Page 2222 - Sports
Kedar, Shardul back for SA ODIs, KL Rahul misses out
Middle-order batsman Kedar Jadhav and speedster Shardul Thakur were back in the 17-member India squad for the six-match ODI series in South Africa but KL Rahul failed to make the cut despite back-to-back half- centuries in the T20 series against Sri Lanka. Senior spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were once again ignored by the selectors, who backed the young trio of slow bowlers -- wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav along with left-arm spinner Axar Patel. Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad made it clear that they are looking to give Yadav and Chahal a longer rope since they had decided to look at wrist spinners after the Champions Trophy. "We keep on repeating that after Champions Trophy, we tried with the new boys -- Chahal and Kuldeep -- and we are being consistent with Axar," chairman of selectors MSK Prasad said after the selection meeting here. "With the big games, they are definitely improving a lot and we all felt and it's a unanimous ..
Lazio beat Crotone 4-0 in Italy's Serie A
With four goals in the second half, Lazio on Saturday defeated Crotone 4-0 in the 18th round of the Italian football league's first division, the Serie A.
Pune beat Goa to jump to 4th spot in ISL
FC Pune City ended FC Goa's three-match winning run with a 2-0 to win to jump to the fourth place in the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Saturday.
Barcelona stuns shorthanded Real Madrid 3-0 at Bernabeu stadium
Barcelona on Saturday stunned host Real Madrid with a 3-0 triumph in the 17th round of La Liga to remain undefeated for the 25th match so far, effectively ending defending champion Real Madrid's already-slim chances of retaining the title.
Saina misses PBL opener against Sindhu due to ankle niggle
Awadhe Warriors star attraction Sania Nehwal was ruled out of the Premier Badminton League - 3 (PBL) opener against Chennai Smashers on Saturday here as she had not fully recovered from an ankle niggle on the right leg.
India's SA squad for ODI series announced
The 17-member Indian squad for the six-match one-day series in South Africa was announced by the selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Saturday.Virat Kohli, who was rested from the team for the limited-overs home series against Sri Lanka, will return to lead the team as skipper.Vice-captain Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane will be the three openers for the team.Batsmen Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik retained their places, however, young KL Rahul, who has performed well in the ongoing T20I series against Sri Lanka, has not been picked.Seamers Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Shami have been recalled in the team.Meanwhile, Kedar Jadhav, who had missed the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka due to a hamstring injury in early December, has also been picked.India has played 28 ODIs against South Africa in South Africa, won five and lost 21.India will fly to South Africa after finishing the ongoing T20I series against Lanka.The ...
Boult's seven-for blows Windies away
New Zealand pacer Trent Boult ran through the West Indies' brittle batting line-up, as he took his best figures in ODI cricket and led his team to a massive win of 204 runs.Boult had figures of 7 for 34, as he helped New Zealand take the series, with an unassailable 2-0 lead.Earlier, West Indies won the toss and sent New Zealand to bat first on a seamer-friendly pitch.George Worker (58) and Colin Munro (30) gave the hosts a good start as they shared a 50-run partnership. Their foundation was further strengthened as the middle-order batsmen made some vital runs.West Indian pacers Sheldon Cottrell (3 for 63) and Jason Holder (2 for 52), then pulled things back briefly and left New Zealand tottering at 186-5 after 35 overs at one stage.However, New Zealand wicket-keeper Henry Nicholls (83) and Todd Astle, playing his second match, stitched together a valuable 130-run partnership, as they lifted the hosts to a massive total of 325 for 6 in their allotted overs.Barring Cottrell and Holder,
Advani, Amee Kamani defend National 6-Red titles in style
Pankaj Advani of Petroleum Sports Promotion Board added another national title to his collection of trophies, beating Railways' Kamal Chawla 7-3 today in the final of the 7th National 6-Red Snooker Championship here. In the women's section, Amee Kamani defended her crown, beating Karnataka's Vidya Pillai 4-1 in the summit clash. For multiple times world champion, Advani, the triumph took his count of national titles to 30. This is also his third 6-Red national title, having won earlier in 2010 and 2016. In the best of 13 frame final, Chawla opened with a stupendous break of 65 to take the lead. Advani bounced back to take the next to get back on level terms. Chawla came up with a break of 45 to take the third to jump into the lead again. Advani hit back strongly to take the next two to go 3-2 up. His rival fought back to equalise at three frames each. After a hard-fought seventh frame, the PSPB cueist brooked no stopping and stormed to yet another triumph. "It feels ...
Kedar, Shardul make comeback for ODI series in South Africa
Middle-order batsman Kedar Jadhav and speedster Shardul Thakur made a comeback into the 17- member Indian ODI squad for the six-match series in South Africa in February. The two seasoned spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, were once again ignored as the selectors decided to persist with the young trio of wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal along with left-arm orthodox Axar Patel. While Virat Kohli comes back as the captain, paceman Mohammed Shami also figured in the ODI squad, in which most of the current limited overs regulars were automatic picks. Shreyas Iyer has been rewarded for his good show against Sri Lanka in the ODIs, with his maiden overseas tour with the senior team. Maharashtra batsman Jadhav, who is also a handy off- spinner is back after a hamstring injury ruled him out of the Sri Lanka ODIs. Mumbai speedster Shardul has replaced Siddharth Kaul, who did not get to play a match during the Sri Lanka series. Squad: Virat Kohli ...
Saina misses PBL meeting with Sindhu due to ankle niggle
Awadhe Warriors' star attraction Sania Nehwal was ruled out of the third Premier Badminton League opener against Chennai Smashers here today as she had not fully recovered from an ankle niggle on the right leg. Awadhe coach Anup Sridhar, however, was hopeful Saina will turn out at the Siri Fort Sports Complex in New Delhi for their second match against North East Warriors on December 30. Sridhar, who along with Siyadath Ullah are part of the Awadhe coaching setup, said in a statement: "Saina is recovering from a small ankle issue which she had developed few weeks back. She is recovering well and we are expecting her to be fully fit for the next match." Saina's absence on the inaugural day's match of the PBL meant her high-voltage clash with arch-rival and Chennai Smashers' P V Sindhu could not take place. But their meeting cannot be ruled out completely as both teams can still face off in the semi-final or final. Sindhu will be facing Sai Uttejitha Rao of Awadhe Warriors
Pune City storm into top four with win over Goa
FC Pune City leaped into fourth place after a stunning 2-0 win over table-toppers FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) here today. By dishing out another impressive counter-attacking performance, they snapped the home side's streak of three consecutive wins. It looked like both teams would cancel each other out until the 72nd minute when Marcelinho threaded a pass forward for Emiliano Alfaro, who clinically buried it past Laxmikant Kattimani. Alfaro had a chance to double the lead two minutes later but his shot didnt have enough pace and was cleared away. However, Pune finally had their second goal in the 84th minute when Jonatan Lucca gleefully converted after Mandar Rao Dessais clearance deflected into his path. Despite having the better first half, Pune had to work hard and dig deep at times with Goa coming at them in full force in the second period. This was exemplified with Vishal Kaith's triple save in the 70th minute, when he saved shots from Ferran Corominas,
Dominant Barca move 14 points clear of Real Madrid
Barcelona took a huge step towards regaining the La Liga title as goals from Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Aleix Vidal beat bitter rivals Real Madrid 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu today to open up a 14-point lead over the European champions. In a recurring theme of this season Madrid were made to pay for Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema missing first-half chances as Barca took control after half-time. Suarez rounded off a flowing counter-attack to open the scoring before Messi blasted home a penalty after Madrid defender Dani Carvajal was sent-off for punching the ball off the goal line. And Messi was the creator as Vidal rubbed salt into Real's wounds deep into stoppage time. Victory extends Barca's unbeaten run to 25 games in all competitions as they moved nine points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid and exacted revenge for a 5-1 thrashing on aggregate in the Spanish Super Cup at the hands of Real in August. Madrid do still have a game in hand over Barca to ...
Captain Cook
Captain Cook partnered by Arshad Alam upsets in the The Maharajadhiraja Uday Chand Mahtab of Burdwan Memorial Cup (abt 1200m) The winner is owned by Mrs.Sumita Saha. The Winner is Trained by Bharath Singh.
I league: Neroca FC breeze past Lajong 1-0
In the battle-of-nerves between two Northeastern teams, finally saw the Manipuri one edging past the counterpart 1-0 in the second Northeastern Derby of the Hero I-League.The match-winning moment to the Neroca FC was given by Singham Subash Singh, who scored the lone goal just seven minutes to the end of the regulation time.The first half of the game was filled with a lot of action. Shillong Lajong, as well as NEROCA FC, played some offensive football in their pursuit of the opening goal. Despite the fact that this is not their home turf, Neroca played with utmost confidence and were as comfortable in their offence as was Lajong.Lajong, on the other hand, seemed really desperate to score a goal and secure their position in the game. There was a brilliant attempt taken by Aimen Saleh Abdullah AL-Hagri of Lajong but it could not draw any result for the Reds.Towards the middle of the first half, Lajong looked in a bit of trouble when NEROCA started dominating the game for a short while ..
Barcelona defeat Real Madrid in La Liga
FC Barcelona extended their lead at the top of La Liga to nine points as they moved past defending champions Real Madrid 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium here on Saturday.
Khan maintains lead, Sharma back in hunt
Rashid Khan managed to hold on to his overnight lead by two shots, even as in-form Shubhankar Sharma rose to second place in the penultimate round of the the Rs. 1.5 crore McLeod Russel Tour Championship 2017 here today. A two-time Asian tour winner, Khan had a third straight five-under-67 that took his score to 15-under-201 in the PGTI's year-end championship at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. Fresh from his recent win on the European Tour, Sharma carded an error-free 67 to be 13-under-203 at second place. The 21-year-old is likely to be the most serious challenger to Khan in the final round, as the rest of the field is another five shots behind. "It'll be a tough fight with Shubhankar as he's playing really well and is high on confidence. I'll have to work hard for the win as nothing comes easy at the professional level," the 26-year-old Khan said. Khan (67-67-67), the overnight leader by one, enjoyed yet another solid start as he sank three birdies on the first five ...
Pakistan announce squad for New Zealand ODIs
Pakistan have recalled experienced opener Azhar Ali for their one-day international series in New Zealand next month, but left batsman Ahmed Shehzad and allrounder Imad Wasim out of the squad. Former captain Ali's return meant there was no place in the 15-member squad for Shehzad, who failed to impress against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates last month. Pakistan won all five ODIs against Sri Lanka, but go into the five-match New Zealand series having lost eight of their last 11 ODI series. "We kept the conditions in New Zealand in mind and the recent performances of some players in the domestic tournament," chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq said after the squad announcement on Saturday. Ali was rested for the Sri Lanka series, but is now fully fit after recovering from a knee problem, Haq added. Fast bowler Junaid Khan has been ruled out of the New Zealand ODIs because of a fracture in his right foot, and Wasim failed a fitness test after reporting discomfort in his ...
Dynamos' ISL match postponed due to Khelo India School Games
Delhi Dynamos' Indian Super League match against Mumbai City FC on February 4 has been re-scheduled on February 27 as the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will not be available due to Khelo India School Games beginning January 31. Interestingly, a new venue has been added to the league as Jamshedpur FC play a match at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on February 25. The home venue of Jamshedpur FC has been criticised for its poor playing pitch but sources said that the Orissa government has requested the Tata Steel-owned side to play one match in Bhubaneswar. Jamshedpur's match against Bengaluru FC which was earlier scheduled to be played at JRD Tata Stadium on February 25 will now be played on the same day at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. In other changes in the fixture announced today, a few of Bengaluru FC's matches have been re-scheduled to accommodate their AFC Cup fixture on January 30. Bengaluru FC's match against Chennaiyin FC, originally scheduled on January 31, ...
Nadal pulls out of season opener in Abu Dhabi
World number one Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from his planned season opener at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi due to lingering fitness concerns just three weeks ahead of the Australian Open. Nadal, 31, was forced to pull out of the 2017 season- ending ATP Masters last month due to a knee injury after an exhausting season in which he won the French and US Opens. "It was a tough 2017 and I need to take my calendar in a different way in order to be ready," Nadal told the Mubadala World Tennis Championships website. "For this reason, I have sadly announced to the organisers and now to you fans that I won't play this time in Abu Dhabi." Spanish sports daily AS reported that Nadal had to halt his planned training schedule in his native Mallorca this week to seek medical attention in Barcelona due to the niggling knee injury. Nadal still plans on going for a 17th Grand Slam of his career in Melbourne next month. The Spaniard will be replaced by compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut
Three Indian players get wild-card entry for Maharashtra Open
Three Indian players - Yuki Bhambri, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Arjun Kadhe - will get a direct entry to the main draw for the Maharashtra Open, an ATP 250 World Tour tournament slated to begin from December 30, here at the Mahalunge Balewadi Stadium.Bhambri, who is India's top-ranked singles pro on ATP at 116, will lead the Indian challenge at the event. The 25-year-old from has been one of the consistent Indian players in last one year. In November, Yuki won the KPIT-MSLTA Challenger event beating Ramanathan in the finals.At the Citi Open in Washington, Bhambri reached quarterfinals losing to Kevin Anderson in three sets. On his way up, he beat Frenchman Gael Monfils in the round of 32 in three sets. This will be his sixth appearance in the main draw of the Indian ATP event.His best result was reaching the quarterfinals in 2014 event losing to Vasek Pospisil. Last year, he reached the round of 16 making it through the qualifying rounds."I've had some good results this year and have ...