Page 376 - Sports
Everyone is human: Ganguly on Dhoni's on-field argument with umpires
Everyone is human, former captain Sourav Ganguly said Friday night, referring to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's on-field argument with umpires during an IPL game. Chennai Super Kings captain Dhoni escaped a ban and was let off with a 50 per cent fine on his match fee for an unprecedented confrontation with the umpires during the IPL encounter against Rajasthan Royals here Thursday. "Everyone is human. What stands out is his competitiveness. It's remarkable," was all Ganguly said when asked about the controversy. Former cricketers came down heavily on India's two-time World Cup winning captain for his act, saying the CSK skipper set a wrong precedent. Serving as advisor of Delhi Capitals, Ganguly had a smile on his face after the visitors posted a seven-wicket victory over hosts Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. "Two out of two against such a good team is outstanding. I am very satisfied," he said. Delhi had also won the the first-leg at home. Ganguly added, "Everything at Eden is ...
Dhawan strikes 97, Delhi Capitals beat KKR by 7 wickets
Shikhar Dhawan found form with a 63-ball 97 and powered Delhi Capitals to a seven-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL here Friday, leaving two legends at the visiting dugout beaming. Chasing 179, Colin Ingram launched one down the ground to finish the game in style and deny Dhawan what would have been his maiden hundred in this format. Coach Ricky Ponting was the first to stand up and applaud the big six from Ingram, and advisor Sourav Ganguly had a smile on his face. Two days ahead of the Indian team selection for the World Cup, Dhawan, who survived a review on 11, decorated his knock with 11 boundaries and two sixes, as Delhi registered only their second IPL win at the Eden Gardens. Delhi climbed to fourth spot with eight points from seven matches, while this was KKR's second straight defeat after losing to Chennai Super Kings in their last match. They now have eight points from seven games. Rishabh Pant (46 off 31 balls) played a perfect second fiddle to Dhawan, ...
Delhi Capitals beat KKR by 7 wickets
Delhi Capitals defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets in their Indian Premier League match here Friday. Sent into bat, Kolkata Knight Riders scored 178 for seven and then, Delhi Capitals, riding Shikhar Dhawan's unbeaten 97, chased down the target in 18.5 overs at the Eden Gardens. Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders: 178/7 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 65, Andre Russell 45; Chris Morris 2/38) Delhi Capitals: 180/3 in 18.5 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 97 not out, Rishabh Pant 46).
Kidambi Srikanth, Sameer Verma crash out of Singapore Open
Indian shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth and Sameer Verma crashed out of the Singapore Badminton Open after losing their respective men's singles quarter-finals on Friday.World number seven Srikanth stretched world number one Kento Momota of Japan to his limit, but unfortunately went down 18-21, 21-19, 9-21 to end his campaign.In another match, Sameer fought tooth and nail against Chou Tien-Chen of Taiwan but succumbed 10-21,21-15,15-21. After going down in the first game, the Indian player pulled back the second only to lose in the decider.Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles, the pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Sikki Reddy ended their campaign after going down to Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand 14-21, 16-21 in the quarter-final stage.Earlier, PV Sindhu conquered a thrilling quarterfinal clash to outclass Yanyan Cai of China in a gruelling 21-13, 17-21, 21-14. She will meet Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the semi-final on Saturday.Okuhara hardly broke a sweat to defeat
Gill, Russell propel Kolkata to 178/7 against Delhi
Shubman Gill and Andre Russell played contrasting knocks to help Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) post a competitive 178/7 in 20 overs against Delhi Capitals (DC) in their Indian Premier League clash at the Eden Gardens here on Friday.
Can't change result of matches we lost, focusing on games ahead: RCB's Chahal
Down in the dumps after six straight losses, Royal Challengers Bangalore spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Friday admitted that his side failed to click as a unit this season so far but said staying focused and hoping to win the the remaining games was the only option before the team now. "We have to forget about the games we lost because we cannot change the results. We have to put losses behind and focus on eight matches coming up," Chahal said at the pre-match press conference ahead of their crucial game against Kings XI Punjab here on Saturday. Virat Kohli-led RCB have lost six matches on the trot and are placed at the bottom of the points table. Chahal, the side's leading wicket taker, believes that all is not over yet. "We are six down, but we still have an outright chance to qualify for the playoffs. If you can remember in 2016, when we played in final, we were in the same kind of situation. We needed to win six out of seven games. We need to back our skills," he said. On where ...
KKR's Russell, Gill set 179-run target for Delhi Capitals
Andre Russell blazed away to a 21-ball 45 after Shubman Gill's brisk half-century, powering Kolkata Knight Riders to 178 for seven against Delhi Capitals, in the Indian Premier League here Friday. This was Russell's sixth successive 40-plus score, his four sixes and three boundaries coming after youngster Gill stroked 65 off 39 balls, helping the hosts recover from Ishant Sharma's wicket-maiden first over. The Jamaican, who was cleaned up by Kagiso Rabada with a toe-crushing yorker in their Super Over defeat in the first leg, also exacted a sweet revenge smashing the South African for two sixes in an over that yielded 16 runs. Chris Morris removed Russell in the penultimate over when he was caught in the deep by Rabada. Sent into bat, from batting at No. 6 in their last match against Chennai Super Kings, Gill was promoted to open the innings and the 19-year-old responded with a fine knock, his second IPL fifty, and first this season. Gill smashed seven fours and two sixes, both ...
Valverde considers resting Messi ahead of United return
Lionel Messi could be among a number of players rested by Barcelona on Saturday as Ernesto Valverde keeps one eye on their Champions League second leg against Manchester United. Valverde said on Friday that Messi may be spared the trip to Huesca, who sit bottom of La Liga, after a collision with United's Chris Smalling on Wednesday left the Argentinian with a bruised nose and cheek. "It's possible," said Valverde, when asked about the chance of Messi sitting out this weekend. "He's fine but it was a big hit. He was affected the day after and during the match, it was like being hit by a truck. We will analyse him later but it is a possibility." Luke Shaw's own-goal meant Barca took a 1-0 victory away from Old Trafford and they can afford to rotate ahead of the return, given they sit 11 points clear at the top of La Liga. Kevin Prince-Boateng and Jeison Murillo, who have hardly featured since joining in January, could be given rare outings while Ousmane Dembele is likely to make his ...
Arsenal bid to identify fan over apparent racial abuse
Arsenal have started an investigation after a social media video appeared to show a fan racially abusing Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly during the Europa League quarter-final. The incident occurred during the Premier League side's 2-0 win in Thursday's first leg at the Emirates Stadium. "We utterly condemn use of this type of racist language and have launched an investigation to identify the culprit," the club said in a statement on Friday. "We operate a zero-tolerance approach and anyone behaving like this is not welcome at Arsenal and will be banned from matches. "We have an extremely diverse community of fans who are all part of the Arsenal family and such incidents are rare at Emirates Stadium." The north London club urged fans to be vigilant and report any such problems with racism directly. Recent high-profile incidents, including monkey chants aimed at England players during a Euro 2020 qualifier away to Montenegro and in the domestic game, have again highlighted the ...
Santosh Trophy: Goa beat Delhi 4-2
Goa beat Delhi 4-2 while Services defeated Odisha 2-0 in Group A matches on the fifth day of the 73rd National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy at Guru Nanak Stadium here on Friday. Goa went into the lead in the 31st minute through Chaitan Komarpant and increased it in the 54th minute when Glan Martins found the target (2-0). They further consolidated the lead in the 68th minute through Lalawmpuia (3-0). Trailing by three goals, Delhi went all out and made some concerted efforts to breach the opposition defence. Eventually, they managed to score their first goal from a penalty taken by Ayush Adhikari in the 78th minute. He added another goal in similar fashion in the 87th minute to make it 2-3. Goa scored another goal in the 90th minute through Stendly Teotonio Fernandes to emerge 4-2 victorious. In the second match of the day, after a barren first half, Services surged ahead in the 72nd minute when skipper N Suresh Meitei scored from the penalty. They increased the lead in ...
Sehwag in favour of India-Pakistan World Cup game
Virender Sehwag wants India to play arch-rivals Pakistan in the upcoming World Cup as he feels the match is "no less than a war and you should win the war, not lose it". "The match is no less than a war and you should win the war, not lose it," said Sehwag at the Times Network Leadership Summit here on Friday. There was a clamour for boycott of cricketing ties with Pakistan in the wake of the Pulawama terror attack in February. The Indian cricket board, in fact, went to the extent of writing to the ICC, urging the world body and its member nations to sever ties with countries which harbour terror. However, the ICC turned down BCCI's request though Committee of Administrators (CoA) chief Vinod Rai said last month that the Indian board was still seeking a ban on Pakistan. Talking about the performance of Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL, Sehwag credited captain M S Dhoni for bringing the best out of his team. "The leader should know he can make his colleagues put in hundred ...
Ganguly sits in Delhi Capitals dugout
Unperturbed by the debate around conflict of interest, Delhi Capitals advisor Sourav Ganguly on Friday sat in the 'visitors' dugout for their IPL match against hosts Kolkata Knight Riders here. Ganguly, who was seen in full flow, conducting training sessions as Delhi Capitals advisor, sat in the dugout during the IPL match at the Eden Gardens here. The former India captain had earlier clarified his stand on "conflict of interest" in his dual role as IPL franchise Delhi Capitals advisor while serving as the president of Cricket Association of Bengal. The BCCI ombudsman and ethics officer DK Jain had asked Ganguly to clear his stand on allegations of conflict of interest for his dual role as alleged by three cricket fans. "I don't know. I've not thought about it. I'm happy to be a part of Delhi Capitals and hopefully we can play well. I really never thought about it," Ganguly told the official TV channel. Earlier he had a close look a the 'green' 22 yards and gave fielding and catching .
Young innovator says robotics can help Indian cricketers
Sixteen-year-old innovator from Gujarat, Harshwardhansinh Zala, who has developed a drone that detects and detonates landmines, Friday said robots can be created for the benefit cricket players, which can predict which way the ball might turn. He said the technology can help the Indian cricket team to prepare themselves for the World Cup in a better way. Zala, who is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Aerobotics 7, was speaking at the ongoing Goa Fest here. "We can do that. We can work on sensors, which can see reflexes of player and probability where the ball can go," Zala, the designer of EAGLE A7 drone, said in response to a question whether robotics can help Indian cricket team in the World Cup. "So, we can definitely help the Indian cricket team," he said during an interaction with the delegates. Zala, who is currently a mentor in more than ten institutions, including IIT Bombay, has developed a prototype, which can detect the landmine and detonate without harming
Sakshi, Basumatary enter final; Pinki, Parveen settle for bronze
Reigning youth world champion Sakshi (57kg) and Pwilao Basumatary (64kg) Friday entered the final while Pinki Rani (51kg) and Parveen (60kg)settled for bronze medals after losing their semifinal bouts at the Cologne Boxing World Cup here. A prodigious talent, the 18-year-old Sakshi gave glimpses of her maturity and prowess by outpunching Thailand's Tintabthai Preedakamon in a commanding 5-0 victory. The two-time world youth champion faces 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Michaela Walsh from Ireland in the final. Basumatary had a different path to the summit clash in the 64kg. The Strandja Boxing Championships bronze medallist had to dig deep to see off the stiff challenge of Denmark's Aiaaja Ditte Frostholm in a split decision. The 26-year-old will take on China's Chengyu Yang in the final. India will have a chance of adding a third gold through Strandja Boxing gold medallist Maisnam, who has directly been placed in the final in 54kg due to a smaller draw. Maisnam will lock ...
Will fight for street kids: Dia Mirza
On International Street Children's Day on Friday, actress-activist Dia Mirza promised to fight for children who are deprived of basic necessities and rights.
EB extend Gomez's contract by two years
East Bengal on Friday handed a two-year contract extension to Spanish defender Borja Gomez. "East Bengal FC are pleased to announce the renewal of contract with Borja Gomez Perez for the next two seasons," the club said in a statement. The Madrid-born La-Liga stalwart, nick named as 'Senapati', is one of the key members and motivator for the team both on and off the field. "According to him, this is the best team and 'fans are the best in India'," the statement added. East Bengal, who narrowly missed the I-League title and finished runners-up behind Chennai City FC, are in the process of team building as they eye to be part of the Indian Super League next season. In their board meeting, they have already announced to bid for ISL if the terms are financially acceptable.
Inzamam, Boucher inducted as MCC Honorary Life Members
Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mark Boucher on Friday were inducted as the Honorary Life Members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). According the MCC website, Pakistan's Inzamam and South African Boucher have been included in recognition to their outstanding achievements in the game of cricket. Former Pakistan skipper and batsman Inzamam played 119 Test matches. He captained the side from 2001-07 and scored 8,829 runs at an average of 50.16, including 25 centuries. He made his international debut in 1991, featuring in Pakistan's successful 1992 World Cup campaign. He played in 378 ODIs, scoring 11,739 runs at an average of 39.5. After his retirement from international cricket in 2007, Inzamam had a stint as the head coach of Afghanistan team. He then became Pakistan's chief selector in 2016. The 49-year-old Inzamam has now joined fellow Pakistan cricketers -- Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shahid Afridi -- as an Honorary Life Member of MCC. Meanwhile, former South Africa ...
East Bengal hand Borja two-year contract extension
East Bengal on Friday announced in a statement the contract extension of Spanish defender Borja Gomez for the next two seasons.
Delhi win toss, ask KKR to bat first
Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to field against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an Indian Premier League game at the Eden Gardens here on Friday.
India needs more role models in tennis: Justine Henin
Tennis might not be the most popular sport in the country, but former World No. 1 Justine Henin wants to change that and create a sense of love for the game when she visits India later this the month.