Page 493 - Sports
Rookie Dagar finishes 5th to register best finish of career in NSW Open
Indian rookie Diksha Dagar wrote a new chapter in her young career with a maiden Top-5 finish at the New South Wales Open on Sunday. Left-hander Dagar, who won a pro event while being an amateur last year, turned pro at the start of this year and has been showing fine progress. Dagar shot one-under 70 on the final day and ended at six-under 278. Her four rounds this week were 72, 67, 69 and 70. Indian women's golf got another boost as Amandeep Drall recorded her best pro finish outside India with Tied-18th after carding two-under 69 in the final round. She totalled two-under 282. Astha Madan, the third Indian who made the cut this week, shot 73 in the final round for a total of 287 and finished T-36th -- also her best finish on Ladies European Tour. Dagar has had a great outing in Australia in her maiden year. She was T-30 at the ALPG Qualifyign Tournament, which gave her conditional status and was then T-12 at the Ballarat Icons Pro-AM. She missed the cut at Vic Open, was T-29 at ...
'We spoiled the party' - Mbappe agonises over Man Utd defeat
Kylian Mbappe said he was left "stunned" by Paris Saint-Germain's gut-wrenching exit from the Champions League in midweek as Manchester United pulled off an improbable comeback in the last 16. Marcus Rashford's 94th-minute penalty at the Parc des Princes gave United a 3-1 win in France to send the English club through on away goals after becoming the first team in the competition's history to overturn a 2-0 home defeat. "I'm stunned. I haven't been able to sleep," Mbappe told TF1 in an interview. "It's difficult, we'd worked so hard to get to this point and we're disappointed. We're going to try and pick ourselves back up." PSG's game at Nantes this weekend was postponed although they remain well clear of second-placed Lille and all but assured a sixth Ligue 1 title in seven seasons. Thomas Tuchel's men are also through to the last four of the French Cup, but Mbappe admitted it was hard to look ahead to rest of the season with the pain of Wednesday's defeat still raw. "Honestly, it's .
Hero Super Cup to kick off from March 15
The qualifiers of the second edition of the Hero Super Cup will kick off at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from March 15. The teams ranked seventh to 10th in the I-League and Indian Super League (ISL) will compete in the qualifiers to seal a spot in the main draw. The format of the main tournament and the qualifiers will remain the same as the previous edition. The final round will be a knock-out and will kick off on March 29. It will be played among the top six teams of the I-League and ISL, along with the winners of the four qualifiers. The final will be played on April 13. Qualifiers Schedule March 15 (5pm): FC Pune City vs Hero I-League 10 (Qualifier 1). March 15 (8.30pm): Kerala Blasters FC vs Indian Arrows (Qualifier 2). March 16 (5pm): Delhi Dynamos FC vs Hero I-League 9 (Qualifier 3). March 16 (8.30pm): Chennaiyin FC vs Aizawl FC (Qualifier 4).
Lahiri struggles to 80 in round 3 of Palmer Invitational
India's Anirban Lahiri stumbled to his worse card of the ongoing season, a horrendous eight-over 80 to fall to the bottom of the field at 70th place after the third day of the Arnold Palmer Invitational here. The hard and firm greens took a toll not just on Lahiri but the entire field it seemed as scoring was very difficult. Lahiri, starting at one-under for 36 holes, plummeted to seven-over, and will now look at a final round to get some confidence back in his scoring a week ahead of the PLAYERS Championships next week at TPC Sawgrass. The leader was Matt Fitzpatrick, who led a bunch of Europeans dotting the very top of the leaderboard. On a course, where avoiding bogeys was a tough job, Fitzpatrick did so very well without any dropped shots. He shot a flawless 5-under 67 and led by a shot over Rory McIlroy (66) going into the final round. Right behind them was a threesome including England's Matt Wallace (69), the 2018 Hero Indian Open winner, who has risen from 151st to 37th in a ..
Hockey India names 60 junior campers for national camp
Hockey India Sunday announced a list of 60 players for a coaching camp for the junior national team. The 21-day camp will be held from March 11 to 31 at the Sports Authority of India campus. A total of six goalkeepers, 15 defenders, 18 midfielders and 21 forwards have been called up for the camp. The list of campers comprises goalkeepers Pawan, Prashant Kumar Chauhan, Akashdeep Singh, Anant Vishwakarma, Rakesh Dahiya and Sahil Kumar Nayak. The defenders who have been called for the camp include Mandeep Mor, Parampreet Singh, Suman Beck, Pratap Lakra, Sanjay, Dinachandra Singh Moirangthem, Lugun Cyril, Innocent Munda, Rajinder Singh, Princepal Singh, H. Thrishul Ganapathy, Pankaj, Sharda Nand Tiwari, Akashdeep Singh and Moein Ali. The Midfielders include Vishal Antil, Yashdeep Siwach, Vishnu Kant Singh, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Niraj Kumar Waribam, Akshay Awasthi, Gopi Kumar Sonkar, Gregory Xess, Jaswinder Singh, Rahul Kumar, Geet Singh Thakur, Sukhman Singh, Manish Yadav, Nabin .
India U-23 take on Qatar in friendly, coach calls it opportunity
A day before taking on Qatar in a friendly match, India U-23 coach Derrick Pereira labelled it as "a perfect opportunity to gauge ourselves before the (AFC) qualifiers". The match is part of the Indian U-23 team's preparation for the forthcoming AFC U-23 Qualifiers slated to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from March 22, where India have been clubbed with hosts Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. "The match against Qatar provides us the opportunity to get a fair idea of where we stand, and where we need to work on. The focus will be more on finding the right combinations, and style of play," Pereira said. The match will take place at the Aspire Academy ground. Pereira, a former India International has been working on the fitness as it's going to be one of the crucial factors to churn out a result. "Fitness is one part that carries paramount importance in modern football. We have to sustain 90 minutes on the pitch, both on the attacking and the defensive front. "Joel (Carter) is doing a good ...
Mandhana achieve career-best ranking in T20Is
India opener Smriti Mandhana has jumped three places to reach a career-best third position in the latest ICC Women's T20I Player rankings released Sunday. Mandhana, the top-ranked ODI batter who led the T20I side in the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur, scored 72 runs in the three matches, including a fifty in the third match. Harmanpreet, who had missed the England series due to an ankle injury, slipped two places to the ninth spot. Among bowlers, Radha Yadav has gained five slots to reach fifth position after grabbing three wickets from two matches while other left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht has also finished with three from two to gain three places and reach 56th in the list. Off-spinner Anuja Patil has moved up from 35th to 31st position. England's Danielle Wyatt also achieved career-best position in the T20I Player rankings after the visitors defeated India 3-0 in the three-match series in Guwahati. while Wyatt's player of the series effort of 123 runs has helped her gain two slots and ...
SAFF Women's Championship: India eye fifth straight title
Unbeaten in 19 matches from the last four editions, defending champions India will aim to clinch an unprecedented fifth title in a row in the upcoming SAFF Women's Championships. India have been drawn alongside Maldives and Sri Lanka in Group B in the six-team competition while hosts Nepal have been placed in Group A with Bangladesh and Bhutan. Indian have a strong record in the competition having won all four editions so far -- the first of which came in 2010. The team has claimed victory in each and every match it has played in the tournament -- a streak which extends to 19 games. For coach Maymol Rocky, the tournament will be the last opportunity to fine tune the team for the crucial 2020 Olympic Qualifiers Round 2, which is slated to be held in Myanmar from April 1 to 9. "The SAFF Women's Championship has always been a successful tournament for India in the past. We are confident of going all the way and making it five trophies in a row," Rock said. "The girls have been together ..
You cannot bowl at Kohli's stumps, Warne tells bowlers
To bowlers bruised and battered, and faced with the frightening prospect of again running into Virat Kohli, spin great Shane Warne offered an advise: bowl at either leg or wide of off stump, but not at the stumps. "If you're going to bowl to Virat Kohli, you either bowl at leg stump and protect the on side, or you bowl wide of off stump and you protect the off side. You cannot bowl at the stumps, because he can hit you both ways," Warne was quoted as saying 'ESPNcricinfo'. "So, I think you've to take out one side of the field. Protect just one side of the field, that's how you bowl to very good players," the Australian added. Warne plotted Kohli's dismissal if he were to actually bowl to him. "I'd be bowling wide of off stump and letting him try to cover drive with a slip, short cover and some protection out there. So then it'll be very hard for him to get it over the leg side. That's what I'd be trying to do and hopefully get a little bit lucky and he mis-hits one." Warne said he has
Bumrah faces risk of suffering lumbar injuries, feels strength and conditioning sciences expert
Jasprit Bumrah's freakishly unconventional bowling action may pose injury concerns to his "lumbar vertebrae", feels Dr Simon Feros, a lecturer in functional anatomy/strength and conditioning sciences. Part of Deakin University's sports team in Victoria, Australia, Feros and renowned physiotherapist Gloster studied the Indian pacer's bowling action. Ranked the third best sport science school in the world, Deakin University's School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences is a leader in its field. "Bumrah tends to release the ball outside the line of the front foot. This means he can 'push' at the ball, usually resulting in an excellent in-swing delivery to a right hand batter. "However, if he exceeds 45 degrees of trunk lateral flexion (which I think he may on some occasions), then this element of his action may pose some injury concerns to his lumbar vertebrae," said Feros. The lumbar vertebrae are the five vertebrae between the rib cage and the pelvis. Even as many in the international ...
Aussie football club Central Coast Mariners sacks coach
Australian football club Central Coast Mariners, which had offered Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt a chance to become a professional player, has sacked head coach Mike Mulvey after a major defeat during the weekend.
Just go for very short training abroad: Comaneci advice for Dipa
Gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci suggests that Dipa Karmakar does not need to change anything or move overseas to be able to challenge for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics but train for a week or two abroad just for a change in environment. The five-time Olympic champion from Romania also sees great passion in the diminutive Indian gymnast for her sport. "She (Dipa) does not need to move overseas to be able to challenge for a medal at the next Olympics. She clearly has a very supportive system in India and all I would suggest to her is to perhaps go abroad and train, either in America or any other country where there are good gymnasts, for just a short while. Just a week or two, to change the environment and then back to India," Comaneci, who is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, says. According to Comaneci, one need not be born in a particular country to be good at gymnastics. "Yes, over the years USA, Russia, and Romania have dominated the sport but it is fascinating to see .
Mohali ODI: India elect to bat against Aussies
India, with a 2-1 lead, won the toss and elected to bat in the fourth one-day international of the five-match series against Australia at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Sunday.Following the toss, Indian captain Virat Kohli said: "Looks like a belter of a pitch. Australia has to win the match, so let's put them under pressure. We have to be good enough to bowl with a wet ball."Four changes have been made in the team. Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami have been replaced by KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.Australian captain Aaron Finch, on the other hand, said: "Looks like a good pitch. It should stay the same throughout the game." The visitors made two changes. Ashton Turner and Jason Behrendorff have replaced Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Lyon.Following are the squads:India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, ...
Result 'definitely possible' as N.Zealand reach 38-2, 173 behind
New Zealand short-ball maestro Neil Wagner believed a result in the rain-affected second Test against Bangladesh was still "definitely possible" after New Zealand trailed by 173 at stumps on day three in Wellington on Sunday. New Zealand reached 38 for two in reply to Bangladesh's first innings 211 after the first two days were washed out. Thirteen wickets fell in the 72 overs possible, leading New Zealand's chief wicket-taker Wagner to think there was still time to force a result in the remaining two days. "It's definitely possible," Wagner said having removed the cream of the Bangladesh side with four for 28. "If we keep taking it session by session and get ourselves into the lead and pile on whatever we can, anything is possible." New Zealand will resume on Monday with Ross Taylor on 19 and Kane Williamson on 10. Tamim Iqbal gave the tourists a sound start with 74 as Bangladesh reached 119 for one before the next nine wickets fell for just 92 runs. New Zealand, in reply, were ...
Bayern regain Bundesliga lead with 6-0 rout of Wolfsburg
Bayern Munich trounced visiting Wolfsburg 6-0 to wrest back the top spot in the Bundesliga standings from Borussia Dortmund, who earned a hard-fought 3-1 win over Stuttgart.
India to bat vs Australia in 4th ODI
India won the toss and elected to bat against Australia in the fourth One Day International match at the Punjab Cricket Association I.S. Bindra Stadium here on Sunday.
4th ODI: India win toss, opt to bat against Australia
Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat in the fourth ODI against Australia here Sunday. For India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, K L Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Yuzvendra Chahal came in for Mohammed Shami, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja. Marcus Stoinis made way for Ashton Turner in the Australian XI. India lead the five-match series 2-1. Teams: India: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah. Australia: Aaron Finch(capt), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Turner, Alex Carey, Jhye Richardson, Pat Cummins, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa.
Kohli and his merry band of men all ready for the World Cup 2019 (Column: Close-in)
The selection of the Kohli-led merry band of men for the most prestigious cricket tournament, the World Cup 2019, has never been so intensely discussed before. India seems to be the red hot favourites to lift the cup and so for the millions of fans, the sparkle of another World Cup victory seems eminently possible. This has, therefore, excited the brain cells of most Indian cricket followers.
K'taka continue winning run; maul Delhi by 8 wickets
A formidable Karnataka continued their winning streak in the Super League stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy after they trounced Delhi by 8 wickets in Group B match here Sunday. Earlier, Karnataka had beaten domestic giants Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh in their previous two Super League stage matches of the national T20 tournament. It was an all-round show from Karnataka where right-arm medium pacer Koushik V shone with the ball and later Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair remained unbeaten as Karnataka chased the 110-run target with utmost ease. Karnataka bowlers justified their skipper's decision to invite Delhi to bat first at the Emerald Heights International School Ground. Koushik (4-19) and leg-spinner K C Cariappa (3-15) wreaked havoc as Delhi was restricted to a meagre 109/9 in their 20 overs. Apart from Nitish Rana (37 off 29 balls) and Lalit Yadav (33 off 40 balls), no other Delhi batsman showed spine as Koushik and Cariappa rattled their top and middle order. For ...
Raheem Sterling hat-trick boosts Manchester City
Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the English Premier League to four points after a hat-trick from forward Raheem Sterling saw them beat Watford 3-1 here.