Page 345 - Sports
National Football: Mizoram, Kerala register big wins
After a thrilling first day of action, the second day of the Junior Girls' National Football Championships, here on Sunday, featured five games as the first round of fixtures in the group stages came to a close.
Giantkiller Fognini the master of Monte Carlo
Italy's Fabio Fognini thrilled a crowd composed mainly of his countrymen as he defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4 to win the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday. The 13th seed based just 20 kilometres over the border in San Remo, became the first from Italy to lift a trophy here in 51 years, following on from Nicola Pietrangeli, who watched his record fall from the royal box at the Monte Carlo Country Club. Pietrangeli won the trophy in the principality in 1961, 1967 and 1968. He came to the court after the trophy ceremony to pose for pictures with his new tennis heir, who was following up his shock semi-final win over 11-time Monte Carlo champion Rafael Nadal. "I was born nearby so this is extraordinary," Fognini, 31, said. "I started the season rather badly, so this is unbelievable. I'm very content with this victory, especially with all of the Italians here today." The 48th-ranked Serb Lajovic was playing in the first ATP final of his career and got to the title match without the loss of a
Kuldeep dropped from playing XI due to 'poor form': Karthik
He is expected to play a vital role in India's World Cup campaign in England but chinaman Kuldeep Yadav's slump prompted Kolkata Knight Riders team management to drop him from the playing XI against Sunrisers Hyderabad barely six weeks before the big event. The wrist spinner has only got four wickets in nine IPL games at an economy rate of 8.66 and KKR dropped him in their 10th game even though his replacement, K C Cariappa, fared worse, giving away 34 runs in two overs. When asked about Kuldeep's absence from the playing XI, KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik made it clear that he was dropped owing to poor form. "A form issue with (Kuldeep) - as he couldn't stand up for us in the last game. We had to give him a break and get him back fresh." However, despite his poor form, KKR's other spinners went for plenty and gave away a cumulative 106 runs in nine overs. "Our bowling has been off colour in the tournament. Our fielding needs a lot of improvement too," said skipper Karthik, who is also ...
Kohli, Dhoni present jerseys to visiting Maldives president before IPL match
Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli and his Chennai Super Kings counterpart M S Dhoni Sunday presented autographed jerseys of their respective teams to visiting Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih before their IPL match here. Dhoni, who has served as India captain, was the first to present CSK's yellow jersey to Solih before current India skipper Kohli presented RCB's red-and-black outfit to the visiting dignitary at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (COA) member Diana Edulji was among those officials present on the occasion. Solih, a cricket enthusiast, was elected as Maldives president in November last year.
Five Indian pugilists enter Asian Boxing quarters
Shiva Thapa (60kg) is now one win away from securing a record fourth medal at the Asian Boxing Championships as five Indian boxers entered the quarter-finals on day three of this prestigious continental tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday.
Warner, Bairstow power SRH to huge win over KKR
Valiant knocks by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) openers David Warner (67 off 38) and Jonny Bairstow's (80 unbeaten off 43) guided the team to a massive nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) tie, here on Sunday.
Chennai ask Bangalore to bat (Toss)
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper M.S. Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their return fixture at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday.
IPL 2019: Sunrisers Hyderabad cruise to a nine-wicket victory over KKR
Sunrisers Hyderabad registered a nine-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Sunday.Chasing a target of 160, best opening batsmen in the season so far, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, yet again provided an astonishing start to their side.Prithvi Raj provided KKR their first breakthrough, as he got hold of Warner and ended his 67 runs inning. But the opening partnership of 131 runs already provided the base for upcoming batsmen.Kane Williamson then joined Bairstow and both the batsman took their side over the line and claimed a nine-wicket victory over the visitors. Interestingly, Hyderabad chased down the target in just 15 overs.Bairstow, who was dropped once at 55 runs, scored an unbeaten 80 runs to guide his side towards the victory.Earlier, KKR, who were sent to bat first, started on a good note with openers, Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine, hitting regular boundaries.Sunil Narine smashed one six and two fours off Khaleel ...
Shiva, Sarita, Amit among 5 Indian boxers to reach quarters in Asian C'ships
Shiva Thapa placed himself just one win away from securing a record fourth medal by entering the 60kg quarterfinals, along with four other Indians, on the third day of the Asian Championships here Sunday. Shiva was at his destructive best as he outpunched Kyrgyzstan's Seitbek Uulu 4-1 to march into the quarter-finals. Four-time Asian Championships gold medallist Sarita Devi began her hunt for a staggering sixth medal from this elite event in impressive fashion. The 37-year-old Indian blanked Korea's Gwon Sujin to storm into the quarter-finals after a RSC (Referee Stop Contest) decision in Round 3 as she was too dominant for her opponent. Agile and sharp as ever, Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal opened his campaign and made it to the last-eight with a 5-0 decimation of Taipei's Tu Po-Wei in his first continental competitive bout in the 52 kg. Panghal continued his sublime form after starting the season with a glittering gold from the Strandja Cup and will hope to record his ...
Services lift Santosh Trophy title with 1-0 win over Punjab
Services won their sixth Santosh Trophy title with a 1-0 victory over home side Punjab, thanks to a second-half strike by Bikash Thapa at the Guru Nanak Stadium here Sunday. With this victory, the side has ended the campaign without losing a single match. Incidentally, the last time Services played in the Santosh Trophy final was in 2015, at the same venue and against the same opposition, a match that they won 5-4 on penalties after it ended 0-0 post extra time. It was a somewhat slow start to the game as both the sides looked to measure each other up before committing themselves. Home side Punjab had more initiative during the opening exchanges, managing to get a few shots on goal. However, as the match wore on, Services started to gain more composure and built their own articulate attacks down the flanks. This wing-play almost resulted in a goal right at the end of the first half. Bikash Thapa was played through on the right as he entered the box, sold a dummy to a Punjab defender ..
Pakistan's Abid seeks World Cup advice from Tendulkar
Picked in Pakistan's World Cup squad, opener Abid Ali Sunday sought advice from Sachin Tendulkar ahead of the showpiece and said he wants to hug the Indian batting great . The 31-year old has been in prolific form in Pakistan's domestic cricket and broke into the national one-day squad for the World Cup after scoring a century on his debut against Australia in Dubai last month. The immensely talented Abid bats in a manner similar to one of cricket's all-time greats. "It's my wish and hope that I meet Sachin Tendulkar. Definitely, I would like to hug him and I am sure that just like all great players meet youngsters I am sure that he will not turn me down. "I am sure that if I want to get any information on cricket from Sachin, he will give a positive reply," Abid told a group of journalists. Abid said meeting his idol would be a memorable moment. "It will be the best day in my life when I meet him (Tendulkar) because he was one of the best batsmen. "West Indian Viv Richards was also a
Bairstow and Warner lead Sunrisers to 9-wicket victory
Jonny Bairstow and David Warner continued their stellar run at the top as they powered Sunrisers Hyderbad to a nine-wicket win over struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL encounter here Sunday. Chasing a target of 160, Warner struck 67 off 38 balls hitting three fours and five sixes while Englishman Bairstow punished the hapless KKR attack with seven boundaries and four maximums in his unbeaten knock of 80 off 43 balls. The openers looked in command as the target was achieved in 15 overs largely due to their 131-run stand. This was KKR's fifth successive loss in the tournament. This is the fourth time that the opening partnership of Warner and Bairstow paved the way for a Sunrisers victory this season. The duo had guided SRH to victories against Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals in similar fashion. KKR were sloppy in the field and ended up paying heavily for their mistakes. Bairstow was dropped twice, once on 5 by Cariappa off debutant Prithviraj's ..
Destiny is in our own hands: KXIP coach Mike Hesson
Although Kings XI Punjab faced five defeats in the ongoing season of Indian Premier League (IPL) so far, Coach Mike Hesson said there was only one defeat he is 'really disappointed' about."We have played some good cricket and there was probably only one game, where we were really disappointed with and that was against Royals Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In that game, we were below our own standards. Apart from that, we have actually played very well," Hesson said during a post-match press conference on Saturday.RCB, who is the bottom-placed team in this season's points table, registered their maiden victory, against Kings XI Punjab on April 13.Also, Punjab lost a match against Delhi Capitals on April 20 by five wickets. Talking about the forthcoming games, the former New Zealand coach enunciated that the 'destiny is in our own hands'."The destiny is in our own hands. And you know that if you play well, you give yourself good chance of winning," Hesson said.He also praised Chris Gayle .
Lynn's 51 help KKR set 160-run target for SRH
Three wickets from left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed helped Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) restrict Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to 159/8 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, here on Sunday.
I backed Kohli when Dhoni and Kirsten had not heard of him: Vengsarkar
Former chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar Sunday claimed he had fast-tracked Virat Kohli's entry into the Indian team when captain M S Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten "had not heard" of him. Vengsarkar was speaking after launching the book 'Howzzat' penned by celebrated astrologer Greenstone Lobo in suburban Bandra. "...Then I picked Virat Kohli in the (national) team straight away. To be honest with you, we used to play (the) Emerging Players tournament in Australia, and that time I was in charge of the selection committee. "And I had gone to Australia to see the match and I had picked him (Virat) because they had won the Under 19 World Cup,'" recalled the former India captain. The 116 Test veteran also said that Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath had to make way for Virat. "And in the first game itself he (Virat) scored a hundred (in that tournament). And I was impressed (and thought) he is the boy (and has) exceptional talent. I came back and others had not heard of him. "M S Dhoni was the ..
Khaleel's 3/33 helps Sunrisers restrict KKR to 159 for 8
Young left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed grabbed three wickets in an impressive spell to help Sunrisers Hyderabad restrict Kolkata Knight Riders 159 for 8 in their IPL match here Sunday. The 21-year-old speedster removed Sunil Narine (25 off 7 balls), who was looking dangerous in his first spell and then came back to dismiss Shubman Gill (3) and Chris Lynn (51) in his corresponding spells to keep KKR in check. Senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned with the figures of 2/35 while leg-spinner Rashid Khan (1/23) and seamer Sandeep Sharma (1/37) took a wicket apiece with the Sunrisers' bowlers making life difficult for the KKR batsmen. For KKR, Lynn was the top-scored with a dogged 47-ball 51. Rinku Singh was the other notable contributer with a 25-ball 30. Put in to bat, Lynn and Sunil Narine took the opposition to the cleaners. Both openers hitting boundaries of their first balls. The duo quickly stitched a 42-run partnership before Ahmed dismissed Narine in the third over. Narine's ...
Dutee smashes own national record, Hima suffers injury
Dutee Chand smashed her own national record in the women's 100m dash heat to qualify for the semifinals while Hima Das suffered a back spasm to bow out of the women's 400m race on the opening day of Asian Athletics Championships here Sunday. The 23-year-old Dutee clocked 11.28 seconds to win the heat number four of the women's 100m race and qualify for the semifinals. He bettered her earlier national record of 11.29 seconds which she set last year in Guwahati. The Odisha runner, however, could not touch the 11.24 second qualification mark for the World Championships, to be held here in September-October. Other top Indian athletes like Jinson Johnson (men's 800m), Muhammed Anas and Arokia Rajiv (both men's 400m), Praveen Chitravel (men's triple jump) and Gomathi Marimuthu (women's 1500m) expectedly advanced to the next round of their respective events. National record holder Johnson clocked 1:53.43 in men's 800m heats to finish second behind Qatar's Jamal Hairane and qualify for the ...
Hima suffers back spasm, fails to finish 400m race
In a blow to India's campaign in the Asian Athletics Championships, sprint sensation Hima Das suffered a back muscle spasm during the 400m heat race on the opening day here on Sunday. The 19-year-old world junior champion and national record holder did not finish the heat number one which was won by Nadeesha Ramanayaka of Sri Lanka. "She had spasm at L4 and L5 (two lowest vertebrae in the lumbar spine). The doctor who attended her informed us and he said nothing serious. She will be OK within a day or two," deputy chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair said in a statement. The injury has put Hima's participation in the women's 4x400m relay and mixed 400m relay on the final day in doubt though Nair said it was not a serious injury. It is learnt that the injury cannot also be dismissed as a minor one and whether Hima will take part in the women's 4x400m relay and mixed 400m relay will be decided in a day or two. "You cannot just dismiss the injury to be a minor one also. So, we have to see her .
World Cup is pinnacle of one-day cricket: Mitchell Starc
Australia fast bowler Michell Starc termed the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup as the 'pinnacle of one-day cricket.'"In one-day games, the pinnacle is World Cup. No matter where it is. Or who's playing. It's the pinnacle of the game in one-day cricket," ICC quoted Starc as saying.Starc found a spot in the 15-member World Cup squad announced by the Cricket Australia on April 15 and this will be his second appearance in the World Cup.Australia is the defending champions and prior to the World Cup 2015, they played a tri-series against England and India.The 29-year old is of the opinion that the tri-series offered them good practice and put them in the right frame of mind before the premier event."It was such a special six weeks. It is was probably longer than that for us last time around because we grouped for such a long time. That tri-series before the World Cup was where we sort of put our foot down to prepare for the World Cup. [With regards to] the team we wanted to be and how we ...
Mirabai misses bronze by a whisker, Jeremy smashes Youth World record at Asian C'ship
Former world champion Mirabai Chanu produced her personal best but missed out on podium by a whisker, while Youth Olympics gold medallist Jeremy Lalrinnunga went on a record-smashing spree at the Asian Weightlifting Championship here Sunday. The 24-year-old Mirabai lifted 86kg in snatch and a personal best of 113kg in clean and jerk for a total of 199kg in the women's 49kg event to finish on fourth position. Her earlier personal best total in 49kg was 192kg in the EGAT Cup in Thailand in February. In a remarkable performance, 16-year-old Jeremy secured second place in group B of the 67Kg men's event. During his record-smashing spree, he claimed three world marks. Earlier in the day, Jhili Dalabehera opened India's medal account, claiming a silver medal in the women's 45kg category. However, 45kg is not a Olympic weight category. The points gathered from this event will come in handy when the final rankings for 2020 Tokyo Olympics are made next year. Unfortunately Mirabai missed the ...