Page 450 - Sports
Madan Lal throws his weight behind Virat Kohli
Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal on Saturday extended his full-fledged support to Virat Kohli while disagreeing with Gautam Gambhir's comment on the Indian captain."I do not agree with this comment. I believe he won the biggest series in Australia, something like this has never happened in the history and he has continuously improved in his captaincy," Lal told ANI.Earlier, Gambhir had called Kohli 'very lucky' as his franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore, stood with him for the last seven-eight years even after the RCB did not manage to win even a single IPL title under his captaincy.The 68-year old eulogised the Indian skipper, saying that "Kohli has changed the concept of cricket with the passion he has brought to the game and the confidence he has given to his players." He further said Kohli has "just started and as he will play, he will gain more experience".The member of 1983 World Cup winning team also opined that India has a balanced team and can win the 2019 World Cup but ..
AFC U23 Qualifiers: India up for 'do-or-die' against Tajikistan
India U-23 will meet Tajikistan in a do-or-die fixture after shrugging off their first match loss against defending champions Uzbekistan.India and Tajikistan will lock horns on March 24. The match will kick-off at 5:30 pm (IST)."It's a very crucial game for us. It's more important given the current standing of the table," head coach Derrick Pereira said."You might say it's do-or-die for us. We'll surely try to put in our best performance and see what awaits us," he added.Looking back, Pereira felt "inexperience" cost the team. After fighting valiantly in the first 45 minutes, the Indian side eventually went down 0-3 against Uzbekistan."Uzbekistan were physically stronger and technically better than us. Our inexperience cost us the match. We have got two chances in the first half. Had we converted, we could have got an edge," he explained.Unlike other groups in the qualifiers, Group F comprises of only three teams which makes every single game hugely crucial in their pursuit of a berth
A good IPL will help me stay in rhythm for WC: Dhawan
He is back home and India opener Shikhar Dhawan is looking to make it a season worth remembering for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL). While the team has failed to rise to the challenge in the last couple of seasons, finishing at the bottom of the table, they have rejigged the squad and brought in a good mix of youth and experience.
IPL: Battle of equals as DC take on MI (Preview)
After a disappointing last season, three-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will be looking to start afresh when they take on Delhi Capitals in their opening game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 12 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.
AFC U-23: India in must-win situation vs Tajikistan
After a loss against defending champions Uzbekistan, the India Under-23 colts will be in a "do-or-die" situation against Tajikistan in the ongoing AFC U-23 Championship, here on Sunday.
Warner was with us in spirit last season: Yusuf
David Warner might not have been a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) last season, but for his teammates, it felt like he was constantly in touch with them throughout the season, experienced middle-order batsman Yusuf Pathan revealed on Saturday.
IPL 2019: Vaughan predicted orange and purple cap winners
Former England cricketer, Michael Vaughan has given his predictions on which player will be the leading run scorer and leading wicket-taker in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).The 44-year old predicted that Rishabh Pant will bag the orange cap and Kuldeep Yadav will earn the purple cap this season.The right-handed batsman put out his prediction on Twitter: "#NoBrainer ... @RishabPant777 leading scorer ... @imkuldeep18 leading Wicket taker ... @RCBTweets to win it !!!!!"Vaughan also predicted that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will win this edition of IPL. It may come as a shocker to many, as RCB has not won even a single IPL title before even after having a strong squad. But the English player has shown his confidence that Virat Kohli-led side will win their maiden IPL title.The much-anticipated IPL is set to begin today where the defending champion Chennai Super Kings will face RCB in the opener at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.
India start Azlan Shah campaign on positive note, beat Japan 2-0
India defeated Asian Games champion Japan 2-0 to start its campaign at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament on a positive note here Saturday. Varun Kumar converted a penalty corner in the 24th minute to hand India the lead before Simranjeet Singh (55th) scored a diving field goal from skipper Manpreet Singh's brilliant pass to secure full three points for the five-time champions. India will play Korea in their next league game on Sunday before taking on hosts Malaysia (March 26), Canada (March March 27) and Poland (March 29). The top two teams from the round robin league stage will play in the final on March 30. After a goalless first quarter, India slowly took control of the proceedings. Eight minutes into the second quarter, India won a penalty corner and Varun made no mistake in finding the back of the Japanese goal with a powerful dragflick. The Indian midfield manned by skipper Manpreet and Kothajit Singh stole the limelight by creating numerous scoring chances but the ...
French judges question PSG president in athletics corruption probe
The Qatari boss of top French soccer team PSG Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been questioned in France in connection with a corruption probe over the awarding to Doha of the World Athletics championships, a judicial source said Saturday. The source said Al-Khelaifi was questioned on Wednesday by investigating magistrates who termed him a "person of interest" as they examine a case which also looks at the circumstances in which the Olympic Games were awarded to Rio de Janeiro for 2016 and Tokyo for 2020. Al-Khelaifi's lawyer Francis Szpiner did not respond to an AFP request for comment. The magistrates were looking specifically at two payments of $3.5 million in 2011 by Oryx Qatar Sports Investment, a company jointly owned by Al-Khelaifi and his brother Khalid, to a sports marketing firm run by Papa Massata Diack. His father Lamine Diack was formerly president of the IAAF, the world athletics governing body, and a member of the International Olympic Committee. At the time, Qatar was seeking to
Pacquiao polls Twitter on who to fight next
Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao took to social media to poll millions of fans on who they think should be his next opponent, having brushed off calls to hang up his gloves after turning 40. "Who should I fight next?" the world's only eight-division champion asked in a Twitter survey that drew 27,380 votes after five hours and listed Floyd Mayweather, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter as the choices. The poll, also linked to Pacquiao's Facebook wall, has 18 more hours to run. It did not indicate how the voting had gone so far. Pacquiao, who has 2.51 million followers on Twitter and 11.76 million on Facebook, is known to have been angling for a rematch with Mayweather, who beat the Filipino on points in the world's richest prize fight in 2015. Pacquiao's decisive victory over American fighter Adrien Broner in January was supposed to have opened the door to that route. But the unbeaten Mayweather, officially retired, has been non-committal. Many Facebook users urged ...
Fantain ropes in Suresh Raina as brand ambassador
Fantasy Sports company -- 'Fantain has announced the signing of ace cricketer Suresh Raina as its brand ambassador.
Warner always an entertainer: Yusuf
Putting behind the embarrassing ball tampering crisis, David Warner would once again look to show his class before the fans, his Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate Yusuf Pathan said Saturday. The Aussie opener is back with the Orange Army after he was not allowed to play last year by the BCCI because of his involvement in ball tampering at the Captown Test in March 2018. "He is returning after a long time so many people will come to watch him play again. You may be a fan of SRH or not but everyone enjoys his style of batting. He is a very much entertainer on the field," Pathan told reporters at their team hotel. Warner has always been in the thick of things with SRH. He led by example with a staggering 848 runs and helped them win their maiden title in 2016 IPL. In 2017, he topped the run charts (641) and smashed a scintillating 59-ball 126 against Kolkata Knight Riders, against whom they open their campaign this season Sunday. "He has always been an entertainer. He always likes to play his
India beat Japan 2-0 in Azlan Shah Cup opener
India defeated Asian Games gold medallist Japan 2-0 to start their campaign at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament on a positive note here Saturday. Varun Kumar converted a penalty corner in the 24th minute to hand India the lead before Simranjeet Singh (55th) scored a diving field goal from skipper Manpreet Singh's brilliant pass to secure full three points for the five-time champions. India will play Korea in their next league game on Sunday before taking on hosts Malaysia (March 26), Canada (March March 27) and Poland (March 29). The top two teams from the round robin league stage will play in the final on March 30.
Super Cup saga continues as AIFF refuses to budge
The saga of the 2019 Super Cup just doesn't seem to end. While seven I-League clubs initially refused to play the tournament citing the step-motherly treatment from the All India Football Federation (AIFF), things took a positive turn when AIFF general secretary Kushal Das informed the clubs that president Praful Patel will meet them and discuss their problems.
India U-23 colts face Tajikistan in must-win match
India U-23 team will look to shrug off the first-match disappointment when it takes on Tajikistan in a "do-or-die" fixture here Sunday. The India colts had lost to defending champions Uzbekistan in the first match. "It's a very crucial game for us. It's more important given the current standing of the table," Head coach Derrick Pereira said. "You might say it's do-or-die for us. We'll surely try to put in our best performance and see what awaits us." After fighting valiantly in the first 45 minutes, the Indian boys eventually went down 0-3 against Uzbekistan. Looking back. Pereira feels 'inexperience' cost the team dearly. "Uzbekistan were physically stronger, and technically better than us. Our inexperience cost us the match. We have got two chances in the first half. Had we converted, we could have got an edge," he explained. Unlike other groups in the qualifiers, group F comprises of only three teams which makes every single game hugely crucial in their pursuit of a berth in the ...
Hockey India coaching education pathway launched
In an endeavour to train coaches and enable them meet the requirements of high international standards of hockey, the sports' governing body in India has launched an ambitious project -- Hockey India Coaching Education Pathway.The program aims to provide certification to those candidates who are already coaches or wish to pursue coaching as a career option. The program consists of a combination of web-based modules and face-to-face interactive courses, underpinned by a competency-based assessment process.Those candidates who successfully complete the Hockey India Level 0, Level 1 and Level 2 coaching courses will be eligible to enroll for the FIH Academy Level 1 Course provisionally scheduled during the FIH Men's Series Finals Bhubaneswar Odisha 2019.Emphasizing that the Hockey India Coaching Education Pathway could potentially revolutionise the sport and eventually help the team catapult to the top in world level, Hockey India President Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad said: "This program is ...
IPL: Tussle sees Royals players stuck outside stadium
Two days before the first game of the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, the stadium gates were locked as a result of a tussle between the Rajasthan sports council and the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA). The issue was resolved after talks between the RCA and the local sports council.
I'm scared of Kohli's anger: Pant
Known for his swashbuckling batting style, wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant says the one thing that scares him is the anger of India skipper Virat Kohli. "I am not scared of anyone but Virat bhaiya ke gusse se dar lagta hai (I'm scared of Virat Kohli's anger)," Pant said in a video posted by his IPL team, Delhi Capitals in their official website. "But if you are doing everything correctly, then why he (Kohli) should get angry. "But if you make a mistake and someone gets angry with you..it's good because you only learn from your mistakes," he added. Pant has played some dashing knocks in all three formats of the game and is set to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni once he retires. However, his wicket keeping skills have sometimes left skipper Kohli disappointed. Recently, Kohli was left fuming when Pant conceded a single while attempting a Dhoni-like stumping during the fourth ODI against Australia.
India lose to Uzbekistan in AFC U23 Qualifiers' opener
India suffered a 0-3 loss at the hands of defending champions Uzbekistan in the AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.Uzbek captain Islomjon Kobilov put the home team in front via a first-half penalty, before second-half substitute Bobir Abdixolikov netted twice in the last 10 minutes to take the game away from the Blue Tigers on Friday.India started creating chances early on, as Rahul KP was played through on the flank by Anwar Ali. The Keralite attacker put in a cross, but Daniel could not connect with it in time.However, Uzbekistan started pressing high up the pitch after the initial exchanges, and they got a good chance around the half-hour mark when Alijanov Ilkhomjon was played through inside the six-yard-box by Amonov Azizbek, but Vinit Rai stepped in with the crucial block.Uzbekistan laid the proverbial siege on India ahead of the half-time break, but the Indian defence held on for dear life, with Anwar Ali making some brave interceptions deep inside the ...
Blow for Mumbai Indians, Adam Milne pulls out
Mumbai Indians have lost another overseas fast bowler as Adam Milne of New Zealand pulled out of the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a swollen heel.This comes as a major blow in quick succession for the Mumbai-based franchise after Lasith Malinga opted to skip the first six matches of the IPL to fulfill the condition set by Sri Lanka Cricket to play in the domestic 50-overs competition in order to qualify for World Cup selection, ESPNcricinfo reported.Mumbai are keen on signing West Indies' Alzarri Joseph as a replacement. Moreover, as per IPL rules, the amount a franchise can pay the replacement player cannot exceed that paid to the original player. So any player that replaces Milne cannot be paid over 75 lakhs.Mumbai, with New Zealand's Mitchell McClenaghan and Ben Cutting of Australia as its two overseas fast bowlers, will meet Delhi Capitals in their opening fixture on March 24 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.