Page 548 - Sports
It's 'stupid', India's foreign pistol coach vents his ire after quota revocation
India's foreign pistol coach Pavel Smirnov Friday vented his ire after the IOC revoked two Olympic quotas from the New Delhi World Cup owing to denial of visas to Pakistan shooters in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. India denied visas to Pakistani shooters for the World Cup that starts on Saturday in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, which killed more than 40 CRPF personnel. As a result, the International Olympic Committee scrapped the two Olympic quotas on offer in the men's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol competition of the event. "Who did not give the visas? I know. It was very stupid. It is very bad for India, a setback," Smirnov, who is involved with Indian shooting for a decade now, said. "In 2016, your remember, Iran was dropped from the Olympics. This has happened again, only because of stupidity by some official," Smirnov, who coached the likes of Olympic silver medallist Vijay Kumar and Jitu Rai, said. Smirnov was appointed the national coach in 2013. Within hours of .
Just happened to be good at the sport which I hated: Agassi
Flamboyant former World No 1 Tennis player Andre Agassi Friday said he was forced into the game which he hated but emerged as the top player. "I just happened to be good at the sport which I completely hated," Agassi said in conversation with Indian tennis icon Vijay Amritaraj atthe IAA-World-Congress here. "Unlike Vijay who started playing tennis because of passion since childhood, I, on the other hand, was forced into the game. Being the youngest son, my siblings weren't doing well in the game so I didn't have a choice. I was disconnected with it and hated it, but went on to top it," an International Advertising Association (IAA) release quoted him as saying. Agassi said he was forced to play tennis. "It was not a choice. My father saw this as a fastest road to live the American dream...," he said. Speaking on retirement, he said "if you are playing professional sports, you dont know what to do with the rest of your life after you stop playing. My life while playing was
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Gujarat wins thriller, Pujara stars again
Gujarat edged past Rajasthan in a thrilling one over Eliminator in a Group B clash while test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara starred again with the bat to help Saurashtra beat Madhya Pradesh by six wickets in Group C of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Friday.
BCCI urges ICC to isolate Pakistan, undecided on World Cup boycott (Roundup)
The BCCI has urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to urge cricketing nations to boycott countries which sponsor terrorism but no decision has been taken if India should play against Pakistan in the World Cup after the Kashmir suicide bombing.
Raina fires UP to six wicket win
Out of favour India batsman Suresh Raina smashed an unbeaten 54 off 35 balls to lead Uttar Pradesh to a six wicket win over Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy here on Friday. Opting to bat, Hyderbad could only mange 139 for 7 in 20 overs. Bavanaka Sandeep was the top scorer with 33 off 31 balls. Uttar Pradesh captain Raina guided his team to victory in 18.3 overs after openers Upendra Yadav 25 and Samarth Singh 36 provided a steady start. In another Group E game, openers Nakul Verma and Ravi Chauhan starred with the bat as Services registered a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Tripura. Opting to bowl, Services restricted Tripura to 157 before Verma hit 73 off 45 balls and Chauhan, who was unbeaten on 62, overhauled the target with more than four overs to spare. Earlier, Tripura openers Joydeep Banik and Udiyan Bose were dismissed off simultaneous deliveries. Saurabh Das (0) and Pratyush Singh (7) were also dismissed cheaply. Captain Manisankar Murasingh then scored a .
Dhakshineshwar Suresh in AITA men's tennis final
Dhakshineshwar Suresh of Tamil Nadu beat Nitin Kumar Sinha (West Bengal) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to move into the final of the MCC-S R Subramaniam Memorial AITA Mens Tennis Championship here Friday. He will play top seed Niki Poonacha of Andhra Pradesh, who ended the run of the experienced V M Ranjeet with a 6-4, 6-3 win, in the final. The duo of Vijay Sundar Prashanth and Ihsan Hussian beat Jatin Dahiya and Dhakshineswar Suresh 6-3 6-3 to claim the doubles title.
Sri Lanka fight back as South Africa collapse again
Sri Lanka's bowlers fought back on Friday, reducing South Africa to 91 for five in their second innings at tea on the second day of the second Test. South Africa had an overall lead of 159 after bowling out the tourists for 154 in their first innings at St George's Park. In the morning, Sri Lanka collapsed in a flurry of strokes to give South Africa a first innings lead of 68 runs. But the visiting bowlers then retaliated with Kasun Rajitha taking two for 20 and Vishwa Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva and Suranga Lakmal taking one wicket each. In a frenetic start to the day, Sri Lanka scored 94 runs but lost six wickets in 17.4 overs. Overnight batsmen Lahiru Thirimanne and nightwatchman Kasun Rajitha were dismissed in the first four overs of the morning after Sri Lanka resumed on 60 for three. They were followed by a succession of batsmen who played extravagant shots before perishing. Kusal Perera, the hero of Sri Lanka's surprise win in the first Test in Durban, thrashed two fours and .
I-League: Depleted Minerva host Neroca in penultimate home fixture (Preview)
Defending champions Minerva Punjab FC are all set to host northeastern outfit Neroca FC in their penultimate I-League home fixture with pride in mind here on Saturday.
I-League: 10-man Gokulam hold Lajong to 1-1 draw
Shillong Lajong held Gokulam Kerala FC to a 1-1 draw in their final home fixture of the I-League football match at the JLN Stadium here on Friday.
Depleted Minerva host Neroca in penultimate home I-League game
Out of the title race, defending champions Minerva Punjab FC are all set to host Northeastern outfit Neroca FC in their penultimate Hero I-League home match here on Saturday. The defending champions are currently placed in the ninth spot with 14 points from 16 games, while Neroca FC are placed fifth with 26 points from 17 matches. In the first leg when Neroca FC hosted Minerva, the game ended in a goalless draw. The hosts have just garnered one point from their last six games and have not been able to secure a win since December 4 last year when they defeated second-placed East Bengal 1-0 in Kolkata. What adds to their woes is the fact that Minerva has scored just twice in their last nine encounters and go into Saturday's game after suffering a shocking 0-2 defeat to Indian Arrows in their last match. In between, the Punjab outfit played against Iranian Club Saipa FC in the AFC Champions League Preliminary Round 2 at the Shahr-e Qods Stadium in Tehran, Iran which eventually they lost .
Lajong hold Gokulam to 1-1 draw in I-League
Shillong Lajong held Gokulam Kerala FC to a 1-1 draw in their final home fixture of the ongoing Hero I-League football tournament at the JLN Stadium here Friday. The result means Lajong are still stranded at the bottom of the table with 11 points from 18 matches, whereas Gokulam have accumulated 14 points having played one game less. Gokulam drew the first blood through a stellar finish from Marcus Joseph in the 43rd minute before Samuel Lalmuanpia restored parity for the hosts in the 65th minute. Lajong started the game with two changes -- goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa had to be rested due to an injury sustained from the last game against Chennai City FC and was replaced by Neinthovilie Chalieu while Kynsailang Kharsong was replaced by Rakesh Pradhan. Gokulam, on the other hand, tweaked their team with four changes from the last match. Abhishek Das, Felipe De Castro, Arjun Jayaraj and Pritam Singh found their places in the starting eleven, replacing Deepak Kumar, Ralph Alfred, Suhair VP
ISSF World Cup: Apurvi, Anjum, Elavenil in action on day one of competition
Anjum Moudgil, Apurvi Chandela and Elavenil Valaraivan will lead India's charge in women's 10m air rifle event on the first day of competition at the season-opening ISSF shooting World Cup here Saturday. The immensely talented Mehuli Ghosh will shoot in Minimum Qualification Score (MQS) at the Dr Karni Singh Range. They are among 102 competitors from 44 nations in the fray in the women's 10m event. India have secured both their Olympic quotas in the event through Moudgil and Chandela at the World Championships last September. With the International Olympic Committee (IOC) revoking the two quotas in the 25m rapid fire pistol event owing to non-issuance of visas to Pakistan shooters, the tournament will now offer 14 quotas for the 2020 Olympic Games instead of the original 16. Around 500 shooters from 60 nations, including 23 competitors from host country India, will compete for top honours -- medals and quotas. Besides the men's 25m rapid fire pistol and the two 10m mixed team air ...
Bisht helps India eves win against England in first ODI
World champions England had their batswomen to blame as they made heavy weather of a small target and lost to India by 66 runs in the opening ODI at the Wankhede Stadium here on Friday.
1 Nationals and 2 trials later, lieutenant Anuradha set for World Cup
It took, remarkably, just one Nationals and two trials for Anuradha, a lieutenant at Indian Navy and a pistol shooter for less than six months, to make the Indian team for an ISSF World Cup. On February 26, she will be shooting in the women's 10m air rifle event alongside her fancied compatriots, Heena Sidhu and Manu Bhaker. "Until now I have just had three outings- Nationals and two trials. This World Cup will be my fourth tournament. In September, I started shooting," she said. For the logistics officer, it all happened in a flash. "... Manu Bhaker also recently started, if she can do it, why can't I," Anuradha, a daughter of a retired Indian Air Force sergeant, said on the eve of the tournament. The 28-year-old shot high scores in the nationals and trials, leaving behind the likes of world junior champion Yashaswini Deswal, Shri Nivetha and Annu Raj Singh. Like most diligent students, Anuradha followed her coach Prem's instructions to the tee, partly attributing her rapid progress .
Arsenal face Rennes in Europa League last 16, Chelsea draw
Arsenal will face French side Rennes in the last 16 of the Europa League, while Chelsea were paired with Dynamo Kiev in Friday's draw. Both Premier League clubs will be at home in the first leg on Thursday, March 7, with the return matches scheduled for March 14. Arsenal's draw means that their veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech will return to face the club he represented for two seasons before joining Chelsea in 2004. The Gunners overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to qualify for the last 16 by beating BATE Borisov of Belarus 3-0 on Thursday. Meanwhile, Rennes reached the last 16 for the first time in their history with a fine 3-1 win away to Real Betis in Spain, a result that gave them a 6-4 aggregate triumph. The Brittany club finished fifth in Ligue 1 last season and are currently in mid-table, but have impressed since the 38-year-old Julien Stephan was appointed as coach in December. Arsenal manager Unai Emery -- who won the Europa League three years running as coach of Sevilla -- is ...
I am in a good place right now, says fit-again Uthappa
KKR batsman Robin Uthappa, who is back in action after recovering from an ankle surgery, Friday said "he is in a good place" at the moment. The 33-year-old, who plays for Saurashtra in domestic cricket, scored 46 against Railways in his return to competitive cricket in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament Thursday. He had an ankle surgery that had kept him out of action for four months. R Rejuvenated, and a long-time niggle taken care of, Uthappa spent almost a month at the KKR Academy, getting back to the grind with the help of of Abhishek Nayar, the lead coach and mentor of the Academy. "I am in a good place right now. Well honestly, it has been a learning curve for me - going through the injury, and then, the surgery," Uthappa was quoted as saying by the KKR website. KKR open their IPL 2019 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at home on March 24. In October 2018, Uthappa went under the knife in London. Medically, the condition is called Osteophytes, where after a particular ...
Beating Pakistan at World Cup better revenge than boycott: Gavaskar
Pointing out that India will lose if it decides to boycott Pakistan at the ICC World Cup, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar asserted that the best revenge for the Pulwama terror attack will be to beat the arch rivals on the biggest stage cricket has to offer.
Need to play spin better, says Heather Knight after loss in series opener
Undeterred by the 66-run loss in the opening women's ODI international against India, England skipper Heather Knight on Friday said the World Cup holders are capable of bouncing back in the three-match series. "The total was perfectly chaseable. We lost the first game in the World Cup. We have lost games earlier in the series and come back as well. We are taking one game at a time. We need to build partnerships," Knight said at the post-match conference. "We bowled well, but were unlucky not to take more wickets up front. But we were more than happy with 200 (plus) to chase," insisted Heather, who remained unbeaten on 39 in 66 balls. For India, opener Jemimah Rodrigues stroked her way to 48 in 58 balls and skipper Mithali Raj got a steady 44 from 74 balls, before the bowlers helped them defend the modest score with left arm spinner Ekta Bisht claiming four for 25, including three in the last over of the game. Conceding that the team were unable to play spin well on Friday, Heather ...
Karnataka hammer Bengal by nine wickets in Mushtaq Ali T20
Young Rohan Kadam struck an unbeaten 81 as Karnataka cantered to a nine-wicket win over Bengal to register their second successive Group D win at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Twenty20 tournament here Friday. The 24-year-old, who made his debut against Assam on Thursday, smashed two sixes and 10 fours during his 55-ball knock as Karnataka chased down the modest target of 132 in 15.5 overs. Giving him company was wicketkeeper-batsman BR Sharath, who got out after completing his 50 off 37 balls with the help of nine boundaries. The duo laid down a solid opening partnership of 117 runs in 14.3 overs for Karnataka. Bengal's bowling also struggled at the DRIEMS Ground in Tangi in the outskirts here, with Ashok Dinda leaking 22 runs from his two overs and didn't even complete his full quota. Opting to bat, Bengal batsmen faltered to be bundled out for 131 inside 19.4 overs with opener Shreevats Goswami top-scoring with a 29-ball 40 (6x4s, 1x6). The diminutive Goswami gave Bengal the perfect ..
India should have nothing to do with Pakistan: BJP
The BJP Friday asserted that India should have nothing to do with Pakistan, in comments that came amid a call that the country should not play its neighbour in the cricket World Cup following the Pulwama terror attack. "This dancing, singing... we should have nothing to do with Pakistan. We do not want to see those people who kill our soldiers," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters. He was asked about his party's view on the demand that India should not play Pakistan in the cricket world cup after last week's terror attack in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The Committee of Administrators (CoA) running Indian cricket Friday decided against taking any stand on the World Cup clash against Pakistan, which is scheduled for June 16 in Old Trafford in England, but said it would individually urge ICC members to "sever ties with any nation that is a terrorist hub". In a meeting to address the spiralling speculation around the match, the CoA deliberated on the matter ...