Page 412 - Sports
In-form SRH hold edge against erratic DC (Preview)
In a format like the Indian Premier League, momentum plays an important role. While a team on a roll can make the impossible look regular, teams which haven't managed to hit the right note can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Going into match 16 of the league, while Sunrisers Hyderabad are definitely on a roll, Delhi Capitals need to buck up.
Dismissing Kohli and AB best moment of my cricketing career, say Shreyas Gopal
Claiming the coveted wickets of Virat Kohli and South African run-machine AB De Villiers was the best moment of my cricketing career, says young Rajasthan Royals spinner Shreyas Gopal. The leg-spinner took 3 wickets for 12 runs in his magical four-over spell, which helped Rajasthan Royals secure their first win of the season, a seven-wicket victory over struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday night. "Getting Virat Kohli and AB Villiers in same match is a dream for any youngster. It is the best moment of my cricketing career and definitely one of biggest moments of my IPL cricket," Shreyas said at the post match conference here. "Any wicket is a big wicket but obviously these two are big names so it feels that much more better. But I feel I shouldn't be getting ahead of myself and stay calm," he added. The 25-year-old said that it was hard to devise a plan against batsmen of Kohli and De Villiers' stature. "Honestly, I feel it is hard to plan a dismissal for batsmen like them
We're running out of time, need to win small moments: RCB bowling coach Nehra
Royal Challengers Bangalore is fast "running out of time" and needs to win the "small moments" to reverse its fortunes in the ongoing Indian Premier League, feels the team's bowling coach Ashish Nehra. RCB lost by seven wickets to Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday night for their fourth consecutive loss in the tournament. The Virat Kohli-led side is yet to open its account and has just 10 games in hand to turn things around in the tournament. "If you keep winning small moments then only you will win matches. The only problem for us is that we are running out of time as there are only 14 games," Nehra told reporters here after the match. The former India left-arm pacer, however, said the RCB will find its mojo if its wins a few close encounters. "If you win two close encounters, you will have two wins and two loses, which is fine. There is not much of a difference between the top and bottom teams. In this tournament, we have seen teams needing six wins to qualify and they qualify and go on ..
AFC Olympic Qualifiers: Indian eves to face mental litmus test against Indonesia
Indian women's football team head coach Maymol Rocky dubbed the AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 opening match against Indonesia as a mental litmus test for the team.The match will kick-off on April 3 at 2 pm (IST)."The stakes are incredibly high and it will be a litmus test for us mentally. We need to be mentally strong, and aggressive. Every team will want to start the Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 with a win, and so do we," Maymol said."A win in the first match will put us in a good position for qualification, which we are aiming for. We'd played two friendly matches against Indonesia in January, and they (Indonesia) showed that they can be tough opponents," she said.India have played 14 international matches before coming to Myanmar, including two matches against Indonesia where India won 3-0, and 2-0 in Jakarta in January 2019."The fact that we'd won the two matches makes it harder for us mentally. We cannot underestimate them, and take it for granted that we shall beat them this time
New Zealand name World Cup squad, Ross Taylor to appear fourth time
Ross Taylor is set to become the seventh Kiwi cricketer to play fourth World Cup as New Zeland announced its squad for the 50-over tournament.For skipper Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and Martin Guptill it will be their third appearance.Trent Boult, Matt Henry and speedster Lockie Ferguson round off the pace-bowlers with Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi selected as the spinners.Colin de Grandhomme and Jimmy Neesham have claimed the seam-bowling all-rounders spots, while Nicholls and Colin Munro are the other specialist batsmen.Tom Latham will continue as the first-choice wicket-keeper with Wellington's Tom Blundell named as the back-up keeper."As with any squad named for a major tournament, there's had to be some tough calls and there will be some disappointed players. The key for us was finding the right balance for the squad and making sure we had our bases covered for what is going to be a very competitive World Cup," Coach Gary Stead said."As a one-day unit, we've been pretty ...
Water woes to 'Mankading': IPL controversies (Part 3)
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has attracted controversies as much as it has provided a platform for cricketers from across the globe to showcase their talents. If Virat Kohli stole the show with back to back hundreds in the 2017 season to help RCB qualify for the play-offs, the 2018 edition saw the Cauvery Water dispute forcing Chennai Super Kings to move their base from Chennai to Pune.
Things look really bad but we can turn things around: Kohli
Royal Challengers Bangalore are yet to register their first win in the ongoing Indian Premier League and skipper Virat Kohli admitted that they are in a "bad" shape, but is confident of turning things around going forward in the tournament. RCB's win-less streak continues as they suffered their fourth consecutive loss in this year's IPL, but Kohli took solace from the fact that they dragged the game against Rajasthan Royals deep and also hinted at making changes in the side to get the right combination for upcoming matches. RCB managed 158 for 4 on a difficult wicket, a target which Rajasthan chased down with one ball to spare by losing just three wickets. "The team hasn't gone off to a good start, and these things look really bad. But we have to keep believing that we can turn things around. We played well in Mumbai and here, but we need to improve. We need to take some confidence," Kohli said Tuesday night. "The tournament isn't so long, so you need to think on your feet on what the
Purple cap would have felt better if we won: Chahal
Although Shreyas Gopal stole the show with three key Royal Challengers Bangalore wickets, India and RCB leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal did not disappoint either, as he dismissed both Rajasthan Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Buttler to finish with figures of 2/17 from his four overs.
Spurs must act big in new stadium says Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino has urged his Tottenham chiefs to think big in the transfer market as they prepare to open their expensive new stadium. With the new 62,062-seat abode set to be used for the first time in the Premier League when Crystal Palace visit on Wednesday, Tottenham have laid the foundations for the club's future. The swanky stadium and their superb training ground give Tottenham among the best infrastructure in Europe. But that is not matched by their investment in a squad which is in danger of failing to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League after five games without a win. While they splashed out ?1 billion ($1.3 billion) for the stadium due to escalating building costs, Tottenham have gone through the last two transfer windows without making a signing and their wage bill is nothing like their other top-four rivals. On the eve of Tottenham's return home, Pochettino delivered a message for chairman Daniel Levy that echoed the one he made at the end of last season, .
New Zealand name untested Blundell in World Cup squad
New Zealand opted for experience in a 15-man squad named Wednesday for this year's cricket World Cup, with rookie Tom Blundell's inclusion as back-up wicketkeeper the only real surprise. The Black Caps hope to shed their tag as valiant losers and claim the title after exiting in the semi-finals six times and suffering a heavy defeat to Australia in their only appearance in the final four years ago. New Zealand are currently third in the one-day rankings, behind England and India. Coach Gary Stead said the Kane Williamson-led side had repeatedly excelled at the top level and he was confident the consistency would shine through at the tournament in England and Wales. "We've got a squad here of 15 players that we think can give us a really, really good chance of going far into the tournament," he said. "If we play close to our potential, then hopefully we can do New Zealand proud." Wellington keeper Blundell was selected after Tim Siefert, the regular back-up to first-choice gloveman Tom
'You can reach 1,000 goals', Pele tells Mbappe
Football legend Pele told Kylian Mbappe on Tuesday that he believes the French World Cup winner can emulate his own achievement of scoring 1,000 career goals. The 78-year-old Brazilian claims to have netted over 1,000 goals in his career, while Mbappe has so far managed 103 in total, with 92 of those coming at the top level. "It's possible, I scored exactly 1,025, so 1,000 goals is possible for him," Pele told AFP in Paris, where he met Mbappe at a sponsor event for Hublot watches. Mbappe, who last year became only the second teenager to score in a World Cup final after Pele in France's 4-2 victory over Croatia, played down Pele's comments. "I think that even if we count the goals on inter-city pitches and goals on the PlayStation, I won't be able to reach the 1,000-goal mark," said the 20-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward. "We will try to get as close as we can, but I think I'll be a long way off it at the end of my career." Mbappe has scored 32 goals in all competitions for PSG ..
Late Halstenberg penalty snatches dramatic German Cup win for Leipzig
Marcel Halstenberg's last-gasp penalty saw RB Leipzig snatch a 2-1 victory over Augsburg in a nerve-shattering German Cup quarter-final tie on Tuesday. After Alfred Finnbogason's equaliser had rescued Augsburg in injury time of normal time, Halstenberg restored the lead in injury time of extra time to send Leipzig into the first German Cup semi-final of their history. The hosts held Leipzig at bay for long periods and looked dangerous themselves until a momentary lapse in concentration allowed Werner to break away and slot in the opener on 74 minutes. Leipzig were left shellshocked, however, when Finnbogason snatched an equaliser four minutes into injury time. Yet it was Leipzig who had the last laugh in a jaw-dropping game, as Michael Gregoritsch's late handball in the box broke Augsburg hearts and gifted Leipzig victory. Leipzig will be joined in the last four by Hamburg, who beat Paderborn 2-0 earlier in the evening. Hamburg striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga continued his fine scoring
Guardiola puts quadruple talk aside
Pep Guardiola wants to put talk of a historic quadruple to one side as Manchester City embark upon a season-defining month. They have eight matches in April, which begin on Wednesday with a Premier League clash with struggling Cardiff at the Etihad Stadium. Victory over Cardiff will enable City to leapfrog Liverpool and go one point clear at the top as they try to retain the title. Then attention will turn to the FA Cup semi-final with Brighton at Wembley on Saturday before the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Tottenham next Tuesday. The games are coming thick and fast and a single defeat could be fatal for their hopes of doing a clean sweep. Guardiola is a keen student of the game and he recognises the enormity of what his players are trying to achieve. "From my experience why should you play for the quadruple when it has never happened in this country?" he said. "Legendary teams like Liverpool in the 1980s, Sir Alex Ferguson's period at Manchester United, ...
Kean on target for Juve despite racist abuse in Cagliari
Rising Italy star Moise Kean was targeted by racist abuse after he continued his goal-scoring spree to push Juventus closer to an eighth consecutive Serie A title on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Cagliari. Kean, 19, slotted in his fourth goal in as many league games in the 85th minute after defender Leonardo Bonucci nodded in the opener on 22 minutes in Sardinia. The youngster's celebration after scoring, however, infuriated the Sardinian crowd who had jeered the teenager throughout after he was booked for diving in the first half. During the match, Kean, along with his French teammate Blaise Matuidi and Brazilian Alex Sandro, had been targeted by monkey noises, but these increased in intensity after the second goal. Kean celebrated with his hands outstretched in front of the Cagliari fans after scoring. But Bonucci claimed that Kean should not have provoked the home supporters and said his teammate was partly to blame for the unsavoury scenes. "Kean knows that when he scores a goal, he
United have no margin for error, admits Solskjaer
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted Manchester United have no further margin for error in their bid to secure a top-four finish after a damaging 2-1 defeat against Wolves on Tuesday. Ashley Young's needless dismissal and Chris Smalling's farcical own goal were the low points of a disappointing evening for Solskjaer's side at Molineux. United had been set a target of 15 points from their remaining seven games by the manager before their visit to Molineux. That total is now 15 points from six matches, with games to come against both Manchester City and Chelsea at Old Trafford, a target which Solskjaer admits leaves no room for mistakes. "I'm as confident as I was three hours ago," joked Solskjaer after the defeat. "I said we need 15 points from our last seven games and now we need 15 from our last six. "It's difficult but then again, we're a very good team and it's going to be difficult for anybody who plays against us. "This was a tough game but a performance that deserved a win." Scott ...
Genesio future unclear as Lyon lose in French Cup
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas said he will wait until the end of the season to decide the future of coach Bruno Genesio following Tuesday's 3-2 defeat at home to Rennes in the French Cup semi-finals. Rennes twice led at the Groupama Stadium through goals from Mbaye Niang and Benjamin Andre, but Lyon hit back with a Bertrand Traore goal and Moussa Dembele penalty. Algeria defender Ramy Bensebaini drilled home the winner for Rennes on 81 minutes to send his side through to the final and a possible showdown with holders Paris Saint-Germain. Bensebaini's strike allowed Rennes to avenge Friday's 1-0 league defeat by Lyon and denied Genesio's side the chance to claim their first silverware since lifting the trophy in 2012. "It was agreed that if we were in the final -- which is no longer the case -- and if we were in the top three, there would be a two-year extension," Aulas said afterwards. "The deal that was reached with Bruno is that there will not be a contract renewal between now ...
'We showed we want to win this league', says Suarez after Barca comeback
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez led Barcelona to a stunning comeback against Villarreal on Tuesday and may have ensured there will be no return for Atletico Madrid in La Liga's title race. Atletico play Barca at the Camp Nou on Saturday and were given fresh hope of a resurgence when struggling Villarreal, inspired by the brilliant Santi Cazorla, led the Catalans 4-2 going into the final minute. But Messi, who had started on the bench, drove in a free-kick in the 90th and in the 93rd, Suarez fired in a devastating half-volley to earn Barca a 4-4 draw and an unlikely point. Combined with Atletico's earlier 2-0 victory over Girona, the result means the gap at the top is reduced to eight points ahead of this weekend's top of the table meeting but Ernesto Valverde's side celebrated Suarez's goal like it was a winner. "In the end it is only a point but there is a certain feeling after coming back from two goals down in the last minute," Valverde said. Cazorla, meanwhile, sank to his knees, a ..
I was lucky to dismiss Kohli and de Villiers: Gopal
His figures of 3/12 from four overs turned the game in Rajasthan Royals' favour and spinner Shreyas Gopal feels just extra fortunate that those three wickets were none other than Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli, star batsman AB de Villiers and young sensation Shimron Hetmyer.
We have 10 games to turn things around: Kohli
They are supposed to have one of the best batting units in the competition, but Royal Challengers Bangalore once again failed to put up a good show as they lost to Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets. While the win put RR's campaign on track after they lost the first three games, RCB are yet to win a game and skipper Virat Kohli feels that the team needs to put up a better show going forward.
IPL: Royals ride Gopal, Buttler show to beat RCB
Jos Buttler and Steve Smith made sure Shreyas Gopal's valiant effort with the ball did not go in vain, as Rajasthan Royals beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by seven wickets in their IPL game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Tuesday.