Page 2214 - Sports
Sindhu unhappy with timing of new service law's implementation
Indian Olympian PV Sindhu has criticised the timing of the implementation of the new service law starting at next year's All England Open Championships.Earlier, in order to overcome the questionable decisions by service judges, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) had decided to test an Experimental Service Law involving a fixed height for the shuttle from March 1.According to the new rule of the governing body, the shuttle should be 'below 1.15 metres from the surface of the court at the instant of being hit by the server's racket'.The first tournament where the new law will be tested is next year's All England Open Championships.Sindhu said she has no problem with the new rule, but 'it could have been implemented in a different tournament.'"It could have come in a different tournament instead of all England because that's a very prestigious tournament," the Pullela Gopichand protegee said.Sindhu added, "So maybe they should have started it from the beginning of the year start itself
Fitness key to medals in 2018, says Srikanth
World No. 3 shuttler Kidambi Srikanth today said he would look to stay fit next year in order to have a fair chance of clinching medals for the country in a hectic season. "There are lots of positives to take from 2017. Next year would be a big year with too many important tournaments lined up and it would be important for me to stay fit," said Srikanth on the sidelines of a felicitation program organised by the Andra Pradesh government here. "If I stay fit then I will be able to give my 100 per cent and only then I will have better chance of winning medals for the country in important tournaments such as Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Championship," added the Indian, who clinched four Super Series titles in 2017. Srikanth and Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu were today accorded a rousing felicitation by the Andhra Pradesh government for their stupendous performance in 2017. "I am thankful to the people and the Andra Pradesh government for the fantastic ...
IIFL Mumbai chess meet at MLSI from December 30
The third edition of IIFL Wealth Mumbai International Chess Tournament will be held from December 30 to January 7, 2018 at the Mount Litera School International (MLSI) here.
Mahindra picks over 16% in Bayside Sports
Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra has picked a 16.7 per cent equity in Bayside Sports, a city-based multi-sports academy and sports event provider. The company said Mahindra made the investment in his personal capacity through his family office. Bayside Sports was founded by childhood friends Vishal Gokani and Kyan Bharucha in January 2013 with the objective of helping people and families bond over sports with just three students at a single location in south Mumbai. The company promotes indigenous sports like Kabaddi, Bharucha who formerly worked with Cadbury and other multinationals said, adding that they also organise tournaments for cricket, football, throwball and other games. Having evolved into a training academy, it claims it has coached close to 2,000 students in cricket across 18 centres in Mumbai. In addition to cricket, Bayside will also focus on honing amateur talent in football, basketball, throwball and kabaddi. Commenting on this personal investment .
Attractive pay, strong club culture way forward: Bhutia
Former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia feels strengthening club culture and providing attractive pay will encourage more people to take sports as a profession in the country. Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar had last week raised the issue of financial security of athletes, saying it is often a challenge when any person decides to focus on sports alone as their career. Bhutia agreeing to the batting maestro said financial security is definitely a factor while choosing a career but also pointed out that things have improved with the advent of professional leagues in different sports disciplines. This trend, along with the long standing football culture, has provided sportspersons with more opportunities to earn a decent living. "I guess the club structure in any sport has to be strong. Incentive for sportspersons when they do well at state and national levels has to be good. And corporates have to come up (in a bigger way) and sponsor", Bhutia told PTI. He said that .
Sindhu questions timing of BWF's new service rule change
Rio Olympics silver medallist P.V. Sindhu on Tuesday questioned the timing of the experimental service rule change in badminton which is set to be tried at the prestigious All England Championships, being held during March in London.
Warner, Smith's fireworks guide Aussies to early control of Boxing Day Test
Opener David Warner smashed a blistering century while skipper Steve Smith pulled his 22nd Test fifty to put Australia in a commanding position on the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test match here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Tuesday.At stumps, Australia had put themselves in a strong position as they were standing at 244-3, with Smith and Marsh batting at 65 and 31, respectively.Looking to complete a 5-0 whitewash against England in Ashes, Australia had won the toss for the very first time, since their tour of India in March this year and decided to bat first.The openers - Warner and Cameron Bancroft - gave the team a rapid start.Warner smashed a scorching 103-run knock, including 13 boundaries and six, off 151 balls. With his innings, the opener also became the fifth fastest cricketer to cross 6,000 runs in Test cricket.Bancroft, on the other hand, struggled initially with a barrage of short balls; however, he stayed put at the crease and supported Warner. He made a ...
Timing of new service law could have been better: Sindhu
Olympic and World Championship silver medallist P V Sindhu feels the experimental service law in badminton could have come at a better time. According to the new rule, "the whole of the shuttle shall be below 1.15 metres from the surface of the court at the instant of being hit by the server's racket. The law will be tested at next year's All England Open Championships. "From my side its just that it could have come at a better time. A different tournament instead of the All England Championships because it is a very prestigious tournament for everybody," Sindhu said here today when asked about the service experiment . "As far as my service goes I am trying but it should not be much of problem. We just need to practice it out," she said. Asked about the cramped international calendar, which has been slammed by top players like Saina Nehwal and Carolina Marin, Sindhu said there is no point talking about it. "The calender has already come out so we can not say we won't ...
Du Plessis ruled out of Boxing Day Test, de Villiers to lead
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the inaugural day-night Test against Zimbabwe after his recovery from shoulder and back injuries was delayed by a viral infection.The 33-year-old has not played any Cricket after sustaining an acute lumbar disc injury during the third ODI against Bangladesh late October and was subsequently sidelined for six weeks.During his injury lay-off, du Plessis laos underwent a surgery on a problematic shoulder during that period and, therefore, was forced to miss the recently-concluded Ram Slam. He was also not named in the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Invitation XI for a warm-up match against Zimbabwe.However, du Plessis' return to full fitness was delayed after he picked up a viral infection in the week leading up to the game.While confirming the news, South Africa team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee said he was hopeful having du Plessis fit in time for the first Test against India, which is slated to be held from January 5 in Cape ...
Sindhu, Srikanth weave a fairytale year for Indian badminton
P V Sindhu scaled new heights but it was K Srikanth who took Indian badminton by storm with a higher title count as male shuttlers finally came out of the shadows in a season of unprecedented success for the sport. It was a year when the national anthem played quite frequently at stadia across the globe as either Sindhu or Srikanth stood on the podium in a series of elite badminton tournaments. If Sindhu cemented her place among the world's very best with three titles and three silvers, Srikanth exceeded all expectations with four titles and a runners-up finish to join the big league in a truly remarkable season. Infact, men's players managed to outshine their women's counterpart as B Sai Praneeth and H S Prannoy too shone through on the international stage. Another memorable aspect of the year was the return of Saina Nehwal and hopes of resurgence in doubles. The appointment of Indonesia's Mulyo Handoyo, best known for coaching Taufik Hidayat, gave a massive impetus to ..
Ports volleyball & beach volleyball tourney from tomorrow
Eight major ports will battle it out in the 42nd All India Major Port's Volleyball and Beach Volleyball Championships beginning here tomorrow. About 100 players will take part in the event to be held at the Cochin port volleyball ground. Mumbai, Tuticorin, Paradip, Chennai, Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam, Mormugao and Cochin are the ports participating. Cochin Port Trust is the reigning champions in both Volleyball and Beach Volleyball, a Cochin Port Trust release said here. The valedictory function will be held on December 29.
Boult, Santner thrash hapless Windies for 3-0
The pace-spin duo of New Zealand, Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner, bowled out a hapless West Indian line-up once again, as they won the third ODI match by 66 runs (DLS method) and take the series 3-0, at the Hagley Oval here today.New Zealand had won the toss and elected to bat first under overcast skies. The pitch offered some help for the bowlers as it became a tough wicket to bat on due to overnight rains.West Indian pacers Sheldon Cottrell and Jason Holder sent back the Kiwi top order within the first five overs and left them reeling at 26 for 3 at one stage.However, Tom Latham and Ross Taylor played watchfully and shared a vital 73-run partnership before rains stopped play in the first attempt. After the rain break, New Zealand continued playing before the partnership was finally broken by Windies' left-arm spinner Nikita Miller, who accounted for the dangerous Latham.Wicket-keeper Henry Nicholls, continued his good form from the last match. Both Taylor and Nicholls were going ..
Don't take comparisons too seriously: Jacqueline Fernandez
Actress Jacqueline Fernandez doesn't believe in taking comparisons very seriously.
Real Madrid end 2017 atop UEFA rankings
Real Madrid is set to finish 2017 in the top spot of the club table established by UEFA, the governing body of European football.
Afghanistan's Rashid Khan talks about importance of U-19 WC
Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has revealed that the ICC U-19 World Cup had proved to be a crucial tournament for him as it had helped in improving his performance immensely when he played it in 2016.The prestigious tournament provides the experience of playing in a top-level international competition to participants and its importance is felt most by cricketers from the associate sides.Afghanistan and Ireland are now full members, but their players too have found this tournament very useful over the years.Players from these two countries as well as those from Canada, Kenya, Namibia and Papua New Guinea shared their thoughts about the tournament and how it helped in shaping their careers. These players went on to play senior cricket and some even had the taste of ICC Cricket World Cups.Afghanistan's Rashid Khan is presently ranked second among bowlers in the ICC T20I Player Rankings and eighth in the ICC ODI Player Rankings.Meanwhile, Kenya's Collins Obuya was a prominent player .
Christchurch, Dec 26 (AFP) Scoreboard in the rain-
Scoreboard in the rain- shortened third one-day international between New Zealand and the West Indies in Christchurch on Tuesday: New Zealand G. Worker b Cottrell 2 C. Munro c Gayle b Holder 21 N. Broom c Gayle b Cottrell 2 R. Taylor not out 47 T. Latham st S. Hope b Miller 37 H. Nicholls not out 18 Extras: (lb2, w2) 4 Total: (for 4 wickets, 23.0 overs) 131 Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Worker), 2-26 (Broom), 3-26 (Munro), 4-99 (Latham) Bowling: Cottrell 6-0-19-2 (1w), Holder 6-2-21-1, Miller 5-0-26-1 (1w), Gabriel 4-0-37-0, Nurse 2-0-26-0 West Indies C. Gayle c Munro b Henry 4 C. Walton b Boult 0 S. Hope c Taylor b Boult 2 K. Hope lbw Henry 1 J. Mohammed b Boult 1 J. Holder c Broom b Santner 34 R. Powell c Ferguson b Santner 11 A. Nurse b Astle 1 N. Miller not out 20 S. Cottrell c Henry b Santner 3 S. Gabriel not out 12 Extras:(w10) 10 Total: (for 9 wickets, 23 overs) 99 Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Gayle), 2-6 (S. Hope), 3-7 (K. Hope), 4-8 (Mohammed), 5-9 (Walton), 6-57 (Powell), 7-58 ...
Boult leads New Zealand to Windies series sweep in rain
New Zealand completed a clean sweep of the West Indies in their one-day series with a commanding 66-run victory in a rain-affected third and final match in Christchurch on Tuesday. With the match reduced to 23-overs-a-side, the West Indies were set a revised target of 166 in reply to New Zealand's 131. At the close they were 99 for nine, after recovering from an initial collapse which saw them at nine for five and threatening Zimbabwe's world record ODI low of 35. Captain Jason Holder revived the innings with a quick 34 off 21 deliveries. But there was little other resistance as fast bowlers Trent Boult and Matt Henry along with spinner Mitchell Santner took the batting apart. The latest drubbing, following New Zealand's five-wicket win in the first ODI and a 204-run victory in the second, continued a miserable tour for the West Indies who also lost the Test series 2-0. New Zealand elected to bat first, and were 83 for three after 19 overs when rain forced the players ...
Russian Deputy PM Mutko to appeal Olympic ban
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko has said that he will temporarily leave the post as president of the Russian Football Union (RFU) and challenge a lifetime Olympic ban in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
East Bengal favourites against I-League debutants Gokulam (Preview)
Formidable East Bengal will strive to continue their winning momentum and inch closer to leaders Minerva FC as they clash with debutants Gokulam Kerala FC in an I-League game here on Wednesday.
Melbourne, Dec 26 (AFP) Scoreboard at the close on day
Scoreboard at the close on day one in the fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England in Melbourne on Tuesday: Australia first innings C. Bancroft lbw b Woakes 26 D. Warner c Bairstow b Anderson 103 U. Khawaja c Bairstow b Broad 17 S. Smith not out 65 S. Marsh not out 31 Extras (1lb, 1nb) 2 Total (3 wickets; 89 overs) 244 Fall of wickets: 1-122, 2-135, 3-160. Bowling: Anderson 21-8-43-1, Broad 19-6-41-1, Woakes 19- 4-60-1, Moeen 6-0-35-0, Curran 17-5-44-0, Malan 7-1-20-0.