Page 463 - Sports
Prajnesh advances, Ramkumar bows out of Miami Masters qualifiers
In-form Prajnesh Gunneswaran has moved into the final qualifying round of the Miami Masters with a straight-set win but Ramkumar Ramanathan fell at the first hurdle, here. Prajnesh who reached the third round at the Indian Wells Masters after coming through qualifiers, got the better of Spain's Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 6-2 6-4 in the opening round. The 84th ranked Indian won five of the six break points he faced against world number 141 and broke his rival four times in the one hour and 14-minute match. He next faces British wild card Jay Clarke. It was curtains for Ramkumar, who lost 4-6 1-6 to Lorenzo Sonego, the Italian world number 106. Rohan Bopanna is the only Indian featuring in the doubles main draw, yet again partnering Canadian Denis Shapovalov.
Most embarrassing records in IPL so far
The Indian Premier League is the most popular T20 tournament in the world and every cricketer wants to be a part of this extravaganza. As the 12th edition of the tournament begins from March 23, here's a look at the most embarrassing records in the league over the years.Lowest Team Score in IPL: Royal Challengers Banglore who are widely regarded as the best-batting lineup in the tournament, scripted the worst ever team total in the history of the tournament. The team was bundled out for a paltry total of just 49 runs by the Kolkata Knight Riders in a group stage encounter in the 2017 edition at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.RCB were chasing a target of 132 runs, but no batsman was able to reach double figures and the team was bowled out under ten overs.Most extras bowled in a match: Deccan Chargers hold this record as they conceded the most number of extras (28) in a match against KKR in the year 2008.Most runs conceded in a spell: Basil Thampi holds this unwanted record as he conceded 70 ...
Lakshya, Riya break into top 100; Sindhu, Saina static in new badminton rankings
Young Indian shuttlers Lakshya Sen and Riya Mookerjee Tuesday broke into the top-100 to be placed 76th and 94th among men's and women's singles players in the latest world badminton rankings. In the latest BWF rankings, Lakshya made a massive jump of 28 places while Riya climbed up 19 spots. B Sai Praneeth, who stunned Olympic champion Chen Long before losing in the final of the Swiss Open against China's Shi Yuqi at Basel on last Sunday, also moved up three places to 19th. Kidambi Srikanth remained static and is the best placed Indian in the men's rankings at seventh, followed by Sameer Verma (14th), H S Prannoy (24th), Subhankar Dey (43rd), Parupalli Kashyap (48th), Ajay Jayram (52nd) and Sourav Verma (53rd). Japan's Kento Momota is the leading the men's chart followed by Yuqi and Chinese Taipei's Chou Tie Chen. In the women's singles rankings, P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal are static at sixth and ninth positions respectively. Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu Ying is topping the women's ...
All top five IPL scorers are Indian players
Indian Premier League (IPL) is just around the corner and fans have started supporting and comparing their favourite teams on the basis of previous seasons of the league.And IPL stats are something which come as a shocker to everybody. If we look at the list of "most runs" scored by an individual in the league, there are only Indian players among the top five positions with Suresh Raina holding the crown.Raina scored 4985 runs and is just 15 runs away from touching the gargantuan 5000-run mark. Whereas, Indian skipper, Virat Kohli clenched the second position with 4948 runs under his belt and is just 37 runs away from the apex position.Then comes the Hitman, Rohit Sharma, who is currently holding the third position with 4493 runs, followed by Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa who have 4217 and 4086 runs respectively.Nonetheless, Kohli still holds one record since 2016 and that is, scoring most number of runs (973) in one season of IPL.The IPL is set to begin on March 23 where Chennai ..
Spanish coach Enrique makes one change in squad
Spain's coach Luis Enrique has made one change in the squad for the Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Norway and Malta.
India loses tennis events due to closure of Pakistan's air space
The closure of Pakistan's air space in the aftermath of the Balakot air strikes has resulted in India losing the hosting rights of the junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup, a source in the national federation told PTI on Tuesday. A total of 16 Under-16 Davis Cup teams, including Pakistan, were to travel to India for the annual competition, often dubbed as the World Cup of tennis. The junior Davis Cup was to be held at the DLTA complex from April 8-13 while the Fed cup matches were scheduled from April 15-20. "Pakistan's air space was locked down at that time and airports (in India) were also on high alert. No one knew for how long the uncertain situation will prevail. So, a consensus emerged that it's best to shift the venue and India could host tournaments in future," a highly-placed source told PTI. Both the competitions will now be held in Bangkok, Thailand. The tensions between the two neighbours heightened after the Pulwama terror attack in which more than 40 CRPF personnel were killed. .
Have 'no opinion' on Gambhir's 'conditional ban' against Pakistan: Ganguly
New Delhi [India], Mar 19 (ANI): Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday said he has "no opinion" on Gautam Gambhir's comment on "conditional bans" against Pakistan.Gambhir recently opined that the BCCI should either snap all cricketing ties with Pakistan or engage at every level after the Pulwama attack, which killed over 40 CRPF personnel. Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed responsibility for the attack."It's his [Gambhir's] opinion and to be honest I don't have an opinion on this [boycott of Pakistan at World Cup]," said Ganguly.The former captain added, "I don't know how they [BCCI] will avoid."India will start their World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5 at Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, England.On being asked whether India will be his favourite team in the upcoming tournament, the former captain said that he does not believe in such tags.However, he pointed out that "this team is extremely talented"."Although I don't believe in ...
I am 100 pc committed to being the best coach of Delhi Capitals: Ponting
Ricky Ponting, coach of Delhi Capitals, on Tuesday made his priorities clear, stating that his "role with the Australian team does not start until the end of the IPL." "I am 100 per cent committed to being the best coach of Delhi Capitals," he said.During a press conference here, Ponting said that IPL was his prime concern at the moment. "My role with the Australian team does not start until the end of the IPL," he said.Former Australia player further said: "It is very minimal what I am doing around the Australian team. I am 100 per cent focused and committed to being the best coach of the Delhi Capitals."Talking about Australia's World Cup squad he said that he would be surprised if Khawaja is not in the squad.As the banned duo, Steve Smith and David Warner, are ready to make a comeback and having so many competent players in the queue for the World Cup squad, the 44-year-old said that "It is going to be a tough job for the Australian selectors... Thankfully I am not the selector ...
Kohli retains number one ICC Test ranking
Virat Kohli has retained the number one position in the latest ICC Test batsman rankings.Indian skipper Kohli, who bagged the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award, has been having a phenomenal run in the Test format and he has a total of 922 points.Cheteshwar Pujara has also retained the number three position on the Test batsman rankings after a tremendous series against Australia. The batsman has 881 points.Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin are the only Indian bowlers to feature in the top ten of ICC Test bowler rankings. Jadeja holds the six position whereas Ashwin figures in the tenth place.India is the number one team in the Test format, closely followed by New Zealand who are at the number two position.Afghanistan scripted history on Monday when they defeated Ireland by seven wickets in a one-off Test match. Their batsman Rahmat Shah has advanced 88 places to reach the 89th position in the rankings after scoring 98 and 76 in the match.The player is now the highest-ranked ...
Tickets for 2019 World Cup to go on sale from March 21
The tickets for the ICC Cricket World Cup will be available for sale from Thursday, March 21. The International Cricket Council (ICC) said that a range of tickets will be up for general sale on the official CWC19 ticketing website."The tickets will be sold on the official ticketing website on a first-come, first-serve basis, ICC said in a statement.The Council also revealed that this year's World Cup is seeing massive demand for tickets as they have already got over 3 million applications for approximately 800,000 seats.Tickets across all competing teams and venues are included with limited numbers for some of the most exclusive matches, such as those featuring the hosts England and popular competing teams such as India, Pakistan and Australia.Ticket buyers have also been issued an advisory to only buy tickets from official ticket sellers for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019.The hosts England will be taking on South Africa in the opening match of the World Cup on May 30.
Hardik's workload needs to be monitored: Zaheer Khan
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan, a master in injury management during the later part of his playing career, feels that Hardik Pandya's workload should be monitored since he has had recurring lower back injuries. In the last six months, Pandya has had two breakdowns with recurring back-injury which ruled him out of the Asia Cup last September and out of the home series against Australia earlier this month. "When I saw him during Asia Cup, I was very concerned with kind of signs I saw on the field. But when I spoke to him (Hardik), I found out it's not a problem which he has faced for the first time. That's something which should be worked on because three or four years ago he had a similar kind of issue with the back," Zaheer, who is MUmbai Indians' Director of Cricket, said during a media conference. Zaheer has observed that Hardik's injury is about the impact on the follow-through which has caused him problems. "It is related to what he feels when he is getting off through the crease
Japan's Olympic chief to step down
The president of the Japanese Olympic Committee said he will step down, two months after French authorities said they were investigating whether he sanctioned bribes to help Tokyo win the 2020 Olympic Games.
8-city IPL 2019 trophy tour begins, fans have fun
To bring fans closer to the Indian Premier League (IPL), broadcaster Star Sports has collaborated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to make the upcoming edition interesting for fans with an artificial intelligence-powered training installation that is being developed by Google.
Workload management: Rohit, Zaheer tell players to 'listen' to their bodies
Offering an advice to the World Cup-bound India players living out of their suitcase for months, opener Rohit Sharma and former pace spearhead Zaheer Khan Tuesday said: "listen to your body". The suggestion came amid a debate around the workload management of players, now gearing up for a gruelling Indian Premier League, which will end barely days before the ICC showpiece begins in the United Kingdom on May 30. "It's going to be challenging as always. We have been on the road for last three or four years. We have played a lot of back to back cricket. It depends on individuals. You should always listen to your body," Rohit said. Rohit is leading the Mumbai Indians in the IPL with Zaheer being the team's Director of cricket operations. "Yes, the World Cup is our priority. The IPL is also one of the biggest tournaments in the world. That is our priority as well. Keeping everything in mind we would take a decision collectively (on workload factor) on each individual," the swashbuckling ..
Wrestler Ritu Phogat dropped from TOPS
Wrestler Ritu Phogat, youngest of the celebrated "Phogat Sisters", was on Tuesday dropped from the government's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) after she decided to shift her loyalty to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). The Sports Authority of India (SAI) decided to axe Ritu from the TOPS programme after the young wrestler made herself unavailable for 2020 Tokyo Olympics and decided to try her luck in MMA in Singapore. "Wrestler Ritu Phogat who had earlier been inducted into the TOPS scheme, has been excluded from the scheme since she will not be participating in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, on account of her shifting to Singapore to train for Mixed Martial Arts," the SAI said in a statement. Ritu, who has a gold in Commonwealth Wrestling besides a bronze in Asian Championships, is the youngest sister of Geeta and Babita Phogat, on whom the Aamir Khan-starrer Bollywood movie 'Dangal' was made. Among other decisions taken at a meeting, which was also attended by SAI Director General Neelam ...
We have various options in all three aspects of game: Ponting
Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting Tuesday said that his franchise has enough depth to excel in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The former Australia skipper who has been serving as the head coach of the Delhi-based franchise since last season, insisted that reshuffle in the squad during the IPL auction earlier this year would help the team to have a successful season. "I think we have various options when it comes to all three aspects of the game. We have great Indian batters in the team, and have managed to pick a few all-rounders. Our spin department also has variety and the pace-attack looks very complete. In IPL, you do need to have great flexibility and we have players who can play in different positions," said Ponting. "We have had a reshuffle in all departments in the IPL Auction this time around, and with the support of our owners, we have managed to get on board several quality players in the team. "Our aim is to win the IPL, and if we can manage the ..
Arjun should find reason to wake up every morning and chase his dreams: Sachin Tendulkar
Arjun Tendulkar already knows the pressures of having a famous surname but Sachin Tendulkar wants his budding cricketer son to find "reasons to wake up every morning and chase his dreams" irrespective of the circumstances. Arjun, a left-arm fast bowler, played two U-19 Tests for India last year and has been followed closely since the time he made his Mumbai U-19 debut. With the second edition of 'T20 Mumbai' set to be his first senior appearance, the legendary father knows very well that his son's performance would be watched. Asked if T20s are a good way to start at the senior level compared to the traditional days format, Tendulkar said it's an opportunity that Arjun needs to grab. "In sports, nothing is guaranteed so whatever opportunities you are provided, you need to go out there and give your best and make the most of it," Tendulkar Senior, who has refrained from commenting on his son's journey, told PTI in an interview. "This is one platform that I feel people will be following
5 talented IPL debutants to watch out for this year
The Indian Premier League (IPL) that features a host of top stars has thrown up several promising youngsters.
Coach Jorge Costa gets extension at Mumbai City FC
Mumbai City FC coach Jorge Costa has got an extension after guiding the team to the Indian Super League (ISL) semifinals. As of now, the Portuguese coach will nurture the side for one more season, with an eye on the ISL finals and eventually the title, a statement said.
FIH to do away with Hockey Series events after 2019
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) will do away with its Hockey Series events after this year to enable its member associations to focus more on continental qualifiers and championships, the game's governing body said Tuesday. Insisting that the inaugural edition of the ongoing FIH Pro League has been a success, the world body said it will stop the Hockey Series events, which also serve as World Cup and Olympic qualifiers, after this year. Instead, the world body has decided to give more emphasis on continental tournaments for qualifications in big events like the World Cup and Olympics. The decision was taken at the FIH Executive Board's first meeting of the year on March 15 and 16 at its headquarters here under the chairmanship of its President Narinder Batra. "The FIH Series events will be discontinued after 2019, allowing National Associations to focus on participation in continental qualifiers and championships," the FIH said in a statement. "The FIH will review the World .