Page 427 - Sports
Super Cup: FC Goa face a challenging Indian Arrows test
FC Goa will look to exorcise the ghost of the ISL final when they open their Super Cup campaign against a challenging young Indian Arrows side in a round of 16 match, here Saturday. Goa, who lost the ISL final to Bengaluru FC, will be eager to end the season with some silverware. On the other hand, the developmental side of All India Football Federation, Indian Arrows will be optimistic about their chances after an impressive show against Kerala Blasters in the qualifiers. This is the first time Goa and Arrows face each other in a competitive game. The two sides had earlier met in a pre-season friendly when a late winner from Princeton Rebello helped Goa to a 2-1 win. The I-League side is unbeaten in the last four games of the season and the youngsters will look to carry the momentum against the Gaurs. "We are playing against one of the best attacking teams in the country. It is definitely going to be a tough game. However, we are one of the top three teams when it comes to form. So, .
Dhawan should play natural attacking game: Ganguly
Delhi Capitals (DC) opener Shikhar Dhawan batted at the nets, took some throwdowns from head coach Ricky Ponting and finally had a long chat with advisor Sourav Ganguly before heading to the dressing room at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Friday.
Toss: Royals elect to bat first against Sunrisers
Rajasthan Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to bat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an Indian Premier League clash here on Friday.
Fantasy Sports, Game of Skills or Game of Chance?
The game of skill can never be compared to a game of chance.Maulik Shah director of Fan Super League (FSL) which is a sports Fantasy Gaming Application designed for working on Android, IOS and Web, said: "Game of skills always requires a deep acquaintance of the game and its players which means a person is always required to be updated with the latest stats of the players whom he is going to bank on while creating his fantasy team. So it is rightly termed as a 99 per cent game of skills and 1 per cent gut."Shah added: "Like many other apps FSL will operate on Android, iOS and www.fansuperleague.com web page as well. FSL wants to be a responsible fantasy gaming app for showcasing the talent of young children."Anto Binish Kaspar, Founder, and CEO of Roanuz Softwares Pvt Ltd, said, "Fantasy cricket is no different from investment in share market. In both cases, you bet on someone to whom you have no control. In both cases, the result is uncertain and your analytics skill helps you ...
Rajasthan win toss, elect to bat against Sunrisers
Rajasthan Royals captain Ajinya Rahane won the toss and elected to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an Indian Premier League match here Friday. Rajasthan have fielded an unchanged team, while Sunrisers have made two changes. Kane Williamson has returned to lead Sunrisers in place of Shakib Al Hasan, while Deepak Hooda made way for Shahbaz Nadeem. Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (C), David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul. Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Jos Buttler, Steven Smith, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tripathi, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni.
Nothing adverse in match referee's report on IPL umpiring howlers: Official
BCCI match referee Manu Nayyar has not submitted any adverse report against umpires Sundaram Ravi and C Nandan for their howlers during the IPL game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians, an official said Friday. An upset RCB skipper Virat Kohli had a word with errant umpire S Ravi, whose failure to sight a no ball by Lasith Malinga proved costly for the home team during its six run loss to the Mumbai Indians in Thursday's IPL encounter. It has been learnt that umpire Ravi had a word with the RCB skipper before leaving the premises and he did express his regret. "Nayyar's report is also not very critical," an IPL official privy to the discussion told PTI on condition of anonymity. "Virat was upset and told Ravi that this no ball cost them dearly. Ravi expressed his regret and admitted that he didn't take the right decision at that moment," he added. The official said that Nayyar's report is not critical as the errors are purely human, under pressure circumstances. He .
Indonesia to host Asean School Games 2019 in July
Students from Southeast Asian countries and regions will compete at the 2019 Asean School Games in July in Indonesia's Semarang city, the country's Youth and Sport Ministry announced on Friday.
Srikanth, Kashyap seal semifinal spots at India Open
Kidambi Srikanth and Parupalli Kashyap raised hopes of an Indian win after progressing to the men's singles semifinals at USD 350,000 India Open here Friday. Srikanth finally snapped his series of quarterfinal finishes, outwitting compatriot B Sai Praneeth 21-23 21-11 21-19 in a 62 minute duel, while Kashyap entered his first semifinals of a top-tier event (World Tour Super 500 or Superseries) in almost four years, beating Chinese Taipei's Wang Tzu Wei 21-16 21-11 in another quarterfinal clash. Srikanth had made eight quarterfinal finishes in last nine tournaments and the Indian didn't look to make the last eight after he lost the opening game narrowly and lagged 1-7 in the second. But a gritty Srikanth saved five game points after fighting back from 16-20 down before Praneeth staved off the challenge to take the opening game. Praneeth managed to grab a 7-1 lead to raise hopes of an upset but Srikanth came back strongly and took the match to the decider. In the third game, both the ...
Pat Cummins to return home from Pakistan series
Following the tradition of resting key players ahead of the World Cup, Australia's star pacer Pat Cummins will return home from here, missing the two remaining one-day internationals against Pakistan.
Russell needs freedom to express himself: Uthappa
Andre Russell plays an integral part in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) set up and batsman Robin Uthappa made no bones about the fact that Russell firing helps the cause of the team.
Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary clinch gold at Asian Airgun C'ship
Young pistol shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary picked up their second gold medals each as India continued their domination at the 12th Asian Airgun Championships in Taoyuan, Taipei on Friday.Manu won the 10m Air Pistol women's event on day three of competitions, while Saurabh bagged a team gold in the men's event.Abhishek Verma also won individual silver in the men's 10m Air Pistol, rounding off a profitable day for himself after the disappointments in the mixed events.The women's pistol team also won a bronze to further bolster India's tally to five gold, three silver and one bronze medal with half the competition still to go.Manu shot 575 out of 600 to qualify in second place and then was involved in a pitched battle with Shing Ho Ching of Hong Kong for most parts of the 24-shot final, before finishing stronger in the end stages. She shot a score of 239 to Shing's 237.9 while UAE's Wafa Alali settled for bronze.Shri Nivetha of India, who had also reached the final, finished
Slow wickets fine but rank turners doesn't serve purpose of T20: Uthappa
Slow wickets are fine but rank turners, like the one in the opening match of the ongoing Indian Premier League in Chennai, should not be laid for Twenty20 cricket, says Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Robin Uthappa. The opening game of the 12th edition of the IPL was a low-scoring affair with Royal Challengers Bangalore managing just 70 runs and Chennai Super Kings huffed and puffed before overhauling the target. Asked if, as a cricketer, he is fine with slow wickets, Uthappa said the format is such that it's better if runs are scored freely. "It's not conducive for viewership, T20 cricket is made for entertainment. It's competitive but you have to have a wider perspective of what's happening as well. You want it to be evenly balanced. Slow wicket is fine but rank turners, like Chennai are not conducive for T20 cricket, doesn't serve the purpose," said Uthappa ahead of KKR's clash against Delhi Capitals on Saturday. "Hopefully, the wickets are conducive for Twenty20 cricket. It's ...
India remain unbeaten, thumps Poland 10-0 in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
A clinical performance by India saw them beat Poland 10-0 in their last hockey round-robin league match of the 28th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia on Friday.The Manpreet Singh-led squad will take on Korea in the final on Saturday.Mandeep, the man of the match, with his contribution to India's scoreline became the highest goal-scorer in the tournament with a total of seven goals while Varun Kumar took his personal tally to five goals so far.India controlled the proceedings with a structured game executing their plans to perfection. The team earned an early 2-0 lead in the match through Vivek Sagar Prasad in the first minute and Sumit Kumar's seventh-minute goal which was well-assisted by forward Mandeep's backhand pass in the circle.The second quarter saw India strengthen their attack as they made space inside the striking circle. An in-form Sumit Kumar earned a penalty corner which was perfectly converted by drag-flicker Varun Kumar. The following minute saw Surender Kumar score ...
India thrash Poland 10-0 in Azlan Shah hockey
With their final berth already sealed, India toyed with Poland and thrashed them 10-0 in their final group stage game of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup here on Friday.
Mandhana, Poonam best placed Indians in Women's T20 rankings
India opener Smriti Madhana and leg spinner Poonam Yadav remained static at third and second spots respectively in the batting and bowling charts of the ICC Women T20 Players' Ranking released Friday. Mandhana, who was the stand-in captain in place of regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur in the three-match series against England, currently occupies the the third spot in the batting chart with 698 points behind New Zealand's Suzie Bates (767 points) and West Indies' Deandra Dottin (725 points). Young Jemimah Rodrigues continued to sit on the sixth spot while Harmanpreet, who missed the series against England owing to an ankle injury, is ranked 10th. England's middle-order batter Natalie Sciver and the opening pair of Danielle Wyatt and Tammy Beaumont all made notable gains in the rankings after their consistent performances in a recent 3-0 series win over Sri Lanka. Sciver has moved up one place to 13th spot in the list of batters after unbeaten scores of 49, 10 and 11 during the ...
Zenit manager Semak demands title focus
Russian Premier League table-toppers Zenit St Petersburg are hoping to make it four wins in as many meetings with Orenburg when they take on the promoted club on Sunday. Zenit are five points clear of second-placed CSKA Moscow with reigning champions Lokomotiv Moscow third, just one point further back. Zenit manager Sergei Semak has warned his men to take 10th-placed Orenburg seriously after watching his side struggle to a 1-1 draw in their last Premier League match at Spartak Moscow just before the international break. "We played well since the league resumed from the winter break but we've lost points in our last league game having just two days for recovery after an important Europa League encounter," Semak told Zenit's official site. "Now, after the break for the international duties we need to refocus completely on the domestic league as winning of the Russian title is now our top priority this season. We can't afford to lose points again." Semak also said he was hoping that ...
Kolkata cops use Ashwin's meme for traffic awareness
Although the MCC, cricket's lawmakers, have said that R. Ashwin's 'Mankad' incident was "not within the spirit of the game", Kolkata Police seem to have driven home a message using the incident which drew worldwide attention.
Miami Open: Karolina Pliskova beats Simona Halep, sets up final against Ashleigh Barty
Tennis player Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic advanced to the Miami Open final for the first time after overcoming Simona Halep of Romania on Friday.The number five seed defeated the number two seed in rain-plagued straight sets 7-5, 6-1."I think I played great the second set. I think [Halep] could maybe do a little bit better. Maybe she was, of course, frustrated about the first set where it didn't really go her way. I played some good shots, and it turned after the break. But, yeah, that's how it is, and I'm happy with my level," WTA quoted Pliskova. as saying after the match.The Czech will clash with number 12 seed Ashleigh Barty of Australia to claim her second title of the season following the Brisbane International in January."I think (Barty) has a completely different style than these girls which I played. She's also trying to go for some winners. She's a slice backhand, she's a good serve, so she can move pretty well on the court, so she understands the game well, I ...
Finch calls selecting World Cup squad 'Bloody hard'
Aaron Finch, Australia's limited-overs captain, has said that it will be 'bloody hard' to select a squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 as Steve Smith and David Warner are set to make their comeback following the end of their respective 12-month bans."It is bloody hard. No matter who misses out on the squad. Especially when the side is playing so well, it's going to be difficult. I will definitely have my views. Justin [Langer] and I, we talk all the time, every day, about selections and team make-ups, different scenarios and things like that," International Cricket Council (ICC) quoted Finch as saying.Finch, who is showing an impressive form, is leading Australia team and achieved recent successes against India and Pakistan. Whole Australian squad is showing a stunning form bringing Finch and Australian selectors in dilemma to pick up their squad for the forthcoming World Cup as they cannot afford to drop their most experienced players, Steve Smith and David ...
A lot happened in cricket world on March 29
Cricket has a long history and each day we witness records that were created in the past. March 29 is not an exception to that trend as we witnessed a lot on this day in the cricketing world.Sehwag became first Indian to score a triple-century in Test cricket: Former Indian batsman, Virendra Sehwag became the first Indian to score a 300+ runs, scoring 309 against Pakistan in Test Cricket on this date in 2004. Sehwag took to Twitter to call this date a 'special one' as he surpassed his gargantuan 309 after four years by scoring his career-best 319 against South Africa, fortuitously, on the same day.Australia clinched 2015 World Cup title: Australia, on 29 March 2015, clinched their fifth World Cup title, most number of titles by any country. Australia had won the premier contest four times before, howbeit this fifth World Cup title will be nonpareil for the team as they won it at home. New Zealand, who gave their first appearance in the World Cup final, posted a scanty target of ...