Page 519 - Sports

Dhoni, Kedar took responsibility but bowlers won us match: Kohli

India skipper Virat Kohli lauded Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav for scripting a memorable chase but said the bowlers set up their six-wicket win over Australia in the first ODI here Saturday. India produced a clinical bowling performance, led by Mohammed Shami, to restrict Australia to 236 for seven. The hosts then returned to chase down the target with Dhoni and Kedar forging a 141-run unfinished partnership to score 240 for four in 48.2 overs. "It was a difficult sort of a game. We did a good job with the ball. You have experience with MS and flair with Kedar. I think Kedar and MS took responsibility, it was great. I think the bowling (won the game for us)," Kohli said. Shami (2/44) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/46) scalped two wickets and Kohli said India's bowling performance augurs well for the team as they head to the World Cup in a few months' time. "Kuldeep's been doing it for a while. I have never seen him (Shami) so lean. Got Maxi out with a beautiful ball. I haven't seen him .

Juventus coach plays down talk on his future after Atletico defeat

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri on Saturday denied that his job was at risk after the recent 2-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

ISL: Pune have last laugh in Maharashtra Derby

FC Pune City secured the bragging rights in the Maharashtra Derby after a 2-1 win over Mumbai City FC in their concluding match of this seasons Indian Super League (ISL) at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, here on Saturday.

Pune have last laugh in Maharashtra Derby

FC Pune City secured the bragging rights in the Maharashtra Derby after a 2-1 win over Mumbai City FC in their concluding match of this season's Indian Super League here Saturday. Adil Khan gave Pune the lead in the 18th minute before Iain Hume (84') scored the second to seal the result. Arnold Issoko's late penalty (90') only proved to be a consolation. The win sees Pune rise to sixth on the table with 22 points from 18 games. Mumbai had already confirmed the third spot in the league. Mumbai made a strong start to the game, threatening the Pune defence on multiple occasions. Paulo Machado hit the woodwork with a brilliant free-kick in the eighth minute before Issoko forced a save from the Pune goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh. But it were Pune who took the lead against the run of play in the 18th minute. Robin Singh, after being released by Hume, played a ball into the box where Adil found the net with a terrific overhead kick. Following the goal, Pune started to show much more confidence ..

1st ODI: Jadhav stars in India's six-wicket win over Australia

Kedar Jadhav scored a brilliant unbeaten 81 to help India win by six wickets against Australia in the first ODI, here on Saturday.

Afghanistan-Ireland second ODI washed out due to rain

Afghanistan opener Hazratullah Zazai struck a swashbuckling maiden half-century before rain forced an abandonment of their second One-day International against Ireland here Saturday. Rain held up play for nearly three hours before the game was abandoned without the completion of an innings. The left-handed Zazai hit 67 off 43 deliveries to help Afghanistan post 250 for seven in 48.3 overs before rain curtailed their innings and no further play was possible. Rahmat Shah made 54 and Hashmatullah Shahidi contributed 52 after the Afghans elected to bat first. Having swept the T20 series 3-0, Zazai gave his team a blazing start, striking five fours and five sixes. George Dockrell picked up three wickets while fellow spinner Andy McBrine took two to check Afghanistan's surge towards the end of the innings. Afghanistan lead the five-match series 1-0 after winning their opening match.

1st ODI: Cheeky Kedar, calm Dhoni take India past finish line

Mahendra Singh Dhoni took a chase deep for the umpteenth time but it needed Kedar Jadhav's street smartness to get India back on winning track as they beat Australia by six wickets in the first ODI here Saturday. India reached the target in 48.2 overs, riding on a 141-run unconquered stand between Kedar (81 no, 87 balls) and Dhoni (59 no off 72 balls), to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. India had lost the two preceding T20 Internationals. Clad in their brand new jerseys, the successful chase of 237 was a throwback to the good old 90's when Ajay Jadeja and Robin Singh would hunt down those sub 250 totals in exciting finishes. However, it shouldn't be lost in isolation that India made a heavy weather of an easy target on a not so difficult wicket. As has been the case these days, Dhoni was once again unable to rotate the strike at the start of his innings and the onus was on Kedar to hit the boundaries after they joined hands at 99 for four with skipper Virat Kohli (44, 45 ...

Borja scores the fastest La Liga goal

Espanyol's Spanish forward Borja Iglesias on Saturday notched the fastest La Liga goal of the season as he gave his team the lead over Valladolid just 18 seconds into the match. It also saw his teammate Lei Wu become the first Chinese to score in La Liga.

IPL will be next big step in women's cricket: Lanning

Australian captain Meg Lanning believes starting an Indian Premier League will be the next "big step" in women's cricket. Lanning was part of the team that played a one-off exhibition match between Supernovas and Trailblazers during the IPL last year at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is mulling staging women's T20 exhibition matches again during the IPL playoffs. The board is also contemplating two formats for the women's games: best of three matches between two teams or a round robin stage involving three teams, followed by the final. "It was a lot of fun. We only, obviously, played the one game last time. I am not too sure what the set up would be this time if there was one but, from the response we got last time, everyone is keen to do it," Lanning was quoted as saying in Sydney Morning Herald. "I would certainly love to be involved in something like that. The next big step for women's cricket is if an IPL could get up - it's certainly an exciting prospect." Lanning is ...

Dhanda wins gold, silver for Sakshi in Bulgaria wrestling

Pooja Dhanda claimed gold in the 59kg category while Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik settled for a silver medal in the 65kg category at the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov wrestling in Ruse, Bulgaria. In the men's freestyle, Sandeep Tomar lost his final bout in the 61kg category to finish with silver on Friday night. Vinesh Phogat moved into the semifinals of the women's 53kg with a 9-4 win over American Amy Fearnside on Saturday, setting up a last-four clash with world championship silver medallist Sarah Hildebrandt of USA, who beat Leorda 10-4. With Dhanda and Malik's podium finishes, India had four medals in their kitty. Dhanda finished undefeated in the round-robin format of the competition which included a win over her compatriot Sarita Mor, while Malik lost to Henna Johansson of Sweden in the 65kg final. In the men's 61 kg final, Tomar suffered a defeat at the hands of Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan.

Ajgar, Musthafa score hat-trick in JK Tyre Himalayan Drive

After four days of cross-country rallying, the formidable team of Ajgar Ali and Mohammed Musthafa defended their JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7 crown.

Vismaya beats Hima Das in 400m at Indian GP

V K Vismaya stunned her fancied opponents, M R Poovamma and Hima Das, to win the gold medal in the women's 400m race at the Indian Grand Prix-3 here Saturday. Vismaya, who had won a team gold in 4x400m at the 2018 Asian Games, has only been competing in international tournaments since last year, but she managed to get the better of two-time Asian Games gold medallist Poovamma and world junior champion and national record holder Hima. Timings and efforts were on the lower side as athletes competed in chilly conditions at the War Heroes Stadium. However, that did little to deter the 22-year-old Vismaya, who recorded a time of 53.80. She was 0.26 seconds faster than Poovamma who clocked a time of 54.06. The bronze medal was claimed by Prachi of Uttar Pradesh who recorded a time of 54.49. Prachi though managed to keep Hima off the podium. Das, who holds the national record of 50.79 in her name, was well off her best as she recorded a time of 55.19. The time was the slowest of her ...

I-League: Neroca look to cement fifth spot against Gokulam (Preview)

Neroca FC will look to consolidate their fifth position in the I-league standings when they take on Gokulam Kerala FC at the EMS Corporation stadium, here on Sunday.

Kyrgios to face Zverev in Acapulco final

Nick Kyrgios continued his scintillating run at the Mexico Open on Friday, downing third-seeded John Isner in three sets to book a title showdown with world number three Alexander Zverev. Australia's Kyrgios, the former world number 13 who has slipped to 72nd in the rankings, defeated Isner 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (9/7), following victories over 17-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka. Kyrgios, 23, reached his first ATP final since capturing his fourth trophy in Brisbane in January 2018. Second-seeded German Zverev powered into his first final of the year with a 7-6 (7/0), 6-3 victory over Britain's Cameron Norrie. Two nights after he saved three match points in a final-set tiebreaker against Nadal, Kyrgios converted his third match point with a drop shot from the baseline, sealing the win after two hours and 21 minutes. He broke Isner in the penultimate game of the opening set, and Isner returned the favor late in the second. Neither mustered a ..

Lloris salvages Spurs a point against Arsenal

Hugo Lloris saved a last-minute penalty from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as Tottenham avoided a third straight defeat and claimed a 1-1 draw with Arsenal in Saturday's north London derby. Arsenal led early on through Aaron Ramsey's well-taken goal, but Harry Kane's contentious penalty 16 minutes from time ensured third-placed Spurs maintain a four-point lead over the Gunners in the fight for top-four finish. Manchester United can overtake Arsenal and move into fourth with victory over Southampton at Old Trafford later on Saturday. Unai Emery's men will reflect on a missed opportunity to inflict further pain on a Spurs side that had lost to Burnley and Chelsea in the past week. Emery made a number of big calls with his starting line-up with Aubameyang dropped to the bench alongside Mesut Ozil even though both scored in Wednesday's 5-1 thrashing of Bournemouth. Alexandre Lacazette was instead handed the task of leading the line and the Frenchman spurned a big chance inside three minutes ..

John Higgins last eight of Indian Open snooker

: Defending champion John Higgins of Scotland cruised past England's James Cahill 4-1 Saturday to reach the quarterfinals of the 5th Indian Open snooker tournament here. Former World Champion Stuart Bingham of England went down by three frames to four to Lu Ning. Ning will take on Higgins in the last eight. Lyu Haotian (China) defeated Andy Hicks (England) by 4-1 and Li Hang (China) beat Englishman Sam Craige 4-2. In a hard fought match, Mark Davis (England) prevailed over Scotland's Graeme Dott 4-3 and Mathew Selt of England outlasted compatriot Oliver Lines 4-3. English cueist Anthony Hamilton continued his good form and won 4-2 against countryman Chris Wakelin. Belgian Luca Brecel, one of the pre-tournament favourites, bowed out, losing to 3-4 to Scottish player Scott Donaldson. In matches played on Friday, Luca Brecel made a break on 101 on the way to a 4-1 defeat of Andrew Higginson (England), while Stuart Bingham beat John Astley 4-2 in a battle of Englishmen. Mark .

East Bengal focused on staying afloat in title race

Hoping to keep their title prospects alive, East Bengal have no option but to go for a win as they lock horns with holders Minerva Punjab FC in the I-League here Sunday. The game will hold a lot of importance for both the teams and for the visitors, a win would push them closer towards realising a long-awaited I-League title dream, which looks possible after Churchill Brothers FC Goa defeated table toppers Chennai City FC 3-2 on Friday. Minerva Punjab FC are currently-placed ninth in the points table with 17 points from as many games. East Bengal, who have been on top of their form in 2019 with just one loss against Chennai City, would look forward to continue their winning run and try to close the gap for the title run. A win for the Red & Golds means they will be just one point shy of Chennai City FC, taking the championship fight to the final day. Alejandro Menendez said, "For us, we are more eager to win now as we have the realistic chance to win the championship. This match ..

I-League: East Bengal aim to stay afloat in title race (Preview)

East Bengal would look to get past defending champions Minerva Punjab FC and inch closer to the title when the two sides meet in an I-League encounter at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, here on Sunday.

We depend on ourselves to keep fighting for La Liga: Atletico coach

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone on Saturday said that his team was relying on its own efforts to keep fighting for the La Liga title, regardless of the result of the Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Ferrari has fastest F1 car but Hamilton confident after early tests

Defending Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton said that bitter rivals Ferrari looked to have developed by far the fastest car, potentially turning the season ahead into one of the most challenging, as pre-season testing at the Montmeló race track near Barcelona drew to a close.