Page 241 - Sports
Only way South Africa can shed chokers' tag is by winning World Cup: Wessels
Former South Africa captain Kepler Wessels on Monday said the only way Proteas can shed the 'chokers' tag is by winning a major ICC event like the World Cup beginning in the UK on May 30. Wessels, South Africa's first Test captain of the modern era and their leader in the ill-fated 1992 World Cup campaign, said his team not going as favourites into the World Cup this time could be a blessing in disguise. "People will keep calling them chokers until they win an ICC event and rightly so. They were the best team in 1999, still they could not win it," said Wessels referring to the tied second semifinal against eventual champions Australia at Birmingham. "This time, they are not the favourites and that could be a good thing. Not many are expecting them to win so they can slip under the radar and make the semifinals and hopefully things fall in place from there on," he said via video conference during a promotional event here. The 61-year-old, who also played for Australia, said South ...
All eyes on Gayatri Gopichand in junior badminton meet
All eyes will be on the under-19 girls singles top seed Pullela Gayatri Gopichand, daughter of India coach Pullela Gopichand, at the Sunrise All-India Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament, starting here on Tuesday.
India shuttlers take on Malaysia, eye knockout stage at Sudirman Cup
India will start as favourites against a young Malaysian team sans legend Lee Chong Wei when they clash in a group 1D match of the Sudirman Cup here Tuesday. India, who had reached the quarterfinals twice in the 2011 and 2017 editions, will have to overcome Malaysia, the 2009 semifinalists, when they begin their campaign. Any hiccups against Malaysia will make their next clash against the mighty China a must-win battle. Malaysia were thrashed 0-5 by China in the opening match and a loss against India will see them bow out of the competition. The 13-member Indian team, seeded eighth this time, will look to draw inspiration from their sensational win over Malaysia en route to an unprecedented team gold at the Commonwealth Games 2018. India's chances during the mixed team championship will depend on the quality singles players such as reigning BWF World Tour Finals winner PV Sindhu, 2019 Indonesia Masters champion Saina Nehwal, 2019 India Open finalist Kidambi Srikanth and BWF World Tour
Henry Menezes feels Stimac can infuse ambition in Indian players to participate in World Cup
Deputy Chairman of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Technical Committee Henry Menezes has revealed that Igor Stimac's experience in World Cups handed him a bit of advantage over other candidates, saying that "only a person who has been there can show us the way."Recently, Stimac got the charge of Indian national team and his appointment was in line with India's long-term aspiration of qualifying for the World Cup."Stimac's CV is the most promising CV that I have ever come across in Indian football. And who better than a bronze medal winner in the World Cup. We believe that he can infuse the ambition in the players to participate in a World Cup. Only a person who has been there can show us the way and no one else," Goal.com quoted Menezes, as saying.Menezes also stated that the Croatian has worked with the low-ranked teams before and the way he managed to keep those clubs afloat speaks volumes of his character. Menezes further expressed that Stimac is aware of the Indian ...
India eves beat South Korea 2-1 in tour opener
The Indian women's hockey team edged past hosts South Korea 2-1 in their first game of the three-match bilateral series, here on Monday.
Focus on Gayatri Gopichand as Jr Badminton Nationals begins on Tuesday
Over 1,000 young shuttlers of the country, including top seed Gayatri Gopichand, will vie for top honours at the All India Junior Ranking badminton tournament, which begins here on Tuesday. All eyes will be on the top seed in the Under-19 girls' singles category Gayatri Gopichand, daughter of India chief coach Pullela Gopichand. The 16-year-old Hyderabadi, who has shown rare consistency and amazing temperament at this level, however, will have to keep a sharp eye on Chattisgarh's Aakarshi Kashyap. Both the shuttlers are highly talented and were part of the Asian Games contingent. But the duo will be extra keen to clinch the trophy here as the tournament doubles up as a selection ticket for the Junior Asian Badminton Championship in China two months later. Besides, Malvika Bansod and Unnati Bisht are two other shuttlers to watch out for in the girls' singles. Top seed Priyanshu Rajawat of Madhya Pradesh will play a similar starring role in the Under-19 boys' singles category. But ...
Kroos extends contract with Real Madrid till 2023
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has signed a contract extension that is set to tie him to the club for four seasons, the La Liga side said on Monday.
Sony acquires broadcasting rights to 2019 FIFA events
Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPN) has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights for marquee FIFA events in 2019 including the FIFA Womens World Cup France 2019, the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019, the FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019 and the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019. All the prestigious tournaments will be broadcast on television and digitally within the Indian subcontinent on the sports channels of Sony Pictures Networks and its premium video on demand (VOD) service, SonyLIV.
Loganathan beats Shrikrishna to enter quarters
R Loganathan of TNBSA beat talented Chennai youngster S Shrikrishna (SVS Club) by four frames to two in the pre-quarterfinals of the N Manimaran & Kishan Kothari Memorial Open Snooker Championship 2019 at SVS Club here Monday. The first four frames were hard fought as the two city cueists shared honours with Shrikrishna, a bronze medalist in the recent Asian U-21 Snooker Championship in Chandigarh, showing glimpses of his skills. However, Loganathan made his experience count and took the fifth and sixth frames to book a spot in the quarterfinals. He will meet Nitesh Madan (Railways) for a spot in the semifinals. In another match, Railways' Faisal Khan of Railways quelled a mid-match challenge from Varun Kumar (MCC) to win 4-3. Khan was up 3-1 before Varun levelled with some impressive play. In the decider, the Railways cueist was dominant and won it in quick time to advance to the last eight. He will take on Delhi's Hanish Sharma next. Two more Railways ...
In Ponting's presence, Australian players are like eight-year-olds around Justin Bieber: Finch
Australia's cricketers in front of Ricky Ponting are "like eight-year-old girls around Justin Bieber", feels the team's World Cup skipper Aaron Finch about the batting great, whose mere presence gives them a fillip. In February, Ponting was appointed as an assistant coach for Australia's World Cup campaign, specifically working with the limited overs batsmen. Ponting has previously worked short-term with Australia's ODI and Twenty20 squads. "The boys all want to impress 'Punter'," Finch was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. "Everyone wants to impress Punter, you should see them - it's like eight-year-old girls around Justin Bieber when Punter's around the changeroom," he said, drawing comparisons between Ponting and the famous Canadian singer-songwriter. "It's embarrassing, but it's great," Finch said of the legend who won the World Cup three times including twice as captain. After a tough series at home against India, Australia turned things around and registered victories in India
Teams will probably be most fearful of Australia: Waugh
Former captain Steve Waugh said Australia may not be the favourites to win the upcoming World Cup but the return of Steve Smith and David Warner will make other teams "wary" of the five-time winners. Smith and Warner's year-long international exile following bans for ball-tampering came to an end a couple of month ago. Immediately after returning to action Warner, with 692 runs from 12 innings in the IPL, sounded warning bells to the rival bowlers while Smith showed glimpses of his old touch in the three warm-up matches against New Zealand in Brisbane recently. "Every side will be wary of Australia. They know the potential of the Australian side. There's been turmoil in Australian cricket over the last 12 months, but that has been put aside now. We've got our best players available to be picked in Smith and Warner," Waugh was quoted as saying by the ICC website. The defending champions seem to be peaking at the right time. Starting in 2018, Australia had won just three out of 18 ODIs .
Japan survive Sudirman scare after Momota gamble backfires
Japan gambled by resting top-ranked Kento Momota and nearly paid the price, suffering a huge scare before battling back to beat Russia 3-2 in their Sudirman Cup opener here Monday. The top seeds are bidding to win the mixed-team world championships for the first time, but a major shock was on the cards when the Japanese went 2-1 down. The unfancied Russians enjoyed surprise victories in the men's singles and men's doubles, before the Japanese fought back in the Chinese city of Nanning. Japan, who along with the hosts are the favourites, decided to rest world champion Momota along with their first-choice men's pairing. They were initially unaffected and won the mixed doubles in the opening rubber. But Russia then took advantage of Japan's weakened side with Vladimir Malkov, ranked 62, beating Momota's replacement Kenta Nishimoto -- 10th in the world -- and also winning the men's doubles. But Japan's women saved the day for them, world number two Nozomi Okuhara thrashing Natalia ...
Kroos pens new Real Madrid deal until 2023
Germany international Toni Kroos has extended his contract with Real Madrid until 2023 ahead of an expected summer overhaul at the club, the Spanish giants said Monday. The 29-year-old midfielder has won 12 titles in five seasons in Spain, lifting the Champions League trophy in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Kroos has scored 13 goals in 233 appearances for Real since arriving from Bayern Munich in 2014 after helping Germany win the World Cup in Brazil. Real finished third in La Liga this term, 19 points behind champions Barcelona after registering their lowest points haul in 17 years, ending with a limp 2-0 home defeat to Real Betis on Sunday. Coach Zinedine Zidane has promised changes to the squad ahead of next season, with Gareth Bale, goalkeeper Keylor Navas, Nacho, Sergio Reguilon, Isco and Marcos Llorente all tipped to leave the club.
Pakistan's fielding abilities concerns Arthur ahead of World Cup
After Pakistan's dismal run in the recently concluded five-match series against England, Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur lambasted his side's fielding abilities saying it worries him."Our fielding has been very disappointing. That's been the massive difference between the two sides. If you look at the games in Southampton and Nottingham, going into the last five overs, it was anybody's game. We competed really well," International Cricket Council (ICC) quoted Arthur, as saying."The one difference has been our fielding, and that's a real worry for me because we are putting a hell of a lot of effort into it. And there's not a massive amount of reward for us at the moment. We'll just keep knocking away at it to make sure we get it up to speed," he added.Pakistan went down 0-4 to England with one match being abandoned due to rain. However, Pakistan took one positive from the series in spite of losing it, and that is their confidence got boosted as they exceeded expectations.Pakistan scored ..
Every side will be wary of Australia: Steve Waugh
With Steve Smith and David Warner returning to the Australian team for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, former cricketer Steve Waugh believes the duo's arrival will further strengthen the team's chances at the showpiece event and sound a warning bell for the other teams.
Japan defeats Russia 3-2 in Sudirman Cup
Top-ranked Japan defeated Russia 3-2 in the men's singles in their Group 1A opener at the ongoing Sudirman Cup, here on Monday.
Top juniors for All-India ranking badminton tournament
Over 1,000 young shuttlers will be vying for honours in the Microplex Global and Yonex Sunrise All-India Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament which commences here Tuesday. All eyes will be on the Under-19 girls singles top seed Pullela Gayatri Gopichand, daughter of India coach Gopichand. The 16-year-old Hyderabad lass will face challenge from Chhattisgarh's Aakarshi Kashyap, with whom she has been involved in some close matches. With the tournament doubling up as a selection event for the coming Junior Asian Badminton Championship in China, interesting contests are in store, the organisers said. Aakarshi Kashyap, Malvika Bansod and Unnati Bisht would be the other prominent players in the fray. In the boys section, Madhya Pradesh's Priyanshu Rajawat, the top-seed, will be the one to watch out for. Manipur's Maisnam Meiraba is expected to provide the challenge along with Chennai lad Sankar Muthusamy, a bronze medalist in last year's ABC, Sai Charan Koya, K Sathish Kumar ...
Indian women's hockey team beat Republic Of Korea 2-1 in tour opener
Indian women's hockey team defeated hosts South Korea 2-1 in the first match of the three-match bilateral series to begin their short tour on a confident here Monday. Young striker Lalremsiami (20th minute) and Navneet Kaur (40th) scored for India, while Shin Hyejeong (48th) found the net for Korea. High on confidence after their impressive outings in Spain and Malaysia earlier this year, India made a strong start against the hosts. After missing out on an opportunity to score from a penalty corner early in the first quarter, India scored a splendid field goal through Lalremsiami in the 20th minute. The visitors' second goal came in the 40th minute when Navneet struck beautifully to extend the lead. While the hosts won five penalty corners in the course of the match, and a penalty stroke in the last quarter, they managed to convert only one set piece in the 48th minute through Shin Hyejeong. It was India's experienced goalkeeper Savita who made commendable saves to keep her team's ...
Bowlers fuel 'choker' South Africa's World Cup ambitions
Cricket's perennial chokers' World Cup ambitions would largely hinge on their potent attack, led by young Kagiso Rabada and veteran Imran Tahir, as South Africa make their eighth attempt to achieve sport's biggest prize. The tag of underachievers has not separated from South Africa since their heartbreaking loss to Australia in the semifinals of the 1999 World Cup. The Proteas are yet to reach the summit clash of the World Cup, having been knocked out at the semifinal stage four times. But they must not weigh themselves down by the chokers tag, instead accept it and go in as underdogs. This sentiment was expressed recently by Proteas' former Performance Director Paddy Upton. "I think the 'chokers' label for South Africa is a little bit too exaggerated and it's also unfair. But I do realise that South Africa have struggled and could have performed better. They will, in time, win one of these big trophies. "But for the time being, they need to embrace and not run away from the 'chokers'
Every side will be wary of Australia: Steve Waugh
Former Australia captain Steve Waugh believes that the return of Steve Smith Smith and David Warner will make opponents wary of the country's team at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup."Every side will be wary of Australia", said Waugh referring to the inclusion of Smith and Warner into the team.Smith and Warner spent a year out of their national team, serving bans for the ball-tampering scandal. During the period of the ban, which ended on March 28, both cricketers underwent elbow surgeries and came out stronger to re-start their international careers.Recently, Warner displayed his destructive form in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he top scored with 692 runs in 12 innings, including one hundred and eight fifties.Smith, too, gave an insight of his prime form during the three warm-up games against New Zealand XI, scoring unbeaten 89 and 91 last week."Every side will be wary of Australia. They know the potential of the Australian side. There's been turmoil in ..