Page 501 - Sports
Mumbai boy Kush Bhagat wins bronze in Paris Chess Meet
Nine-year-old Candidate Master Kush Bhagat finished third in an open category chess meet in Paris on Thursday. The Mumbai schoolboy achieved the feat in the 4e Open International de Noisiel category, which has a rating category of 1400-2000 Elo points and concluded in Paris, according to a release from his chess academy. Leading the tournament at the end of the seventh round, Bhagat narrowly missed out on the title after losing the eighth round and securing a draw in the ninth. In the competition that saw the participation of 12 countries, Bhagat scored a total of six points out of the nine rounds and attained the third position. Starting as the 18th seed, he got the better of top seed Favre Mathieu in the second round. In the third round he got the better of Toure Shanthi who eventually went on to win the second place in the competition, the release said. Bhagat, from the South Mumbai Chess Academy, gained a total of 118 ELO points to take his new rating tally to 1800 ..
Most difficult week of my career: Modric
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has lamented the consecutive defeats conceded by his side over the past week.
Napoli, Chelsea grab big leads in Europa League
Napoli and Chelsea have got off to strong starts in their Europa League round-of-16 clashes, with each club winning 3-0 in first-leg contests against Red Bull Salzburg and Dynamo Kyiv respectively.
Rishabh Pant bags 5 crore in BCCI annual retainers list
Wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant bagged a Grade A contract in the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) annual retainers list.The 21-year-old, who was not part of the contracted players list for the last season, will earn INR 5 crore for the period from October 2018 to September 2019.Since making his Test debut last year in England, Pant amassed 114 in his third Test at The Oval. He then had a successful tour of Australia, where he scored unbeaten 159 in the fourth Test in Sydney. He also set the Indian record for the most catches by a wicket-keeper in a Test in Adelaide.Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan have been demoted from A+ category to A to earn INR 5 crore, joining Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav, all three of whom were promoted from Grade B.The three players to retain their A+ contracts includes the top batsman for Tests and ODIs Virat Kohli, ranked number two in ODIs Rohit Sharma and the top-ranked ODI bowler Jasprit Bumrah.Former ...
3rd ODI: India opt to field vs Australia
Indian skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to field against Australia in the third contest of the five-match rubber at the JSCA stadium here on Friday.
Kohli wins toss, elects to bowl in 3rd ODI against Australia
India skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bowl against Australia in the third One-day International at the JSCA stadium here Friday. The hosts have fielded an unchanged side while Australia have replaced pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile with Jhye Richardson. India are leading the five-match series 2-0. Teams: India: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. Australia: Aaron Finch(capt), Usman Khawaja, Marcus Stoinis, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh Alex Carey, Jhye Richardson, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon.
Head coach hails Messi's return to Argentine national team
After including Lionel Messi on his preliminary list of call-ups for friendlies against Venezuela and Morocco, the Argentine national team head coach Lionel Scaloni has said that the Barcelona superstar's return to the Albiceleste is a great sign.
Prajnesh shocks Paire at Indian Wells
Indian qualifier Prajnesh Gunneswaran knocked out world number 69 Benoit Paire for one of the biggest wins of his career and progressed to the second round of the Indian Wells ATP Masters event here. Playing his maiden singles main draw at this level, the Indian left-hander shocked the fancied French player 7-6 (5) 6-4 in one hour and 29 minutes. Before this, Prajnesh had taken out then world number 23 Denis Shapovalov for the biggest win of his career at the Stuttgart ATP 250 event last year. The world number 97 Indian next faces world number 18 Nikoloz Basilashvili from Georgia. Since Prajnesh is not defending too many points ahead and has already added 41 to his kitty, he is likely to jump to 80th, a new career-high. "It's definitely one of the biggest wins of my career. It has come at a good time, I am close to making the cut for the Wimbledon (main draw) and I am going to go up in the rankings," Prajnesh told PTI. "These kind of results, winning matches against quality opponents .
Women's T20 World Cup final 2020 to take place on International Women's Day
Today marks one-year-to-go to the final of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020, when the two best teams will compete to be crowned champions at the biggest cricket stadium in the world, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on the International Women's Day.The final at the MCG, which will be played under lights on March 8 next year presents a ground-breaking opportunity to set a new world record for attendance at a women's sporting fixture. The current world record for attendance at a women's sporting fixture is 90,185, set at the FIFA Women's World Cup final 1999 in California.The prestigious tournament will be hosted as a standalone event across Australia from February 21 to March 8. Ten teams will contest 23 matches at eight venues across six host cities, giving it a truly national footprint befitting a major global sporting event.In order to reach the final, teams will have to finish top two in either Group A or Group B, comprising five teams each. Teams will then need to win one of ..
Simeone fined 20,000 euro over his celebration against Juventus
Atletico Madrid's Argentine coach Diego Simeone was handed a 20,000 euro ($22,440) fine for his celebration during the 2-0 victory over Juventus in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16, the UEFA announced.
Roma dismisses Di Francesco following Champions League exit
Roma has fired coach Eusebio Di Francesco after the Italian side's unexpected UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Porto.
Diana Edulji to present coin at toss during Ranchi ODI to celebrates women's day
Former India player and current BCCI Committee of Administrators (CoA) member Diana Edulji will be presenting the coin at the toss during the third ODI between India and Australia at the JSCA Stadium here on Friday, in a move aimed at celebrating International Women's Day
India off to good start at boxing tourney in Finland
Indian boxer Dinesh Dagar (69kg) upstaged former Olympic bronze-medallist Evaldas Petrauskas to enter the quarterfinals of the 38th International GeeBee Tournament in Helsinki, Finland. India were assured of two medals at the event after draws came out with Asian Championships silver-medallist Sumit Sangwan (91kg) and rookie Govind Sahani (49kg) getting byes into the semifinals. In the opening-round bouts held on Thursday evening, the 23-year-old Dagar, a silver-medallist from last year's India Open, prevailed 3-2 against Petrauskas. It was a big victory for Dagar as the Lithuanian is also a former Youth Olympics gold-medallist and a bronze-winner at the 2017 European Championships. However, the campaign ended early for Ankit Khatana (64kg). Khatana lost 0-5 to England's Luke McCormack in the opening round. Close to 100 boxers from 15 nations are competing in this European calendar event. The participating countries include Australia, Canada, England, France, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, ..
Smith, Warner left out of Australia's one-day squad for Pakistan
Steve Smith and David Warner were Friday left out of Australia's squad for the one-day series against Pakistan despite being eligible for the final two games after their ball-tampering bans expire. Injured fast bowler Mitchell Starc was also omitted after failing to recover sufficiently from a pectoral muscle injury picked up during the second Test against Sri Lanka in Canberra a month ago. Smith and Warner's year-long suspensions for their part in attempting to alter the ball during a Test against South Africa expire on March 28, making them available for the fourth one-dayer in Dubai. There had been much talk about them being rushed back into the side ahead of the World Cup in England this year, but selectors opted to stick with the same 15-man squad that is currently in India. Selector Trevor Hohns said after consultation with head coach Justin Langer, it had been decided they would be better served playing their way back into contention at the Indian Premier League. "While their ..
PCB hopes presence of Hasan, Irish during PSL will break the ice
The PCB is hoping that presence of two key cricket officials during the PSL matches in Karachi should help in convincing at least sub-continent teams to play bilateral series in Pakistan and not in the neutral venue of the UAE. According to an official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Nazimul Hasan and the chief executive of the Federation of International Players Association (FICA), Tony Irish will be in Karachi for the PSL matches. "Nazimul who is also President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) will be in Karachi from tomorrow till the final while Irish will come one day before the final on March 17," the official told PTI. The official said the board had invited them and other officials so that they could come and assess if it is safe for international teams to play in the country. Eight matches of the Pakistan Super league (PSL) are being held in Karachi for the first time since its launch in 2016. "We have invited Nazimul ...
Mumbai eye revenge against Goa in ISL semis
Having suffered two defeats against FC Goa in the league stage, Mumbai City FC would be thirsting for revenge when the two outfits clash in the first-leg semi-final of the Indian Super League on Saturday. FC Goa had blanked Mumbai 5-0 at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Goa in October, after which the Jorge Costa-coached Mumbai were unbeaten in nine games. But again it was FC Goa who had snapped their unbeaten run when they defeated them 2-0 at the Mumbai Football Arena here in February. So when Mumbai take the field with the stakes higher, revenge will also be on their mind, but the hosts know well that they cannot afford to take the visitors lightly. For the hosts, Modou Sougou has been the star performer having pumped in 12 goals so far. And a lot will depend on how the Senegalese fares in this key contest. He, along with Arnold Issako of Congo who has six assists to his credit, form a lethal pair. With a forward like Brazilian Rafael Bastos and an array of mid-fielders
Top-ranked Osaka one of new Barbie 'Sheroes'
World number one Naomi Osaka said she finds it "a little bit surreal" that there's a new version of the iconic Barbie doll in her likeness. The Japanese star, who won her second straight Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, joins the list of inspiring women who are part of Barbie's "Sheroes" series -- a group that also includes gymnast Laurie Hernandez and Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. "I think it means a lot, especially since when I was a kid I was playing with Barbie dolls," Osaka said at Indian Wells -- where her first WTA title last year launched a 2018 campaign that would see her win her first Grand Slam crown at the US Open. Osaka, who has a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, said her own Barbie was an honor, and also an opportunity. "Just having the chance to represent people who might not think that they could be represented that's a really important goal of mine," she said. But the 21-year-old is still not entirely comfortable as a role model. "When I got
City aim to fight off fatigue as title race heats up
Manchester City hope Saturday's meeting with Watford can offer them the same sort of impetus their opponents provided for Premier League title rivals Liverpool. City manager Pep Guardiola has seen his side hit a downturn in their attacking form in recent weeks despite overtaking Liverpool and returning to the top of the table. The last three City games have seen them score just two goals, including a goalless League Cup final appearance against a Chelsea team they had defeated 6-0 just two weeks prior. The run hardly represents a major concern, with City having won the cup final on penalties and their next two league games by 1-0 scorelines. But as a general indicator of form, City's previously prolific goalscoring feats - which had produced 50 goals in the opening 13 games of 2019 - have dried up alarmingly. Watford, who were beaten 5-0 by a Liverpool team that had gone through a similarly barren spell immediately prior to their meeting, might be just the right opponents for City ...
Arsenal bid to slow Man Utd juggernaut as Pep juggles
Arsenal host Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend in a game that could have a major bearing on who secures a coveted Champions League spot for next season. Third-placed Tottenham, now realistically out of the title race, are just five points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea as the finishing line comes into sight. Leaders Manchester City host Watford and Liverpool welcome Burnley to Anfield, while Spurs visit Southampton and Chelsea entertain Wolves. AFP Sport picks out some of the main talking points ahead of this weekend's Premier League fixtures. Will fixture pile-up and injuries cost City? ============================================ Manchester City have been installed as favourites to retain their Premier League crown after retaking top spot from a faltering Liverpool, but the picture is more complicated than it seems. Kevin De Bruyne limped off against Bournemouth last week to compound a miserable season for the Belgian while Fernandinho is also currently out of ...
Now dominant Osaka out to 'get another one' at Indian Wells
One year after she burst onto the scene with an Indian Wells WTA triumph that launched a meteoric rise to world number one, Naomi Osaka is looking forward, not back. The Japanese star, who in January added an Australian Open title to the US Open crown she seized in September, says she's a long way from the carefree, unseeded player who arrived at the California desert last year ranked 44th in the world. But she's learning to cope with the pressure of heightened expectations, and that includes thinking of her first ever title defense as a clean slate. "It's not about defending, it's about getting another one," she said. "I don't really believe in defending, I believe in getting another one." "I was just here to have fun, maybe get to the quarters," she admitted of her mindset in 2018. "It sounds bad saying it but it's true because I never really went far in a tournament like this. "I kept playing really great players in every round and I was just like, I'm here for a good time, you ...