Page 531 - Sports
Sanghi, Rai qualify from Noida Leg Day 1 for Mercedes Trophy National Finals
City golfers Abhyudaya Sanghi Handicap Category A (0-17) and Geeta Rai Handicap Category B (18-24) qualified for the National Finals of the Mercedes Trophy 2019 on day one of the Noida leg qualifier held at the Jaypee Greens Golf Resort here Wednesday. Sanghi and Rai clinched the first two qualification spots available from the leg by carding a net score of 71.2 and 71.8 respectively. The Mercedes Trophy 2019 has so far seen 32 qualifiers, including Wednesday who will be competing in the National Finals to be played at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune from March 27 to 29. Prominent winners included Gaurav Agarwal, who won the Ballantine's Long Drive Challenge with a drive of 290 yards. A total of around 120 golfers competed on day one of Mercedes Trophy Noida leg. The second day of the qualifiers will see a set of 120 golfers set to compete for the two qualification available spots.
Kohli propels India to challenging 190/4 vs Australia
Skipper Virat Kohli led from the front with an explosive 38-ball 72 to propel India to 190/4 against Australia in the second and final Twenty20 international of the series at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Wednesday.
Samjhauta Express to run as per schedule: Goyal
Railway Minister Piyuah Goyal on Wednesday said that the services of the Samjhauta Express, one of the two train services between India and Pakistan, will continue as per schedule from Delhi to Attari in Punjab.
Manu, Saurabh shoot gold as India end ISSF World Cup on top
Indias promising shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary nailed the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team gold on the concluding day of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol New Delhi 2019, to ensure that India finished joint top in the medals tally with Hungary, both winning three gold medals each.
Kohli, Dhoni push India to 190/4
Skipper Virat Kohli and veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni delighted the Chinnaswamy crowd with a 100-run stand off 50 balls, propelling India to 190 for four in the second and final T20 against Australia here Wednesday. Kohli led from the front in the must-win tie, hammering an unbeaten 72 off 38 balls in a knock that included half a dozen sixes, while Dhoni played the supporting role well with 40 off 23 balls. It was a typical Dhoni innings that comprised three fours and as many sixes and came after a rather slow 29 off 37 balls in Vizag on Sunday night. Opener K L Rahul was amongst runs again, scoring 47 off 26 in front of his home crowd. Considering the pitch wore a greenish look, India brought in pace all-rounder Vijay Shankar in place of spinner Mayank Markande while fast bowler Umesh Yadav made way for Siddharth Kaul. India made a third change by resting Rohit Sharma for Shikhar Dhawan to open the innings alongside Rahul. The southpaw was rested from the series opener. With a series .
Nishikori bundled out of Dubai tennis
Japan's top seed Kei Nishikori was bundled out in the second round of the Dubai Championships on Wednesday, losing 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 to unfancied Hubert Hurkacz. The Polish number one ranked 77th in the world handed the favourite his exit papers as Nishikori played the Gulf event for the first time. He came to the emirate with an early season title from Brisbane, where he claimed his first trophy since 2016. Hurkacz moved into his first ATP quarter-final after scoring his first career victory over a Top 10 opponent, needing just over two hours completing the upset. The outsider caught Nishikori with a late break in the opening set but the favourite looked like making up ground in the second when he moved from 4-0, 5-2 up. But Nishikori failed on four occasions to serve it out before squeaking through with a break for 6-5 followed by a serve hold to make it a set each after 92 minutes. Hurkacz finished the job as he claimed the final set to advance, winning with six breaks of serve from ..
Bale avoids punishment for celebration against Atletico
Gareth Bale is free to play in both El Clasicos against Barcelona this week after the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) decided on Wednesday not to punish the Real Madrid forward for his celebration against Atletico Madrid. After scoring in Real's 3-1 victory earlier this month, Bale threw one arm under the other towards the Atletico fans, a gesture considered offensive in Spain. La Liga filed a complaint against Bale for what it described as "a gesture of potentially obscene meaning" but the referee did not include the incident in his report. The RFEF has confirmed in a statement it has not "found a breach of the rules of the game or action deserving either warning or disciplinary action". Bale could have been banned for up to 12 matches but the decision means he is available to face Barcelona in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday, as well as the two clubs' meeting in La Liga on Saturday. But his selection in Madrid's starting line-up remains in doubt. ...
It was disappointing not to play against Minerva: Real Kashmir coach
Real Kashmir coach David Robertson Wednesday expressed disappointment at Minerva Punjab's no-show for their I-League game in Srinagar in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. Robertson is in the national capital with his team for the I-League clash against East Bengal, which was originally slated to be held in Srinagar but was subsequently moved out in view of the prevailing uncertainty in the Kashmir valley. "No idea about what is happening with the Minerva clash. It's in the hands of the AIFF and they will make the decision," Robertson said on the eve of the game. "It was disappointing not to play the game (Minerva). There was a game which was snowed off and then there was on game where the team didn't show up. But then you just focus on the matches ahead." Having pulled out of their game, Minerva Punjab had filed a writ petition in Delhi High Court in anticipation that the AIFF might award three points to RKFC, counting their withdrawal as a forfeiture. However, the court ...
Kohli smashes 72 as India score 190/4
Skipper Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 72 off 38 balls to propel India to a competitive 190 for 4 against Australia in the second T20 International here Wednesday,. Apart from Kohli, who hit six sixes and couple of boundaries, opener KL Rahul once again delighted his home crowd with an attractive 47 off 26 balls with four sixes and three fours. Veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni also played his part with 40 off 23 balls including three fours and an equal number of maximums. Brief Scores: India 190/4 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 72 no off 38 balls, MS Dhoni 40 off 23 balls, KL Rahul 47 off 23 balls, Jason Behrendorff 1/17) vs Australia.
Indian cricket fans face trouble while entering Dubai stadium for PSL match
A couple of Indian cricket fans were on Wednesday initially stopped from entering the Dubai Sports City Stadium here to watch a Pakistan Super League (PSL) match before being allowed in, at a time when tensions between the two nations are at a peak. The news of two Indian nationals being stopped from entering the stadium spread like a wildfire but later on it was clarified that they were allowed to enter the premises. An official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the custodians of the tournament, later clarified that they had nothing to do with the incident as the security of the entire stadium was under the control of the local police. "We came to know about the incident and after discussions, they were allowed into the stadium to watch the match as they had valid tickets," the official said. Tensions have escalated between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. Soon after the Pulwama incident, an Indian company producing the PSL matches had withdrawn ...
I-League: Real Kashmir have something to play for, East Bengal very little
Keeping aside the uncertainty that preceded the match, East Bengal and Real Kashmir will have nothing but three points in mind when they lock horns in the I-League here Thursday. However Real Kashmir has a more realistic shot at the title unlike East Bengal, who have lost valuable points in their two previous encounters. Originally slated to be held in Srinagar, the match was shifted to the national capital two days ago in view of the prevailing "uncertainty" in the Kashmir valley following the Pulwama terror attack. Both teams have fallen behind in the title race recently but mathematically they are still in with a chance, especially the 'home team' Real Kashmir. Kicking off their debut season on a note that left many pleasantly surprised, Real Kashmir's form of late has been wobbly, having to contend with two successive draws on the road, squandering lead late into the game against a young Indian Arrows team. After 17 outings, the Kolkata heavyweights are positioned second in the ...
Gurbux backs India to play Pakistan in international meets
With the Hockey Series Finals under the scanner in the wake of India-Pakistan tension, former India captain Gurbux Singh feels it's a "shame" that players aspiring to take part in Olympics might have to suffer because of the deadlock, and insists that India should play Pakistan in international events and thrash them.
If need arises, we will uplift security : ICC Chief Executive Richardson assures BCCI
The International Cricket Council (ICC) Wednesday assured the BCCI that if need arises, it will "uplift the security based on advice of relevant agencies" to address India's concerns during the upcoming World Cup the wake of the Pulwama terror attack. At the start of the ICC's Chief Executives Committee (CEC) meeting, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri expressed India's concerns about the security of its players in the mega event which is scheduled to start May 30. "On behalf of the BCCI, Rahul Johri raised concerns for the safety and security of the Indian team, match officials and the Indian Fans, at the CEC Meeting," a senior BCCI official, privy to the development, told PTI. It is learnt that Johri told the CEC that the BCCI believes in the security being planned by the ICC and the England Cricket Board. "The ICC CEO David Richardson and ECB chief executive Tom Harrison underlined that security is an absolute priority and all necessary steps will be taken including an uplift in security, if ...
Dharun, Dutee shines at Indian GP-2
Asian Games silver medallist sprinter Dutee Chand and hurdler Dharun Ayyasamy lived up to their top billing, clinching a gold each in their respective events at the ongoing Indian Grand Prix-2 athletics meet here Wednesday. Dutee ran 23.30s to win the 200m women's race, her second gold medal in the IGP series. The timing will help Dutee improve her IAAF World Ranking in the 200m event. The timing also ensured that the Odisha sprinter made the qualifying cut-off for the Asian Athletics Championships to be held in Doha. The silver medal in this event went to Anjali Devi of Haryana with a timing of 24.15s while Supriya Maddal of Andhra Pradesh clocked 24.48s to bag the bronze medal. Dharun clocked a timing of 49.94s to win the men's 400m hurdles, his second consecutive gold medal in the Indian Grand Prix series 2019 here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The 24-year old improved upon his previous timing of 50.07s clocked at IGP-1 held in Patiala on Saturday. Santhosh Kumar took the second
Saha smashes ton as Bengal crush Arunachal by 107 runs
Wriddhiman Saha roared back to form with a blistering 62-ball-129 as Bengal beat Arunachal Pradesh by 107 runs in a group D league match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament here Wednesday. Wriddhiman plundered the hapless Arunachal bowlers into submission en route his highest score in T20 cricket, hitting 16 boundaries and four sixes, helping Bengal post a mamoth 234 for 6. Arunachal never had the ammunition to chase down the target and reached 127 for 4 in their stipulated 20 overs. The match was all about Wriddhiman, who opened the innings after a string of low scores -- 2, 3, 6 and 11 in the previous four games. While he is coming after an nine-month lay-off following a shoulder surgery, the innings would give him a lot of confidence ahead of the Indian Premier League even though the standard of bowling was sub-par. This was his second century in the shortest format after 114 for Kings XI Punjab in the in the IPL 2014 final in Bengaluru, which Kolkata Knight Riders won. "The ...
Play-off berth secured, FC Goa eye second spot in ISL table
Already assured of a play-off berth, FC Goa would look to seal the second spot when they take on Chennaiyin FC in a crucial league match of the Hero Indian Super League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda here, on Thursday. Having suffered a defeat against Bengaluru FC in the previous match, Sergio Lobera and his team would be looking to get back to winning ways before the play-offs. Much has been made of Goa's free-scoring attack, which has scored the most goals in the ISL this time around. The likes of Ferran Corominas and Edu Bedia have been instrumental for the side upfront. But majority of the credit for Goa's qualification for the play-offs also lies with the defence which has improved immensely. Though they lost 0-3 to Bengaluru, the Gaurs had kept five clean-sheets in a row before that. "At the beginning of the season, one of my goals was to improve the team defensively. Now we are one of those teams who have kept the maximum number of clean sheets this season. We have .
Mushtaq Ali: Railways halt Mumbai in their tracks
Railways dished out a clinical performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here Wednesday, crushing formidable Mumbai by 57 runs and snapping their unbeaten run in the group stage of the domestic T20 tournament. Coming into the match, Mumbai had won all their games so far in the tournament. But in their Group C match against Railways, the domestic giants put up a sub-par show. Put into bat by Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Railways posted a competitive 175/5 in their 20 overs with opener Pratham Singh (89) top-scoring. Chasing 176, the famed Mumbai batting line-up collapsed as they were shot out for 118 in 18.1 overs. For Railways, their openers Pratham Singh (89 off 60 balls) and Mrunal Devdhar (43 off 20 balls) put up 65 runs for the first wicket. Pacer Tushar Deshpande got the breakthrough for Mumbai after he cleaned up Devdhar, who struck two fours and five sixes. Railways lost one-down Prashant Awasthi (0) early. But the quick fall of two wickets did not deter 26- ...
Gokulam, Aizawl to play for survival on Thursday
Laggards Gokulam Kerala FC and former champions Aizawl FC will battle it out for survival when they take on each other in the 99th game of the ongoing Hero I-League at the EMC Corporation Stadium here on Thursday. Having played 17 games each this season, Gokulam Kerala FC, who started on a bright note, have somehow lost their sheen and now sit in the 10th place with 14 points while former champions Aizawl FC have just a point advantage coming into the game. Gokulam would also aim to come out winning against Aizawl FC in their return leg, after having lost 2-3 to the formers champions in their first encounter this season. Gift Raikhan would look to utilise his strengths to ensure they walk away with all the three points. Aizawl FC would be brimming with confidence after having played a highly entertaining 1-1 draw against title contenders East Bengal in their last encounter in Kolkata. Gokulam, on the other hand, have been playing attacking football ever since the appointment of their .
Wriddhiman Saha makes a smashing comeback with 62-ball knock of 129
Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha, who has battled injuries in the past two years, made a smashing comeback with a 62-ball knock of 129 runs for Bengal against Arunachal Pradesh in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Wednesday.This is Saha's second century of his T20 career. His first hundred had come way back in 2014 during the Indian Premier League (IPL).Saha opened the batting for Bengal and managed to strike sixteen fours and four sixes to allow the team to post a score of 234 for 6. The team got further boost by Vivek Singh's 18 ball knock of 49 runs.Consequently, Bengal registered a convincing 107 run victory over Arunachal Pradesh.In other matches, Mumbai suffered their first loss against Railways in the tournament. Chasing 176 runs, Mumbai were bowled out for 118 losing the match by 57 runs.Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer, the star trio of Mumbai failed to get the team off to a good start.Karnataka captain Vinay Kumar's cameo helped the team to win the ...
ISSF WC: Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary win gold in 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event
Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary striked a gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event of the ongoing International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup here on Wednesday.The duo scored 483.4 points to finish on top of the podium.The silver medal in the event was won by Chinese pair of Ranxin Jiang and Bowen Zhang with a score of 477.7 points while Korea's Minjung Kim and Daehun Park settled for the third position with 418.8 points.Other Indian pair in the fray Heena Sidhu and Abhishek Verma failed to qualify for the final round of the event.On Sunday, Saurabh had created a world record by winning gold medal in the men's 10m Air Pistol event of the World Cup.Commonwealth Games and Youth Olympic gold medallist Manu Bhaker, on the other hand, had finished fifth in the women's 25m Pistol event.As many as 500 shooters from 60 countries are fighting to claim the top honours at the Shooting World Cup which is being held in New Delhi from February 20 to 28.The ...