Page 595 - Sports
Rahane to lead RoI squad vs Vidarbha in Irani Cup
Hours after Vidarbha successfully defended their Ranji Trophy crown for a second successive time, the BCCI senior selection committee on Thursday named Ajinkya Rahane as skipper of the Rest of India (RoI) squad for the Irani Cup, starting February 12.
Rahane to lead Rest of India against Ranji champions Vidarbha, Rahul to lead India A vs Lions
India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will lead the Rest of India side against Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha in the Irani Cup match to be played in Nagpur from February 12-16. A day later, Test opener KL Rahul will lead India A in the second unofficial 'Test' against the England Lions at Wayanad. The Rest of India side's batting line-up bears a formidable look with a lot of current India players in the mix. Apart from Rahane, there will be other senior internationals like Mayank Agarwal, who impressed against Australia in the recent Test series, Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer along with fringe players like wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan and off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham. Saurashtra keeper-batsman Snell Patel, who scored a hundred in the Ranji final and left-arm spinner Dharmendra Jadeja, with fifty-plus wickets, have also made the cut. As has become the norm now, both Rest of India and India A squad have wrist spinners. Rajasthan's Rahul Vhahar is in the Rest squad while Punjab's Mayank ..
23rd Inter-Club Golf Championship from Feb 9
The 23rd Grover Vineyards Inter- Club Golf Championship will be held at the scenic United Services Club here on February 9 and 10. The two-day event will bring together players from four well-known golf clubs -- United Services (US), Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC), Willingdon Sports Club and Poona Club, the organisers told reporters here on Thursday. BPGC are the defending champions and they would be keen to retain the title. The Poona Golf Club have a strong team with some of the top amateurs in the country part of their mix. Rohan Dholepatil, will be playing off a +2 handicap, the lowest seen in the tournament's history. Also, top juniors like Aarya Gadekar, Vaishnaivi Naik and Pranav Mardikar are part of their team, led by Swastik Sirsikar. The hosts US Club, led by Satpal Singh, have youngsters including Keshav Mishra and Trimann Saluja. BPGC team comprises young golfers like Ahaan Nath, Virjeet Sandhu, Harsimran Sodhi, Tanmay Krishna and also experienced players .
MMRT to host MRF Challenge this weekend
The MRF Challenge, one of top single-seater racing championships of Asia, which over the past seven seasons has evolved into an incubator of talent, is coming home to the Madras Motor Racing Track (MMRT) here this weekend. The third and concluding round of the winter series will be held from Friday.
Dipa likely to start training for Produnova after Doha World Cup: Coach
Ace Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar is likely to restart her training for the gravity-defying Produnova vault after next month's Doha World Cup, her mentor and coach Bisheshwar Nandi said. Dipa had vaulted her way to glory after her audacious display in Produnova at the 2016 Rio Olympics but she was forced to dump the 'vault of death' routine following a career-threatening knee injury in 2017. But the Indian is likely to be back to her favourite vault after her participation at the Baku World Cup (March 1417) and Doha World Cup (March 2023). "Produnova needs 3-4 months of continuous training which has not been possible because of the regular qualifying competitions. I have that in mind, and possibly after returning from Doha she will once again work on Prudonova," Nandi told PTI. "We have to find a way to get the time to do that. It is a very hard vault and she has already gone through injuries and surgeries, so it becomes risk, so we haven't done that yet." Dipa had to undergo surgery ..
FIFA rankings: India slips out of top 100 in latest charts
The Indian football team Thursday slipped out of the top 100 in the latest FIFA rankings following their back to back group league defeats during the AFC Asian Cup in the UAE. Skipper Sunil Chhetri and Co. slumped six places to be ranked 103 with 1219 points in the FIFA rankings released Thursday. India also dropped out of the top 16 in the AFC rankings, plummeting to 18th. India had crashed out of the Asian Cup after losing to UAE and Bahrain, despite thrashing Thailand 4-1 in their opening group to make a good start to their campaign. Following India's exit, Stephen Constantine stepped down from his role as India chief coach. The country will now need to play friendlies in March against higher-ranked countries to improve its ranking ahead of the draw of the second round of 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, which is likely to be held in April. India had regained its place in the top-100 in March last year, after breaking the top 100 bracket for the first time in 21 years in 2017. India
Character of this side came to fore in this final: Pandit
A strict disciplinarian by his own admission, Chandrakant Pandit is immensely proud that Vidarbha players have made a seamless transition from handling pressure to putting opposition under the pump, during their second successive Ranji Trophy triumph. Unarguably, the best domestic coach in the country, Pandit guided an unheralded Vidarbha side to second successive titles with a mix of strategic acumen and old school discipline. Many observed that Vidarbha's maiden title triumph last year against Delhi was a 'fluke' and Pandit did admit that against Saurashtra, the aim was to prove that 2017-18 was not a mere flash in the pan. Neither Pandit not captain Faiz Fazal elaborated on secrets on the process they followed but it was easy to guess that probably the focus was on getting the team united and it was imperative for everyone to pull in one direction, without thinking about individual results. "Yes, there was pressure to maintain that reputation and we followed a process to maintain ..
'A lesson never to give up': Guardiola pride as City go top
Pep Guardiola saluted Manchester City's never-say-die spirit as the champions knocked Liverpool off the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win against Everton on Wednesday. Guardiola's side were in danger of being blown away by Liverpool in the title race after a damaging defeat at Newcastle last week. But Liverpool have faltered with successive draws against Leicester and West Ham, allowing City to get back in the hunt. A hard-fought victory at Goodison Park, secured by goals from Aymeric Laporte and Gabriel Jesus, lifted City above Liverpool on goal difference. And boss Guardiola insisted City's return to the summit was a tribute to his players' refusal to accept they were out of the hunt. "Goodison Park, 2-0, we have to be happy. In terms of consistency, we didn't concede one shot on target. To score in the last minute of the first half helped us a lot," Guardiola said. "We are not the tallest team in the world so we don't expect to score from set-pieces, but (assistant coach) ...
Team travelling to India is not the World Cup squad, says Aussie head coach Justin Langer
Australia men's cricket team head coach Justin Langer on Thursday said the team that will travel to India for the upcoming limited-overs series is not the one that will represent the country at the World Cup 2019.Australia named their squad with significant changes that will take on India for two T20Is and five ODIs, beginning February 24 in preparation for the World Cup.However, Langer said there is still a chance for aspirants to stake their claim for a spot at the prestigious world tournament. He pointed out that there is a five-match series against Pakistan before the team announcement for the World Cup."Whether you are on this tour or not, there is still going to be spots up for grabs. But the World Cup is going to come up sooner than you know and guys like Steve Smith and Dave Warner are obviously going to bang very hard on the door," Cricket Australia quoted Langer, as saying."So there is going to be some competition there, but that is good as there is going to be some guys ...
Top India stars to participate at Senior Women's Hockey Nationals
Top India stars will turn up for their respective state units and employers when the 9th Senior Women's Hockey National Championship begins here Friday. Gurjit Kaur, Deep Grace Ekka, Sushila Chanu, Navneet Kaur, Navjot Kaur, Anupa Barla and Vandana Katariya are some of the top stars who will turn up for the defending champions Railway Sports Promotion Board. "After their successful outing in the Spain recently, it is good for the players to continue their competitive form at the National Championship," said David John, High Performance Director, Hockey India. "While the core group of women in the national team have remained constant over the past two years, national selectors would be watching out for fresh talent during the tournament as we prepare for the important next 18 months leading into the Olympic Games 2020." RSPB will begin their campaign against Hockey Rajasthan in the Pool A opening match during the 11-day domestic extravaganza. The Pool A also features Hockey Karnataka, .
Returning from Injury, Mirabai Chanu wins gold in first competitive meet
World champion Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu Thursday notched up a gold medal at the EGAT Cup in Thailand, making a strong comeback from the lower back injury that kept her out of action for more than half of 2018. According to information received, Chanu won the 48kg category gold with a effort of 192 kg in the silver level Olympic qualifying event, the points from which will come in handy when the final rankings for Tokyo 2020 cut are done. The 24-year-old Manipuri lifted 82kg in snatch and 110kg in clean and jerk to finish on top of the podium after recovering from the injury, which required extensive physiotherapy. Chanu had missed the world championships last year, a gold level Olympic qualifier, owing to the injury which had also forced her out of the Asian Games in Jakarta. Chanu last took part at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast where she won gold with an effort of 196kg. She had then lifted 86kg in snatch and 110kg in clean and jerk, a Games record and also ...
Uruguay defender Mendez joining Corinthians
Corinthians have finalised a deal to sign Uruguay international centre-back Bruno Mendez from Montevideo Wanderers.
2nd Women's T20I: Mithali question looms large as under-pressure India look to save series
Mithali Raj's inclusion could be the bone of contention for Indian women, who will be eyeing a much improved showing with the bat when they face an upbeat New Zealand in a must-win second T20 International here on Friday. Indian batting is prone to collapses, especially from a position of strength. Chasing 160, India were going strong at 102 for 1 but Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues' dismissal proved fatal for the visitors who collapsed to 136 all out, bringing back memories of their inexplicable surrender in the the 2017 50-over World Cup final against England. Mithali's years of experience could have come in handy in the series opener on Wednesday but she was dropped from the eleven. Debutant Priya Punia opened with Smriti Mandhana but lasted just five balls while another youngster Dayalan Hemalatha too could not do much at number four. Mithali was not picked as the team management is looking to build a squad for the 2020 T20 World Cup in which the senior player is unlikely to
Copa Libertadores: Ecuador's Barcelona SC score last minute goal to edge past Defensor
Ecuador's Barcelona SC scored a valuable away win with a 2-1 victory in the last minute of the game against Uruguay's Defensor Sporting, in the first leg of the second round of the Copa Libertadores and now has great chances to advance.
Barça draw 1-1 with Real Madrid in 1st leg of Copa semis
FC Barcelona had to come from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie.
Palestino, Independiente Medellin draw 1-1 in 2019 Copa Libertadores
Chile's Palestino and Colombia's Independiente Medellin drew 1-1 in the first leg of the second round of the Copa Libertadores.
Richardson returns, injured Starc misses Australia's tour of India
Batsman D'Arcy Short and pacers Kane Richardson and Nathan Coulter-Nile were recalled while injured pacer Mitchell Starc failed to make the cut to the Australian limited overs squad for the tour of India, Cricket Australia (CA) announced on Thursday.
Talleres take 2-0 1st leg lead back to Sao Paulo in Libertadores
Talleres Cordoba defeated Sao Paulo 2-0 in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores second round match at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium.
Sarwate inspires Vidarbha to 2nd successive Ranji Trophy title
Left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate starred with the ball to help defending champions Vidarbha retain their Ranji Trophy title by thrashing Saurashtra by 78 runs in the summit clash at the VCA Stadium here on Thursday.
Man City sink Everton to knock Liverpool off the top
Manchester City seized first place in the Premier League on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Everton that moved the champions above Liverpool on goal difference. Pep Guardiola's side took the lead through Aymeric Laporte's header on the stroke of half-time at Goodison Park. Gabriel Jesus struck in the closing seconds to seal a victory that moved City level on points with Liverpool and allowed them to return to the top of the table. Second-placed Liverpool have a game in hand on City, who were playing Everton in a game brought forward due to a fixture clash with the League Cup final against Chelsea later this month. It was a far from inspired performance from City, but it was enough to turn the pressure back on Jurgen Klopp's faltering team, who had occupied top spot since December 8. Liverpool's successive draws against Leicester and West Ham have allowed City back into the title race just when it looked like the Reds were set to take control as they chase a first English crown since ...