Page 523 - Sports
ISL: Mumbai out for double over rivals Pune (Preview)
Mumbai City FC will be looking for a confidence-boosting 'Maharashtra derby' victory when they take on FC Pune City in an Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Saturday.
Proud to hand over legacy of Indian jersey to future generations: Dhoni
Kapil's Devils' pristine whites at the Lord's in 1983 was a source of inspiration for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who wore different shades of blue in 2007 and 2011 and is "proud to hand over the legacy" of Indian jersey to future generations. Indian team's new 2019 World Cup jersey was launched by sporting apparel giants Nike in the presence of former captain Dhoni, current skipper Virat Kohli, his Test deputy Ajinkya Rahane and young turk Prithvi Shaw. Asked about what exactly an Indian jersey reminds him, the two-time World champion former skipper said: "It always reminds me of the great legacy that we have got. It's not only that. Playing each and every bilateral series, reaching No 1 across formats, all these are motivational stuff." One of the greatest to ever donned the India Blues, Dhoni spoke with a lot of reverence about how the seeds of the present were sown back in 1983 when Kapil Dev lifted the World Cup. "It feels good to always get into past a bit. During first World Cup in ..
Higgins moves into pre-quarters of Indian Open snooker
Defending champion John Higgins of Scotland outlasted Iran's Hossein Vafaei by four frames to three to book a spot in the pre-quarterfinals of the 5th Indian Open snooker tournament here Friday. Former world champion Peter Ebdon of England went down 1-4 to compatriot Sam Craige while Zhao Xintong of China, who made a break of 140 on Thursday, lost 2-4 to experienced Englishman Anthony Hamilton. In the morning session, Li Hang (China) posted a 4-2 win over Joe Perry 4-2 while Lu Ning (China) blanked countryman Yan Bingtao 4-0. Andy Hicks (England) put it past Eden Sharav (Israel) 4-2 and Luke Simmonds (England) went down fighting to Lyu Haotian (China) 3-4. The 2019 BetVictor snooker shootout champion Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Thailand) lost to Graeme Dott (Scotland) by 1-4. In matches played Thursday, Xintong beat Sam Baird of England 4-2 while Higgins outplayed young Welshman Duane Jones 3-0 and Joe Swail (Northern Island) posted a 4-3 win against Jack Lisowski (England).
Dhanapal Ganesh in CFC team for AFC cup
Two-time Indian Super League Champions Chennaiyin FC Friday announced a 25-man squad for its 2019 AFC Cup qualifying playoff round against Sri Lanka's Colombo FC, which includes Dhanpal Ganesh, who missed the team's entire ISL title defence due to a knee injury. A press note said Chennaiyin FC would be playing the home match of the two-legged qualifying tie at The Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad. This is Chennaiyin's debut AFC Cup campaign following their 2017-18 ISL title success and they are placed in the South Asian Zone of the competition. This qualifying tie against Colombo FC is for a place in the group stage of the 2019 AFC Cup. Colombo defeated Bhutan's Transport United 9-2 on aggregate in the preliminary round and would be hosting Chennaiyin in the first leg at the Colombo Race Course Ground in Colombo on March 6 and the home leg would be played on March 13. Australian Chris Herd, who joined CFC in the January transfer window, would be the club's Asian player .
Honda racing announces ambitious plans for new season
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) Friday announced its international team for theAsia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) and Thai Talent Cup (TTC) season 2019. Rajiv Sethu, who made his debut in ARRC 2017 and secured 27th position the next year, would represent Idemitsu Honda Racing India in Asia Production 250cc class, HMSI Vice President (Brand and Communications) Prabhu Nagaraj told reporters here. Third place winner in the National Motorcycle Racing Championship (INMRC) Pro-Stock 165cc championship -- on the domestic front -- , 17-year-old Senthil Kumar would be riding alongside Sethu. "With two of India's most promising riders representing the Idemitsu Honda Racing India at Asia level, we are aiming that our boys climb the top group and make India proud on the international stage in 2019," Nagaraj said. We are staying true to our commitment towards our motorsport direction announced last year, he said, adding that development of the two next generation riders .
Germany to host Argentina in repeat of 2014 World Cup final
Germany will host Argentina in Dortmund on October 9 in a repeat of the 2014 World Cup final, the German Football Association (DFB) announced Friday. "It was the express wish of the coaching staff to play a friendly against an outstanding team and develop the squad further," explained DFB president Reinhard Grindel. No German fans needs reminding that it was Mario Goetze's goal in extra time which sealed their 1-0 win over Argentina in the World Cup final at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium in July 2014. That was followed by a 4-2 win for Argentina two months later when the sides last met in a friendly in Duesseldorf. After Germany's disastrous World Cup campaign in Russia last year, crashing out after the group stages, the DFB are keen to test their new-look squad. "On our way back to being one of the top sides, it's important to compete with the best teams in the world and we look forward to an international match against Argentina," said Germany's team director Oliver ...
Bhullar moves to Tied 6th before sandstorm stops play in Oman
Gaganjeet Bhullar grabbed three birdies in tough conditions to get to four-under through 28 holes for a Tied-sixth place before sand storm stopped play in the second round of the Oman Open here Friday. Relatively calm conditions in the very early stages at Al Mouj Golf gave way to tough conditions as winds picked up, bringing sand with them. Play was suspended at 11:38. While Bhullar was battling at three-under through 10 holes to get into contention over the weekend, Shubhankar Sharma was fighting on the cut line. He was one-over through 30 holes and was lying T-65 along with 17 others. SSP Chawrasia was 11-over 29 holes and was certain to miss the cut, which should fall at either even or one-over. With the winds not dropping to a playable level, play was called off and the second round will restart at 07:40 on Saturday. Bhullar is now two shots behind the leader, Joachim Hansen, who is six-under through 34 holes, and Kurt Kitayama, who is also at six-under but has five holes ...
Ganguly unsure how Pant would fit into India's World Cup squad
Rishabh Pant is definitely "one for the future" but former captain Sourav Ganguly is not sure if the young wicket-keeper batsman can fit into India's World Cup squad. Pant has been picked ahead of Dinesh Karthik for the five-match ODI series against Australia, India's last 50-over engagement before the mega event in England. In an interview at the Eden Gardens, Ganguly did not seem too convinced on how Pant, who has played only three ODIs, would fit into India's World Cup squad. "He has to fit in. I don't know whether he would be able to fit in at this moment. So it depends. But he's obviously a player for the future," Ganguly said about Pant, who has just played three ODIs all against the West Indies in India last year. Pant has made a big statement in Tests by scoring centuries in England and Australia but he's yet to make an impact in the ODIs and T20Is. Playing as a special batsman, Pant's scores read 4, 40 not out and 28 in the 1-2 loss in the T20Is in New Zealand last month, ...
Barca extend Jordi Alba deal
FC Barcelona have extended the contract of Spain international left back Jordi Alba until the end of June 2024, the club has said.
I-League clubs wait for meeting with AIFF chief
I-League clubs are waiting for a meeting with All India Football Federation (AIFF) chief Praful Patel as their fate hangs in the balance.
Mumbai take on rivals Pune in ISL
Already assured of a spot in the semifinals, Mumbai City FC will be looking for a confidence-boosting win when they take on Pune City in a 'Maharashtra derby' at the Indian Super League here Saturday. The Islanders, who have already qualified for the semi-finals, can possibly secure the third spot with a win which could see them pitted against FC Goa in the knock-out tie. If NorthEast United manage to pip Kerala Blasters, Jorge Costa's men will have to play league leaders Bengaluru FC. Mumbai City, after being in a rut of sorts following the international break, finally jolted into action in their last game and beat ATK 3-1 to seal a top-four spot. Key to that performance was the return to goal-scoring ways of star striker Modou Sougou who grabbed a hat-trick. The Senegalese now has 12 goals to his name and will once again be the man to watch out for. Costa has claimed that he is looking for nothing less than a win though he might have to make do without the services of Souvik ...
Gagan Sethi jumps to third position after stage 2 of JK Tyre Himalayan Drive
As the JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7 entered its final two stages, Delhis Gagan Sethi scripted a gallant fightback to move up to the third position here on Friday.
World Cup team will be more or less sorted out before IPL, says Kohli
India captain Virat Kohli on Friday said the World Cup team will be decided before the Indian Premier League (IPL) starts and performances in the cash-rich domestic T20 tournament will have no bearing in team selection.
India thrash Turkmenistan 10-0 in Turkish Women's Cup
Sanju produced a hattrick as the Indian women's team romped to a massive 10-0 victory against Turkmenistan in their second match of the Turkish Women's Cup in Alanya on Friday. Sanju (17th, 37th, 71st) was the highest scorer of the match, Anju Tamang (51st, 83rd) and Ranjana (60th, 62nd) got a brace each to their name, while Dangmei Grace (7th), Sumithra (77th) and Indumathi Kathiresan (87th) also scored one goal each. India thus bounced back from their 0-1 defeat against Uzbekistan on Wednesday. India started off with a bang, as Dangmei put the eves in front on the 7th minute itself. Around 10 minutes later, Sanju added another one, before making it 3-0 for India minutes before the half-time break. The team, led by Indumathi in this match, increased the tempo in the second half, as Grace and Ranjana combined again to add two more. Notably, the 71st-minute goal marked the hat-trick for Sanju, and also the third assist of the match for right-back Dalima Chhibber. Sumithra, Anju and ...
Reeza Hendricks, Theunis de Bruyn bag national contracts
South African cricketers Reeza Hendricks and Theunis de Bruyn were rewarded national contracts by Cricket South Africa (CSA) for the 2019-20 season.Previously, the two players were deprived of full contracts but the same was upgraded "after reaching the necessary threshold during the course of the current season".The contracts provide coverage to the selected players for their upcoming bilateral tours to India in October and March, full tour home series against England, limited-overs home series against Australia, and the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.For women cricketers, the contract covers the upcoming 2020 Women's World T20 Cup which will be played in Australia."We have contracted 16 men's players and 14 women's players which we feel is the appropriate number to maintain our national squads across the various formats," Sport24 quoted CSA CEO Thabang Moroe, as saying."This enables us to contract both our Test players as well as those who are limited overs specialists," he added.There .
Sethi jumps to third position in JK Tyre Himalayan Drive
Delhi's Gagan Sethi scripted a gallant fight back to move up to third position in the JK Tyre Himalayan Drive here. Sethi and co-driver Rajkumar Mundra, who were not in the reckoning after the initial stages, showed great precision and skill to make up for their opening day's loss and get back into the championship mix. While there were lot of unfortunate incidents with top contenders Pratick Sirkar (co-driver Debashish Ghosh) and Ratan Pal (co-driver Prasenjit Roy) dropping out of contention with DNFs, it was two-defending champion Ali Asgar and his navigator Md. Musthafa who held on to their slender lead to keep their dream alive of completing a rare hat-trick. Yogendra and his co-driver Nagarajan Thangaraj, who started their day in the second position, managed to hold on to that position, even narrowing down the lead and threatening the leaders. With leg three of India's only multi-nation TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) from Paro (Bhutan) to Kalimpong being cancelled due to heavy ...
Rookie Diksha Dagar best Indian at T-29 in Canberra
Young golfer Diksha Dagar fired four birdies in the last seven holes to card a highly creditable one-under 70 to lie tied 29th after the opening round of the ActewAGL Canberra Classic here Friday. Dagar, who represented India at the 2018 Asian Games and is a medallist from the 2017 Summer Deaflympics, turned pro only this year, though she has won a pro title while being an amateur in India. She bogeyed fourth, fifth and tenth, before sinking her first birdie on 11th hole at Royal Canberra Golf Club. That changed her fortunes as she birdied 13th, 15th and 18th. She was the best placed Indian at Tied-29th. Vani Kapoor finished birdie-birdie in her round of 72 and was Tied-55th, while Amandeep Drall shot 73 and was T-68th. Things did not go well for Tvesa Malik (76) and Astha Madan (77) and they would need low rounds on day 2 to make the cut. American Amelia Lewis shot a flawless six-under par round of 65 in the morning wave to lead the chasing pack. She carded six birdies and twelve ...
Ghosal's impressive run in World Championship ends with loss in quarters
German Simon Rosner came up with a dazzling display to end Saurav Ghosal's impressive run in the quarterfinals of the PSA World Squash Championship here. Third seed Rosner, who had made his first appearance in the quarterfinals, won 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 on Thursday. The scoreline may not suggest that but it was a 50 minute marathon with Ghosal giving his best but was unable to unsettle the top-ranked German. The only time Rosner looked like yielding to the pressure was in the first game when he trailed 2-6 but things changed dramatically from there with the German completing a straight-game victory.
Lahiri lies Tied sixth in Florida
Anirban Lahiri got his putter working and carded a superb three-under 67 to lie Tied-sixth after the first round of the Honda Classic golf tournament here. The Indian ace, playing his fourth successive season on the PGA Tour, holed everything inside 10 feet and also converted some big putts at the PGA National here. He hit 11 of 18 greens in regulation and seemed more comfortable than he has been all season on the greens. Lahiri had seven birdies, which was the equal best for the first round. He also birdied two of three holes in the stretch called 'The Bear's Trap' on Thursday. The Bear's Trap is the stretch 15-16-17 and Lahiri birdied 15th and 16th with lengthy putts. His big blemish of the day was a trip into the water on the Par-4 436-yard 11th hole which cost him a double bogey. Lahiri hit his irons well to come inside 10 feet often and holed them all. In addition he had some big putts on third (21 feet), 15th (25 feet), 16th (17 feet) and 18th (31 feet). In between he had some ..
No plans to shift ODI matches from Mohali and Delhi: BCCI acting President
The BCCI has "no plans to shift" India's final two ODIs against Australia in Mohali and Delhi, the cricket board's acting president CK Khanna said Friday. There were reports that in the wake of increased tensions between India and Pakistan after the neighbouring country violated the Indian airspace in Jammu and Kashmir, the BCCI was considering taking the last two ODIs out of the northern region. The fourth ODI in Mohali is scheduled on March 10 while the fifth game at Delhi will be held on March 13. Saurashtra had reportedly offered to host one of the games. "There is certainly no such plan to shift any of the games from their original venues. I can confirm that both ODIs in Mohali and Delhi, is happening as per schedule," Khanna told PTI. He also confirmed that there has never been any discussion on shifting of venues. "As far as a back up venue is concerned, the BCCI always has alternate arrangements in place in case a venue expresses its inability to hold a game. It was nice of ...