Page 483 - Sports
Clear about our playing XI going into World Cup: Kohli
New Delhi [India], Mar 14 (ANI): Australia outplayed India on Wednesday by 35 runs in the final ODI of the five-match series that they won 3-2 in New Delhi.Despite the defeat, captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday said the Indian team management is clear about their "playing XI" going into the World Cup as only one slot is up for grabs."We are sorted combination. We know our playing XI is going into the World Cup. There will be just one change based on condition," Kohli said at the post-match press conference."When Hardik Pandya will come back, he will give depth in batting and open up options in bowling. We know where we are going. We are clear about our playing XI. Now, it's about giving guys their roles and expect them to stand up. Maybe there's just one spot we've to discuss," he said.On being asked about giving a chance to rookies, the captain said it was part of the idea and he will not use it as an excuse for India's defeat in the five-match series."Last three games, the idea was ..
Kotla scoreboard error, Cricket Australia wonders about 'new players'
New Delhi [India], Mar 14 (ANI): If the manual scoreboard at Feroz Shah Kotla is to be believed, a couple of new players are debuting for Australia at the ODI match against India- Commins and Mexwell!Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, maintained by the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), on Wednesday displayed incorrect spellings of Australian players on its manual scoreboard during the fifth one-day international (ODI) match against India.Pat Cummins, who returned in the squad, was spelt 'Commins', while Glenn Maxwell was written as 'Mexwell'.Meanwhile, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner and Jhye Richardson, who all were in the playing XI, were replaced with D'Arcy Short, Andrew Tye and Jason Behrendorff on the scoreboard.Wondering about the 'debuting' players, Cricket Australia took Twitter to ask about the identity of two Australia cricketers who were making their debuts in the deciding game."Couple new players debuting for the Aussies?" CA wrote.Defending a target of 273 runs, ...
After BCCI complaint, police files case in Rs 80 lakh fraud over selection in Ranji teams
Three aspiring Delhi cricketers had allegedly paid Rs 80 lakh on the promise that they would be selected in the Ranji Trophy teams of three states, but were instead given fake selection letters, a case regarding which has been lodged after cricket board BCCI filed a police complaint, officials said Wednesday. The case of cheating was registered after BCCI's regional integrity manager of its Anti Corruption Unit Anshuman Upadhyay stated that they have received three complaints from Kanishk Gaur and Kishan Attri of Rohini and Shivam Sharma from Gurgaon. They were allegedly duped of Rs 80 lakh on the pretext of getting them selected in the Ranji Trophy teams of Nagaland, Manipur and Jharkhand, police said. Gaur told police that he was approached by a cricket coach last year who offered him to play in the Ranji Trophy team of Nagaland as a guest player, a senior police officer said. He later called him to meet the official coach of the Nagaland cricket team and some members of their ...
Dey enters second round of Swiss Open badminton
India's Subhankar Dey beat qualifier Lucas Claerbout of France in straight games to advance to the second round of Swiss Open badminton tournament here Wednesday. Dey beat 21-19 21-17 in a 48-minute match to set up a second round clash against fifth seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia. However, in the women's singles, India's Vrushali Gummadi lost 12-21 23-21 17-21 to Kristin Kuuba of Estonia in her first round match. In the men's doubles, the Indian pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy also lost to German duo of David Duagaard and Federik Sogaard 21-18 17-21 10-21.
Ashes urn set for rare Australia visit
The Ashes urn will make its first journey to Australia in 12 years later this year when it is displayed in the State Library Victoria in Melbourne, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) announced Wednesday. The urn, which traditionally resides in the MCC museum at its Lord's ground headquarters, regardless of the result of an England-Australia Test series, will be on display in the Library's 'Velvet, Iron, Ashes' exhibition from December 2019 until February 2020. By then the latest Ashes series between Test cricket's oldest rivals will have been completed, with England staging a five-match series from August 1 to September 16 as they look to atone for a 4-0 away drubbing in 2017/18. This will be only the third time the urn has travelled to Australia; it was exhibited for less than a week during the country's 1988 Bicentennial celebrations and visited six cities in three months during the 2006/07 Ashes series. England and Australia played what is now considered to be the first men's cricket ...
Udana lifts Sri Lankan gloom
Tailender Isuru Udana hit a rapid half-century to lift a poor Sri Lankan batting performance in the fourth one-day international against South Africa at St George's Park on Wednesday. Batting at number nine, Udana hit 78 in a Sri Lankan total of 189. Sri Lanka, trailing 3-0 in the five-match series, faced humiliation when Udana walked in with his team reeling at 97 for seven after being sent in on what looked a good batting pitch. But Udana, who has hit two centuries in first-class cricket, struck the ball cleanly in a 57-ball innings which included seven fours and four sixes. Udana was particularly severe on fast bowler Anrich Nortje, one of the main destroyers in the early part of the innings. Nortje took three for 19 in six overs in his first spell but the first three balls of his second spell were all hit for six by Udana, who plundered 37 runs off Nortje's last two overs. The last wicket yielded 58 runs, 55 of them to Udana. There were three extras while last man Kasun Rajitha ...
Neymar risks Euro ban after UEFA open probe into foul-mouthed ref rant
Neymar could be hit with a Champions League ban after UEFA opened an investigation on Wednesday into his foul-mouthed social media outburst about the refereeing during Paris Saint-Germain's controversial exit to Manchester United last week. Injured Brazil forward Neymar told match officials to "Go fuck yourselves" on Instagram after watching on incredulous from the sidelines at the Parc des Princes as United were awarded a decisive stoppage-time penalty for a debateable handball via the video assistant referee (VAR) system, allowing Marcus Rashford to fire United into the quarter-finals on away goals. "It's a disgrace. They get four guys who don't understand football to watch a slow motion replay in front of the TV," Neymar wrote in Portuguese on the social media website. The Premier League outfit were given the spot-kick after Presnel Kimpembe was judged to have handled Diogo Dalot's shot, a decision that on Friday UEFA maintained was correct due to the distance the ball travelled ...
Rashid Khan's 64 lifts him to tied second, Baisoya in lead
Delhi's Honey Baisoya recovered well after a slow start to fire a second straight six-under-64 that gave him the halfway lead at the inaugural Bengal Open Golf Championship here Wednesday. Baisoya, a six-time winner on the PGTI, was one clear of the rest of the field at 12-under-128. It was a crowded leaderboard as there was a four-way tie for the second spot at 11-under-129 between Delhi's Rashid Khan (64), Bangladesh's Badal Hossain (66), Chandigarh's Karandeep Kochhar (66) and Faridabad-based Karan Pratap Singh (67). The day's best round of 63 was posted by Delhi's Himmat Rai, Bengaluru's Trishul Chinnappa and Sri Lankan N Thangaraja. While Himmat occupied tied sixth place at 10-under-130, Trishul was tied ninth at nine-under-131 and Thangaraja was tied 20th at six-under-134. The cut went at two-under-138 and 51 professionals made the cut. Honey Baisoya (64-64) jumped five spots from his overnight tied sixth thanks to his dogged 64. Honey, who won his last event about a year back, .
Wahab asked to stop 'slitting the batsmen's throat' celebration in PSL
Wahab Riaz's pace can be scary, bounce scarier - ask the 2015 World Cup-winning Australian top-order for proof. But scariest is his latest celebration style. From 'twirling the moustache' to the his 'sword' celebration, the Pakistan left-arm pacer has moved on and perfected the art of 'slitting the batsman's throat' -- by way of celebration. Now, his coach in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Peshawar Zalmi has asked him to stop the controversial celebration. "My coach has told me to lay off this celebration style and, in fact, all the bowlers have been told to avoid excessive celebrations after taking a wicket," Wahab, who has taken 13 wickets in the T20 league, said. The experienced pacer, known for his ability to bowl at around 150mph, said he had decided to get rid of his handle bar moustache for the same reason. "I am back to a clean shave and avoiding taking a wicket with my slitting the throat celebration as I also realised it could lead to criticism and unnecessary ...
Neither am I insecure nor do I have competition with Rishabh: Wriddhiman
Rishabh Pant's ascendancy as India's premier Test wicketkeeper has not made Wriddhiman Saha "insecure" even one bit as he doesn't believe that he is in competition with the Delhi glovesman. Saha, one of India's more technically accomplished keeper, has recently made a comeback for Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after being out of competitive cricket owing to shoulder surgery last year. In the interim, young Pant has made an impression with the bat, scoring Test hundreds in England and Australia. Had the long lay-off and Pant's emergence made him insecure? "Not at all. I was not insecure. Being a sportsman you always run the risk of getting injured. The aim was to be fully fit and return stronger," Saha, who scored 306 runs in 11 Mushtaq Ali Trophy games, told PTI in an interview. Sceptics have cast doubts that Pant's batting ability could make a international comeback difficult for the Bengal stumper but Saha remains unfazed. "I was out with an injury. Rishabh grabbed his ...
India begin SAFF title defence with resounding win over Maldives
The Indian women's national team kicked off its campaign at the SAFF Women's Championship with a resounding 6-0 win over Maldives at the Sahid Rangashala Stadium here Wednesday. Dangmei Grace, Sandhiya Ranganathan, Sanju, Indumathi Kathiresan and Ratanabala Devi - all found the back of the net for India, coming into the tournament as defending champions. The Indian team pressed forward from the first whistle, looking to seize the initiative. After a couple of close attempts in the opening exchanges, Grace put the defending champions into the lead eight minutes into the match, thanks to some fine pressing from the Indian attackers, which allowed the winger to latch on to a loose ball inside the box and slot it past the keeper. Grace was heavily involved in the second goal as well, this time providing an assist in the 13th minute. A cross from the right was brought down excellently by Sandhiya, who showed great composure to bring the ball under her control with her first touch and with .
We know our playing XI going into World Cup: Kohli
The Indian team management are clear about their "playing XI" going into the first match of the World Cup despite their ODI series defeat against Australia as only one slot is up for grabs, skipper Virat Kohli said on Wednesday. Before the start of the series, Kohli had said that a couple of places need to be sealed and now it is down to just one man. "We are sorted combination wise. We know our playing XI going into the World Cup. There will be just one change based on condition. When Hardik Pandya will come back, he gives depth in batting and opens up options in bowling. We know where we are going. We are clear about our playing XI," Kohli said at the post-match press conference. While the confusion regarding No 4 slot and second wicketkeeper's position remain, the skipper said that one only place needs to be discussed. "We are more or less sorted," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony adding: "Now, it's about giving guys their roles and expect them to stand up. We are
Diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis, Saina advised hospitalisation
Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal has been advised hospitalisation after being diagnosed with "acute gastroenteritis" which forced her to pull out of the ongoing Swiss Open Badminton Championship in Basel, Switzerland. Saina, who reached the quarter-finals of the All England Championship, said that she played with "acute stomach pain". On Wednesday, she posted on her official instagram page that she will be taking a break on doctor's advice to get admitted to hospital for further treatment. "So some sad news .. was really going through acute stomach pain from last Monday.. managed to play few matches in All England with lot of pain ... and decided to skip swiss open and come back to India and find out the issue," Saina wrote on her instagram page. "...I found out it's Acute Gastroenteritis with mild pancreatitis and the doctors have recommended me to get admitted and hopefully I recover soon out of it ...," she added.
Neeraj exempted from Federation Cup, Kang set to return after doping charge clearance
Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is the only top athlete exempted from participation while his one-time competitor Davinder Singh Kang is set to return to action after being cleared of doping charges in the Federation Cup National Championships which begins here Friday. India's new sprint sensation Hima Das, her male counterpart quartermiler Mohd. Anas, Asian Games gold medallist Jinson Johnson, Manjit Singh, Arpinder Singh, Tajinder Singh Toor, Swapna Barman all have been confirmed to take part in the March 15-18 championships. Kang, who reached the final round of 2017 London World Championships, was recently cleared of doping charges by both the Athletics Integrity Unit and World Anti-Doping Agency after the National Dope Testing Laboratory withdrew the adverse analytical finding issued to his urine sample. "No ADRV (Anti-Doping Rule Violation). The athlete is no longer subject to a provisional suspension and may compete with immediate effect," the AIU said. Asked about the ...
Super Cup shrouded in uncertainty after I-League clubs' pullout
A cloud of uncertainty hung over the fate of Super Cup, scheduled to start in two days' time, after seven I-League clubs Wednesday pulled out of the tournament citing unfair treatment by the All India Football Federation. Minerva Punjab FC, whose players are in Bhubaneswar for the past four days, could be called back to their base in Panchkula if the AIFF fails to acknowledge the aggrieved clubs' concerns, owner Ranjit Bajaj said. "We are yet to get any response from the AIFF, I am not expecting to get one either by tomorrow. So, I might just call my players back here," Bajaj said. While the AIFF has managed to convince Churchill Brothers to not side with the aggrieved clubs, Chennai City, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Neroca FC, Aizawl FC, Gokulam Kerala and Minerva Punjab stayed united in their protest against the national federation. "We have together resolved to withdraw our respective teams' participation from the upcoming Hero Super Cup 2019," a collective release by the clubs ...
Chennaiyin FC ride on Jeje strike to secure AFC Cup group stage spot
A second half goal by India striker Jeje Lalpekhlua helped Chennaiyin FC beat Colombo FC by a solitary goal and secure a group stage sport of the AFC Cup here Wednesday. With this win in the second leg of the qualifying play-off round at the Arena Stadium here, Chennaiyin became the first Indian Super League outfit to progress to the group stages of the AFC Cup in their debut campaign. The first leg match in Colombo on March 6 had ended in a goal-less draw. Jeje, who found the net in the 68th minute, thus also became Chennaiyin's first ever goal-scorer in the AFC Cup. Chennaiyin will now be grouped along with 2017-18 I-League champions Minerva Punjab FC, Nepal's Manang Marshyangdi Club and Bangladesh's Abahani Limited Dhaka in Group E of the 2019 AFC Cup. Chennaiyin got off to a lively start in their must-win encounter against the Sri Lankan side, winning a couple of corners in the opening minutes. Colombo found it difficult to get out of their own half. Chennaiyin's first big chance .
Adhiban saves sensationally as Indian men back to joint second spot
Grandmaster B Adhiban salvaged half a point as Indian men secured a 2-2 draw to regain their joint second spot after the end of the ninth and penultimate round of the World Teams Chess Championship on Wednesday. GM Krishnan Sasikiran suffered a defeat on the second board against young Samual Savian after GM S P Sethuraman drew with Aleksandr Lenderman on the fourth board. It was left to GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly and Adhiban to rescue the team but the latter had a lost position for a long time. While Ganguly showed exquisite technique to beat Alexander Onischuk, Adhiban fought on bravely and eventually drew after a marathon 88 moves. Russia secured the gold medal in the open section with one round to spare demolishing Sweden 3.5-0.5 and taking their tally to an unassailable 14 points out of a possible 16. India have 11 points in their kitty along with England. England went down to China 1-3 with the Chinese scoring wins with white pieces and draws with black which means that the Indian .
Indian batsmen flop in last game before World Cup, lose series against Australia 2-3
India's quest to find right combinations for the upcoming World Cup ended with a 35run defeat in the decisive fifth ODI against Australia as they lost the series 2-3 here Wednesday. In what was their last game before the showpiece event in United Kingdom, the Indian innings folded for 237, exactly in 50 overs while chasing a 273-run target. Australia had put on board 272 for nine, built around Usman Khawaja's (100) second hundred of the series. It was India's first ODI series defeat at home since losing to South Africa in 2015 as their big guns fell silent on the day when the series was on line. India also became the only side in the world to lose an ODI series twice after leading 2-0. The home side dropped K L Rahul from the game, tried Rishabh Pant at number four and Vijay Shankar at five in the last-ditch effort to find right batting order. However, chasing a challenging target on a tricky Feroz Shah Kotla wicket, India were strangled in the middle overs by the Australian ...
Shuttler Lakshya Sen advances to pre-quarters in China Masters
Asian junior champion Lakshya Sen Wednesday advanced to the men's singles pre-quarterfinals of China Masters badminton tournament after a comfortable straight-game victory over Malaysia's Kean Yew at Lingshui in China. The Indian, who is ranked 104 in the world, won 21-12, 21-13 in a 34-minute second round contest. He received a bye in the first round. Sen, who was never really stretched in the match, will face Young Woong Ha of Korea in the round of 16 match on Thursday. In the women's singles, India's Sai Uttejitha Rai Chukka lost her first round match against China's Siqi Wang 21-17 20-22 7-21 in a hard-fought match that lasted one hour and three minutes.
No confusion just need to discuss about one slot: Kohli
The Indian team management are "not confused" about the composition of the World Cup squad despite their ODI series defeat against Australia as only one slot is up for grabs, said skipper Virat Kohli. Before the start of the series, Kohli had said that a couple of places need to be sealed and now it is down to just one man. While the confusion regarding No 4 slot and second wicketkeeper's position remain, the skipper said that they are "sorted". "We are more or less sorted," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony adding: "Now, it's about giving guys their roles and expect them to stand up. We are not at all confused. Maybe there's just one spot we've to discuss." Kohli said that giving fringe players game time was always an idea and he will not use it as an excuse for not winning the series. "Last three games, the idea was to give fringe guys some (game) time and see how they react. No excuses, we're expected to raise our standard of cricket. The changes will never be an ..