Page 411 - Sports
Arothe claims innocence, says would "never indulge" in such act
Former Indian women's cricket team coach Tushar Arothe on Wednesday claimed innocence a day after he was arrested and subsequently released on bail for allegedly betting on an IPL match. "This (cricket) is my bread and butter. Whatever I am today is because of cricket and I will never do such type of activity. Life mei ek paisa idhar-udhar nahi kiya hai (I have never cheated)," Arothe told PTI. The 52-year-old from Baroda was arrested on Monday before being given bail by the police, Vadodara Police Commissioner Anup Singh Gehlot told PTI on Tuesday. "Forget about doing it, I have never thought about it," the former batsman, who represented Baroda in 114 first-class games. Arothe and 18 others were arrested by the city Crime Branch for betting on the IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab played at Mohali, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Jaydeepsinh Jadeja of Vadodara Crime Branch. "Arothe is a former coach of the Indian women's cricket team. He was among the 19 ...
Tom Blundell- New Zealand's backup wicketkeeper in 2019 WC squad
Wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Blundell is the only surprise in New Zealand's squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, announced on Wednesday.The 28-year-old, who represents the Wellington team, has played two Tests and three T20Is for New Zealand. However, he is uncapped in the one-day format."He (coach Gary Stead called and) said 'congratulations, you've made the team' and it was a pretty special moment...I've played two Tests and three T20s and had a taste of international cricket. It's not a biggie. If I do get the chance, I'll enjoy the moment and, hopefully, it goes well," ICC quoted Blundell, as saying.Blundell made his international debut in a T20I against Bangladesh in January 2017. He got ODI call-up against Australia but did not get a chance to play. He then went onto register an unbeaten 107 on Test debut against West Indies.Blundell was also part of New Zealand squad for the Under 19 World Cup 2010. He played one match alongside Jimmy Neesham and Tom Latham, who have also ...
Malaysia Open: Sindhu, Srikanth advance, Prannoy out
Ace India shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the second round of the ongoing Malaysia Open while HS Prannoy's journey ended after losing his men's singles affair.
Shreyas Gopal dismisses Kohli, AB de Villiers, calls it one of the best moments
Rajasthan Royals succeeded in registering their first win in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) after they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday for which the credit goes to the exquisite spell by young Rajasthan Royals bowler Shreyas Gopal.The 25-year old said it was his one of the best moments as he was able to take wickets of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in a back-to-back overs. Gopal was brought to attack after powerplay and finished his spell with 3-12, helping his side to dominate over RCB."Getting Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the same match is like a dream for any youngster. It is one of the best moments of my cricketing career. Definitely one of [my] biggest moments in IPL cricket," Gopal said during the post-match conference."But then, any wicket is a big wicket. Obviously they come with so much name and so much of weight with them. It feels that much more better but I shouldn't be getting too ahead of myself and (I need to) calm myself down a little ...
Sindhu, Srikanth enter second round of Malaysia Open
Top Indian shuttlers P V Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the second round of the Malaysian Open World Tour Super 750 tournament here Wednesday. Olympic and world championship silver medallist Sindhu staved off a spirited challenge from World no 20 Aya Ohori 22-20 21-12 to record her sixth win over the Japanese, while India Open finalist Srikanth beat Indonesia's Ihsan Maulana Mustofa 21-18 21-16 in 38 minutes. Fifth seed Sindhu will now look to avenge her All England loss against Korea's Sung Ji Hyun, whom she faces next, while Srikanth will meet Thailand's Khosit Phetpradab Thursday. HS Prannoy, who had reached the quarterfinals last week at New Delhi, however, bowed out after losing 12-21 21-16 21-14 to Sitthikom Thammasin of Thailand following a hard-fought battle. With Sameer Verma too crashing out in the opening round, Srikanth is the only Indian in the fray in men's singles. Men's doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy, who had entered the semifinals in India ...
Skipper Kohli needs Dhoni as anchor: BCCI man
With Royal Challengers Bangalore losing their fourth successive game in this edition of the Indian Premier League, questions have been raised on skipper Virat Kohli and his tactical acumen by pundits. Interestingly, Kohli has lost the last seven games that he has captained in -- three ODIs against Australia and four T20s in the IPL. What makes matters worse is that he has not had former skipper M.S. Dhoni by his side in six of those seven.
Current team does not have 1983 World Cup squad: Kapil Dev
Former India captain Kapil Dev on Wednesday said the current team does not have the 1983 World Cup winning squad ahead of the June-July tournament in England."They don't have us, that's the difference," ESPNcricinfo quoted Kapil, who was at an event with some members of the 1983 squad including Kris Srikkanth, Syed Kirmani, and Roger Binny.There have been a lot of discussions about the number four in India's World Cup squad. However, the former captain believes the concept of batting positions does not apply in modern day cricket."I don't think anybody these days has numbers (fixed positions in the line-up) -- the need of the hour is more important. You can send MS Dhoni, or anybody. Number one to seven are all good enough to play there. One shouldn't get confused. Play like you want to win the match and don't go by the number. It should depend on the situation of the match," said Kapil.When asked whether Rishabh Pant can earn the number four spot, the 1983 World Cup winning captain ..
Lewandowski reveals his toughest opponents
Polish football star Robert Lewandowski - a player known for his thunderous strikes - revealed some of his toughest opponents to the German media on Wednesday.
Williamson to lead New Zealand in World Cup 2019
Kane Williamson will lead the 15-member New Zealand squad in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019, the country's cricket board announced on Wednesday.
ATK rope in Jobby Justin for 3 years
Former Indian Super League champions ATK on Wednesday announced the signing of East Bengal striker Jobby Justin on a three-year contract starting from June this year.
ATK rope in Jobby Justin
Former Indian Super League champions ATK on Wednesday announced the signing of East Bengal forward Jobby Justin for a three-year pre-contract, commencing June 2019. The 25-year-old from Kerala, who also plays as forward for the national team, had scored nine goals, the most by an Indian, in East Bengal's runners-up finish in the I-League. The ISL's Kolkata franchise also extended contracts of the Spanish duo of captain Manuel Lanzarote and Edu Garcia, along with Englishman John Johnson. ATK Squad: Foreign players: Manuel Lanzarote, John Johnson, Everton Santos, Andre Bikey-Amougou, Gerson Vieira, Edu Garca; Indians: Aiborlang Khongjee, Arnab Mondal, Ricky Lallawmawma, Komal Thatal, Avilash Paul, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Balwant Singh, Jayesh Rane, Pronay Halder, Hitesh Sharma, Pritam Kotal, Sena Ralte, Debjit Majumder, Ankit Mukherjee, Arindam Bhattacharya, Ashish Pradhan.
Barça play 4-4 draw with Villarreal
La Liga leaders FC Barcelona needed a pair of late goals to salvage a 4-4 draw with 17th-place Villarreal.
PokerBaazi launches redeemable free entry Poker Tournaments
PokerBaazi, India's most trusted online Poker platform is launching Free Entry Tournaments where players can participate in the game without paying an entry fee. Commencing on 1st April 19, these tournaments will take place every 10 minutes and will reward players with real cash.This is a great opportunity for all the poker enthusiasts, particularly beginners - to learn, enjoy and play the booming mind-sport without an investment on a platform that rewards your skills with real money.PokerBaazi has hosted many successful events including 'MoneyMaker' & amp; the 'GameChanger' - tournaments which made history by becoming India's biggest online poker tournament of all time. This time around, the focus is on providing opportunities to new players who can try their hand at the rapidly growing skill-game."PokerBaazi has always strived to be a user-friendly platform that engages players in various activities. That is the reason why we always try to come up with these events. With our ...
Taking ownership will be key against Malaysia: Indian women's hockey team coach
Indian women's hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne believes that self-discipline and taking ownership will be the key to success in the five-match bi-lateral series against Malaysia.India led by ace goalkeeper Savita will begin the campaign on Thursday."Always raising the bar is not easy, that demands discipline and taking responsibility. That ownership is again one of the main areas I would like to see our team improve. Our challenge is not our opponent but always ourselves," Marijne said."It is difficult to say how they play as we have not played against them in a while but the last time I saw Malaysia was during the Asian Games in Jakarta and that is a while ago. From what I saw there, they like to play long aerial balls and like to defend with a lot of passion," the coach said.The last time India met Malaysia in a big event was at the 2017 Asia Cup where they had beaten Malaysia 2-0 in the round robin league before winning the title in a tense final against China.The 2018 Women's ...
Arthur impressed with Ali and Hasnain, despite Australia clean-sweeps Pakistan
Australia thrashed Pakistan 5-0, in UAE, to register their first whitewash abroad since 2008, despite humiliating defeat Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur is happy to unearth a new batsman and a fast bowler.Pakistan rested seven players who will be in the Cricket World Cup squad due to which batsman Abid Ali and pacer Mohammad Hasnain were included in the squad and both used the opportunity to shine and impressed Arthur.Hasnain took only two wickets in three matches but Arthur is in all praise for the 18-year old saying that, "We've found a young quick bowler that's going to serve Pakistan well for the years to come."Ali made a stunning debut at age 31 and scored 112 in the fourth match but made a duck in the fifth ODI, yet Arthur is impressed with his attitude and work ethic, saying, "His attitude, his work ethic, the extra little bit of work he did through the tour was incredible, he's a hungry man who wants to play for Pakistan."Arthur has until April 23 to name his World Cup squad.
I've played my last game for England, says Cook on his comeback
Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook cleared the air around his comeback in the Ashes this year declaring that he has played his last game for England.The 34-year-old announced his retirement from international cricket in September last year. However, Cook teased about his comeback when he said 'never say never' on his possible return to England's Test outfit."I've played my last game for England," Cricket.com.au quoted Cook as saying."There's always that one thing if there's an absolute emergency or something but I'm nowhere near that mindset. I've had 12 amazing years playing for England. It's time for the next generation of top-order players to try and make their mark," he added.Cook called his cricket career an amazing journey. "I've had an amazing journey, I've loved it but towards the end I wasn't the player I was and things had to move on."The Ashes is scheduled to commence on August 1.
9stacks ropes Gopal Datt to cover #LFGVegas2.00
Known for always infusing a zing of fun in poker, 9stacks, India's fastest growing online poker company has announced its collaboration with popular web series actor and screenwriter Gopal Datt.Known for his work in films like Tere Naam, Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai and Filmistan, Datt shot to fame with Cyrus Broacha's The Week That Wasn't, TVF web series, Pitchers and multiple AIB sketches. Most recently, the actor was appreciated for his work in the highly praised Netflix series, Delhi Crime. He is also a poker enthusiast known for dabbling in the game whenever he gets a chance.Datt will be flying to the world poker capital, Las Vegas with the #9stacksTeamIndia contingent this year to cover the event for 9stacks, engage with players prior to the Vegas trip and will follow their journey in July."Gopal Datt and his trademark brand of humour are very relatable, refreshing and honest. He truly connects with the players and with his viewers and we believe that having him on board with us in ...
Kohli acknowledges RCB still searching for right combination
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli has conceded that his struggling team is yet to get the right balance and will continue experimenting with its combinations in the ongoing IPL. RCB are winless in the ongoing edition. They went down to Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets, their fourth successive loss, on Tuesday night. "This is a month-and-a-half or a couple of months maximum. You have to think of the best possible combination going forward. We will definitely sit down and consider talking about what we can do. What can we do to get the balance right," Kohli said after the match. "Hopefully get some fresh guys in and they can make some cracking match-winning performances for us and get the team going. That's an important factor: to think on our feet. Just focus on the best XI we can take on the park and be competitive every game," he added. Kohli said he is still hopeful of a turnaround. "We have 10 games to go. If we start turning things around pretty soon, then we can ...
Indian women's hockey team confident of taming Malaysia in 5-match series
High on confidence after a spate of good results, the Indian women's hockey team, led by ace goalkeeper Savita, will start as favourites in the five-match series against Malaysia beginning here on Thursday. The Indian team go into the series after a successful outing in Spain earlier this year, where it beat hosts and 2018 world cup bronze medallists, once (5-2), drew twice (1-1 and 2-2) and lost once (2-3). The Indian team had further improved its performance by holding last year's World Cup runners-up, Ireland to a 1-1 draw before registering a 3-0 win. "Always raising the bar is not easy, that demands discipline and taking responsibility. That ownership is again one of the main areas I would like to see our team improve. Our challenge is not our opponent but always ourselves," said Indian women's hockey team's chief coach Sjoerd Marijne. The last time India met Malaysia in a big event was at the 2017 Asia Cup, where it won 2-0 in the round robin league before winning the title in a
ICC to join hands with Interpol to fight corruption
The International Cricket Council (ICC) Wednesday said it has sought "closer working relations" with the Interpol, an organisation which facilitates worldwide police cooperation, to widen the scope of its fight against corruption in the sport. The cooperation was discussed during ICC Anti-Corruption Unit General Manger, Alex Marshall's visit the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France. "The ICC and Interpol are keen on working together and our meetings in Lyon last week were productive. The ICC has an excellent relationship with law enforcement agencies in a number of countries but working with Interpol means we are connecting with their 194 members," Marshall said in a media release. Marshall said the idea is to ensure that players are better educated about the corruptors and Interpol's vast network would be helpful in this. "Our focus is on education of players and prevention and disruption of corruptors. Where our enquiries reveal criminal offences have been committed, we will refer .