably the biggest thing I learned is just playing under pressure. At that age, you tend to just play club cricket and play for your state, but playing in a World Cup means a lot for you as a team and also for the country as well - and the future .
FILA partners with Tata Open Maharashtra tennis
FILA has joined the Tata Open Maharashtra tennis tournament, to be held here from January 1 to 7, as its official apparel and footwear sponsor.
Serena Williams loses in comeback match
Twenty-three time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams lost in the exhibition contest, marking her comeback to tennis after a maternity break, in Abu Dhabi.Former world No. 1 Serena was defeated by French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko on Saturday.Ostapenko outplayed Serena 6-2, 3-6 and then 10-5 in a super tiebreaker.This was Serena's comeback four-and-a-half months after giving birth to a baby girl.She won her 23rd and last Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open in Januar while she was pregnant.The American is now hoping to defend her title when the tournament gets underway from January 15.
Kohli remains second in Test rankings, Cook catapults to 8th
Virat Kohli remained in second spot behind Steve Smith while Alastair Cook jumped nine places to be eighth in the latest ICC Test rankings after his unbeaten double century in the ongoing Ashes. A magnificent double century by Cook has helped him to finish the year inside the top 10 batsmen in Test rankings, which were released today following the conclusion of the Melbourne and Port Elizabeth Tests. The 33-year-old left-handed opener scored 244 in his sides first innings score of 491. He will now start 2018 with South Africas seventh-ranked Hashim Amla firmly within his sights, who is 17 points ahead of the former England captain. Cook had begun the year in 15th position, while he had entered the Ashes in 10th position. Meanwhile, Steve Smiths contributions of 76 and 102 not out has strengthened his position at the top of the table. England captain Joe Root is the other batsman to improve his ranking, when he moved up one place to join his opposite number from New ...
Kevin Anderson wins Abu Dhabi exhibition
South African Tennis player Kevin Anderson has added his name to the prestigious list of winners of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC).He joined the roll of honour on Saturday by defeating Spain's world number 20 Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets 6-4, 7-6 (7-0) at the International Tennis Center at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi.The 2017 US Open runner-up has thus become only the fourth player after Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to win the title.The world number 14 played three matches in the six-man exhibition tournament and won all of them in straight sets.