Page 307 - Sports
Confident Chikka leads Indian challenge at Maekyung Open in Korea
The highest ranked Indian on the Asian Tour's Habitat for Humanity Standings at seventh place, Chikkarangappa S. will lead the country's challenge at the Maekyung Open here. But he is still looking for is maiden win on the Asian Tour. After having come close on many occasions, he will continue his quest for a breakthrough victory when he tees off at The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship, which starts on Thursday. He arrives in great form after notching up two victories on his domestic circuit, the Professional Golf Tour of India, and a solid top-10 finish at the Hero Indian Open on the Asian Tour. His game has matured considerably over the years. A joint runner-up finish at the Mauritius Open last November, along with his fine run so far this season, have strengthened his belief that a breakthrough is imminent. Chikka, however, has two wins on the Asian Development Tour (ADT). The other Indians in the 144-man field are young pro, Aadil Bedi and Aman Raj, another ...
Delhi win toss, ask Chennai to bat first (Toss)
Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and asked Chennai Super Kings to bat first in an Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Wednesday.
Lahiri looks to be inspired by Presidents Cup captain Ernie at Charlotte
Struggling for strong finishes, Anirban Lahiri has been paired with the four-time Major champion Ernie Els at the Well Fargo Championship as the Indian continues his PGA Tour quest. The 49-year-old Els is one place behind Lahiri in the FedExCup standings this season at 162. Lahiri, who has had a very modest season so far and lies way behind in FedExCup, needs a few good finishes as the season moves into its latter stages. He has slipped to 213 in World Rankings and is lying 161st in the FedExCup rankings. His last win came on the European Tour at the Hero Indian Open in 2015 on home turf. The last four season have established him in the PGA Tour but he is still searching for his breakthrough win and this year he also needs to play well over next few months to ensure that he keeps his record of making the play-offs each year. Lahiri's best this season has been a T-10 finish at Mayakoba which was actually in 2018, when the season began. It has also been his lone Top-10 this season. "I ..
Jeev and Chawrasia ready for 'big' test at Volvo China Open
Jeev Milkha Singh and SSP Chawrasia will be among the handful of Indians competing at the 25th edition of the Volvo China Open. Interestingly, one of Jeev's four European Tour wins came at this very event in 2006 and he remains to date the only Indian to have won it. Apart from Jeev and Chawrasia, the other Indians are Gaganjeet Bhullar, Shiv Kapur, Khalin Joshi, Ajeetesh Sandhu and Viraj Madappa. Bhullar, Joshi and Madappa won once each in 2018, while Kapur won three times in Asia in 2017. Chawrasia is hoping to regain the form that led him to six Asian Tour titles when he tees up for "one of his biggest tests". Chawrasia's last victory dates back to 2017 when he won on home soil. He has only one top-10 finish on the Asian Tour last year and missed the cut in all four events he played in the Middle East since the start of 2019. The 40-year-old, however, bounced back by featuring in the weekend rounds in Malaysia and India last month and sees that as a sign of better things to come as
Himachal clinch junior girls' title after 3-1 win over Jharkhand
Himachal Pradesh were crowned champions of the Hero Junior Girls' National Football Championship 2019-20 on Wednesday after a 3-1 victory over Jharkhand in the final. Anju, Kiran and Manisha found the net for the winners while Kuwari Indwar scored the lone goal for Jharkhand. Both teams looked determined to open the scoring from the outset. Five minutes into the match, the deadlock was broken by Himachal Pradesh through skipper Anju, who made a well-timed run from midfield before collecting a through pass and flicking it past the onrushing goalkeeper. In the very next minute, Nisha almost made it two for Himachal with a vicious shot from the left flank that was brilliantly tipped over the crossbar by Jharkhand custodian Sandhya Toppo. The save proved to be crucial as the scores were soon level in the ninth minute through Kuwari Indwar. The Jharkhand forward latched on to a loose ball inside the penalty area and turned swiftly to place the ball into the top corner and make the score ...
Advani remains on course at Asian Billiards
The only Indian to get past the quarterfinal stage, defending champion Pankaj Advani remained on course to hold on to his Asian Billiards title here Wednesday. Advani is evidently not in full billiards mode yet after having to switch from snooker post his victory in the inaugural Asian Snooker Tour in Bengaluru last week. Dhruv Sitwala, Sourav Kothari and Dhvaj Haria lost their quarterfinal ties. Advani overcame Indian junior champion Shrikrishna Suryanarayanan 5-2 to march into the semifinals and confirm India's only medal in this year's Asian Billiards edition. He faces former champion Praput Chaithanasakun of Thailand in last-four stages while the other half sees two Myanmar cueists - Nay Thway Oo and Chit Ko Ko - fight it out for a spot in the final. Advani defeated Shrikrishna Suryanarayanan 5-2: 102(93)-11, 51-100, 102(87)-64(56), 100(51)-0, 69-100, 100(99)-42, 103(71)-25.
Tendulkar-Laxman case: Complainant Gupta files reply, Ombudsman Jain rejects demand for documents
Ombudsman cum ethics officer Justice (Retd) DK Jain has rejected complainant Sanjeev Gupta's request for access to contractual obligations of cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman with their respective franchises in the alleged 'conflict of interest' issue. The allegations levelled against the two legends pertains to their dual role as mentors/icons of Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad apart from being members of Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). Gupta had three specific demands: A) A copy of Tendulkar and Laxman's contract with their respective franchise. B) A copy of MI and SRH's eligible list of players & Team Officials & Team Management etc, supplied to BCCI / BCCI ACU for allowing them to sit in dugout & to enter into the restricted ground area. C) A copy of BCCI Anti Corruption Units norms/ rules for allowing the players, Team Officials & Team Management etc of IPL Franchisee to sit in the dug out & to enter into the restricted ground ...
Small guy but hits a long way, says Pollard about Hardik
A smasher of the cricket ball himself, Kieron Pollard Wednesday praised his Mumbai Indians teammate Hardik Pandya for his six-hitting prowess and said the all-rounder packs a lot of punch. "He is a small guy but hits (the ball) a long way. And again once he continues to practice well and continue to evolve as a cricketer, you can see him doing great things not only for Mumbai Indians but by extension Indian cricket," said Pollard about Pandya on the eve of MI's IPL game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Pandya has so far amassed 355 runs in 12 games, studded with 27 sixes and 25 fours. Most of his runs have come towards the end, the last being the blistering 91 off 34 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. "He's not really practising differently. It is about believing in his ability. Obviously the situations he has been in, he had no choice but to go and hit and he has shown his power-game as well, so it's good for him. Even when he came onto the scene, if you remember, a
India tour of West Indies could start in first week of August
India's tour of the West Indies could start in the first week of August as Cricket West Indies has agreed to the BCCI's request of pushing back the tour of the Caribbean by a couple of weeks. The Indian team was tentatively scheduled to reach the Caribbean island immediately after the World Cup final on July 14. However, the BCCI might have wanted the India players to have a break before the tour, which the CWI was happy to entertain. As per the ICC's Future Tours Programme, India were scheduled to tour the West Indies after the World Cup for a full tour comprising two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is. According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the tour is likely to commence in the first week of August and run till September 4. The final dates for the tour along with the venues will be finalised by CWI at its board meeting on May 13. CWI also wanted a clear window for the Caribbean Premier League, which has now also been rescheduled, owing to the shift in the India tour ...
Jr National C'ship: Himachal beat Jharkhand 3-1 in final
Himachal Pradesh were crowned champions of the Junior Girls' National Football Championship 2019-20 on Wednesday after a 3-1 victory against Jharkhand in the final, that was held at the Polo Ground here.
Women's tennis need big names, rivalries : Justine Henin
Fierce rivalries are key for the growth of any sport and seven-time Grand Slam winner Justine Henin laments that women's tennis lacks iconic tussles such as between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the men's circuit. In the past year, women's tennis has seen four different Grand Slam champions and Henin believes this inconsistency is not good for the sport. Henin says modern-day women tennis needs rivalries since it is crucial to motivate youngsters. "We need big names in women's tennis, big rivalries, to give motivation to young girls to play. If you see so many different players are winning, you cannot identify yourself to anyone," Henin said. "Young girls are watching the player almost every week. It is very important to have a face. It has been a very strange season, all the tournaments have been won by different players. We miss that consistency. Inconsistency is not good for the sport." Henin herself was one half of a fierce rivalry with compatriot Kim Clijsters. The latter ...
Jaipur to host Asian youth Women Handball Championship
Jaipur will host the 8th Asian Youth Women Handball Championship in which 10 teams, including defending champions South Korea, will be participating. The general secretary of the Handball Federation of India, Anandeshwar Pandey, said here that it is the first time that the prestigious tournament would be played in the city from August 21 to 30. "It is the first time that the tournament will be hosted by Pink city Jaipur. Earlier Delhi had hosted it in 2015 where the hosts India had finished seventh," said Pandey. "The tournament has been dominated by South Korea who has emerged champion in the all the seven editions of the tournament held so far. The previous edition in 2017 was held at Jakarta in Indonesia where South Korea was the champion while Japan and China were placed second and third respectively" said Pandey.
Adaptation will be key for India's next football coach
Coaching an Indian team in any sport can prove to be a taxing experience, especially when the said coach is being introduced to the country through their job. They will first have to adapt to the fact that they have a dressing room in which players homes could be thousands of kilometres away, languages and cultures can be a barrier. Once they get their players and staff on board, they encounter creaking systems and tangles of red tape.
Kaizer Chiefs terminate their goalkeeper Virgil Vries
Kaizer Chiefs have announced to terminate goalkeeper Virgil Vries with 'immediate effect'.The 28-year-old joined Kaizer Chiefs at the start of the current season. Virgil joined the club on 1 July 2018 but entered in a mutual termination and release agreement."The club thanked Vries for his contribution and wished him all the best in his future endeavours as he prepares for the upcoming Cosafa and Africa Cup of Nations tournaments with the Namibian national team," Kaizer Chiefs wrote on their website.Vries thanked the Kaizer Chiefs for their support during his stay with the club."It's been a pleasure and a great experience to don the Kaizer Chiefs jersey. I thank everyone for their support during my stay at the club," Kaizer Chiefs website quoted Vries.
Saina crashes out of New Zealand Open after shocking loss to world number 212
India's Saina Nehwal suffered a shocking first round loss to world number 212 Wang Zhiyi of China to exit the New Zealand Open here Wednesday, but H S Prannoy and B Sai Praneeth advanced. The 29-year-old Olympic bronze medallist and world number nine lost 16-21 23-21 4-21 to her 19-year-old opponent in the women's singles match that lasted one hour and seven minutes. In men's singles, HS Prannoy and B Sai Praneeth advanced to the second round. Prannoy defeated Kean Yew Loh 21-15 21-14 in straight games while Praneeth edged Indian counterpart Subhankar Dey 21-17 19-21 21-15 in a close contest that lasted 71 minutes. Lakshya Sen's campaign, though, ended with a hard-fought loss against Taiwan's Wang Tzu Wei. Lakshya lost 21-15 18-21 10-21 in an hour and eight minutes. Earlier in the day, the pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy fought hard against Chinese duo of Liu Xuanxuan and Xia Yuting before losing 14-21 23-21 14-21 in an hour and 10 minutes. But the men's doubles pair of ...
Panghal cries foul, says coach deserved Dronacharya
Amit Panghal, who recently bagged the gold at the Asian Boxing Championship, has expressed dissapointment after his coach Anil Kumar was not recommended for the prestigious Dronacharya award and said the decision was unfair.
New Zealand Open: Saina crashes out in first round
Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal suffered a shocking defeat in the first round of the New Zealand Open here on Wednesday. She was defeated 16-21, 23-21, 4-21 by China's Wang Zhiyi, who is currently ranked as world number 212.Saina, a World Championship silver medalist was trailing 0-4 in the first game and she was not able to bounce back in the first game, losing the first set, 16-21.The 29-year old was stretched throughout the match, but she was able to bounce back in the second game, staging a 23-21 comeback and winning the second set.But the Indian star player was not able to play her trademark game in the deciding set as Wang won eight consecutive points to easily win the set and take the match.In men's singles, Lakshya Sen lost to Taiwan's Wang Tzu Wei by 21-15, 18-21 and 10-21.Earlier in the day, the pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy fought valiantly, but they were defeated 4-21, 23-21, 14-21 by the Chinese duo of Liu Xuanxuan and Xia Yuting.There was not much for the ...
Simona Halep favourite to win French Open: Justine Henin
Former world number one Justine Henin believes defending champion Simona Halep is favourite to win the women's singles title at the French Open starting this month from May 26.
Kabaddi League ropes in BookMyShow as official partner
Indo International Premier Kabaddi League (IPKL), promoted by New Kabaddi Federation (NKF) on Wednesday roped in BookMyShow as its official ticketing partners for the inaugural season. The Indo International Premier Kabaddi League in its first edition will see eight teams vie for the top honors from May 13 till June across three locations Pune, Mysore and Bengaluru.
Getting dropped from Team India affected my form: Umesh
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Umesh Yadav feels that getting dropped from the Indian team has affected his form besides the loss of self confidence in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).