Page 598 - Sports
Pujara out cheaply as Vidarbha inch closer to title
Saurashtra stared down the barrel after Cheteshwar Pujara's second successive failure that put defending champions Vidarbha on the brink of an encore after a stirring fourth day of the Ranji Trophy final, here Wednesday. Left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate once again turned out to be star batsman's nemesis as he was trapped leg before for nought with Saurashtra tottering at 58 for 5 in their pursuit of 206. Sarwate (3/13 in 10 overs) bamboozled the Saurashtra batsmen after being handed the new ball on a track that offered turn and variable bounce. Saurashtra were best chasers during the knockout stage but their reliable batsmen came a cropper in the most-important clash. Going into the final day, Saurashtra who have ended runners-up twice in the past, need to score 148 more runs on a tricky track with Vishvaraj Jadeja (23) and Kamlesh Makvana (2) set to resume the chase. It will be more about the battle of nerves, considering that lower-order batsmen from both the sides have shown that ...
Wellington T20I: Indian batting order falters in tough chase
India lost the opening T20 international against New Zealand by 80 runs as the entire visiting team was bowled out by the hosts at the score of 139 here at the Wellington Regional Stadium on Wednesday.Chasing a tough target of 220 runs, former skipper MS Dhoni waged the lone battle but could not finish the game for his side.The Indian opening pair gave a poor start to the team as Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan built an 18-run partnership for the first wicket. While Sharma lost his wicket to Tim Southee at the score of 1, Dhawan was picked up by Lockie Ferguson at the score of 29.After the dismissal of the openers, India lost wickets in quick succession. Rishabh Pant departed for 4 runs while Vijay Shanker, who was looking solid on the crease, fell to a tossed up delivery by Mitchell Santner at the score of 27.Having lost 4 wickets at the score of 64, India needed some steady knocks to take the team closer to a massive target of 220 runs. At this time, India's most reliable batsman, ..
I-League: East Bengal eye to maintain wining momentum vs Neroca (Preview)
An upbeat East Bengal will look to build on their derby win and further cut the gap on league leaders Chennai City FC, when they take on Neroca FC in a crunch I-League encounter here on Thursday.
Rohit blames poor batting for loss in T20I opener
After his side was hammered by 80 runs in the first T20I of the three-match rubber against New Zealand, a disappointed stand-in India skipper Rohit Sharma felt the lack of partnerships hurt his side's chances during the run chase.
East Bengal keen to keep their I-League title hopes alive
Buoyed by their derby win over city rivals Mohun Bagan, East Bengal would look to do a double on Neroca FC and stay in contention for I-League title in a crucial match at the Salt Lake Stadium here Thursday. East Bengal blanked Mohun Bagan 2-0 in their last outing on January 27 to capture the season's both derby legs for the first time in 15 years. Having defeated the Imphal outfit by an identical margin at the start of the season way back in October last year, East Bengal will start with psychological advantage on Thursday. East Bengal have 25 points from 13 matches and another win by them would narrow the gap at the top of the table. Neroca's title chances have receded as they have 25 points from 15 matches. The Kolkata heavyweights will hit the road next to face title contenders Real Kashmir within three days as they have a tight schedule, playing four of their last six matches in 10 days. Terming it a "tough situation", East Bengal coach Alejandro Menendez criticised the ...
AAI going in right direction, awaiting SC approval: Rao
The Archery Association of India (AAI) President BVP Rao Wednesday said the national federation will get the sports ministry's recognition after an approval from the Supreme Court. In the renewed list of recognised national federations, the AAI, despite electing a new set of office-bearers under the amended constitution, was ignored by the Sports Ministry. The AAI elections were held as per a new constitution which, the Ministry says, is not in consonance with the national sports code. "For six years, the Archery Association of India was not recognised by the sports ministry. Nobody wrote when it was not there for the last six years," Rao told PTI. AAI has been given time till March 31 to fall in line or risk de-recognition. But Rao said it's a matter of time as they are awaiting the approval of the Supreme Court. Calling on archers to focus on the upcoming Nationals, Rao said things were moving in the right direction in an important year which has first Olympic Qualifiers lined up in
Dominant New Zealand outplay India in 1st T20I
An all-round effort guided New Zealand to a thumping 80-run victory over India in the first match of the three-match Twenty20 rubber at the Westpac stadium here on Wednesday.
New Indian football head coach unlikely before April-May: Kushal Das
The Indian national football team will continue to be without a head coach, at least for another couple of months, even as the All India Football Federation (AIFF) prepares to advertise for the post soon.
Real Kashmir beat Gokulam Kerala under snow and rain, jump to top spot
The fairy tale run of Real Kashmir Football Club in the I-League continued as the club from the Valley defeated Gokulam Kerala FC by a solitary goal to go to the top of points table here on Wednesday. The match between the 'Snow Leopards' and Gokulam was played at the TRC Ground in chilling weather conditions amid a mix of rain and snowfall with none of the teams willing to yield the ground. Ivorian striker Gnohere Krizo scored the all-important goal in the 51st minute to hand Real Kashmir full three points from the match. The win propelled the Jammu and Kashmir side to the top of the table with 32 points, dislodging Chennai City FC (30 points) which, however, have two games in hand over Real Kashmir. Chennai City will take on Indian Arrows on Friday while Real Kashmir will meet East Bengal at home on Sunday. Each team will play 20 matches in the league. It started snowing before the match and heavy rains lashed the ground later on. The two sides played a goal-less first half as ...
I-League side Chennai City FC ropes in Swiss club FC Basel as partner by selling 26% share
I-League leaders Chennai City FC Wednesday signed a deal with Swiss champions FC Basel, which has nurtured current Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, to sell 26 per cent of its share, becoming the first Indian side to do so with a foreign club. Established in 1893, FC Basel has been Swiss national champions 20 times and have qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League more times than any other club of Switzerland. They made it to the Round of 16 in 2017-18 of the top-flight European club competition. Both Chennai FC co-owner Rohit Ramesh and FC Basel President Bernhard Burgener refused to divulge the financial aspect of the deal but said the partnership will focus on co-operation for setting up of, among other things, a residential Youth Academy in Coimbatore and rolling out of football schools across Tamil Nadu in Phase-1. "We ventured to make this move, so that our fans get a world class football club. Key parts of the deal entail transfer of knowledge in all departments .
Tvesa fires 71 to take eight-shot lead at Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour
Tvesa Malik fired the day's only sub-par round to take a massive eight-shot lead after the second round of the third leg of the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour here Wednesday. Tvesa had four birdies against three bogeys, which included back-to-back bogeys on fourth and fifth holes. She opened the day with a birdie on first and her other birdies came on sixth, 11th and 17th. Her only other bogey was on 13th in a card of 71 following her first round score of 72 at the Kensville Golf and Country Club. Tvesa, looking for her first win this season, now has a total of 143. Amandeep Drall, who was trailing at Tied-3rd, moved into second place with a 74 that included three birdies, all on the back nine, besides five bogeys, three of them in the first four holes, to get her aggregate to 151, but was eight behind leader Tvesa. Gaurika Bishnoi had a lack-lustre day with just one birdie and seven bogeys in her 78 that resulted in her slipping to third place, down from second. Her total is ...
With eight batsmen we should be able to chase big totals: Rohit
India skipper Rohit Sharma Wednesday said that a line-up with eight specialist batsmen should have chased down the 220-run target set by New Zealand, however steep it might have looked for a T20 match. India folded for 139 in 19.2 overs collapsing to their worst-ever defeat by 80 runs in the first T20 international. "It was a tough game. We were outplayed in all three departments. We didn't start well and we knew that 200 wasn't going to be an easy chase," Rohit said after the match. "We have chased such (big) targets in the past and that is why we played with eight batsmen. But we didn't have (even) small partnerships and that made it tougher. New Zealand though played well, they had partnerships. We need to go to Auckland, have a look at the conditions and take it from there," he added. Outplayed 1-4 by India in the five-match ODI series, Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson was happy to finally see his team produce a "complete performance" in the first T20I. "Fantastic performance ...
Keen to avoid qualifiers for 2021 World Cup: Mithali Raj
The Indian women's ODI team captain Mithali Raj feels the side's confidence has gone up following the 2-1 series win over New Zealand and it is now aiming to avoid qualifiers for the 2021 World Cup by staying in top four of the ICC table. India are currently placed third in the table after winning the three-match away series against New Zealand 2-1 recently. They are scheduled to host England in the next assignment of the championship cycle later this month. "The last time we played the Qualifiers, but this time we want to have direct qualification for 2021. With series against England and the Windies coming up, we will definitely look to get maximum points," Mithali was quoted as saying in a release from the International Cricket Council. "...we did not have too many players who had the experience of the conditions with only Jhulan (Goswami) and me having toured here before. So winning two games here has given us a lot of confidence," she said. "Losing the third game, we have come ...
I've to bat till 20 overs to avoid another collapse: Mandhana
The repeated failure of India's middle-order to rise to the occasion has prompted Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana to believe that she needs to "practically bat for 18 to 20 overs" in order to keep the team in hunt during stiff chases. Mandhana smashed a 58-run knock off 34 balls but the Indian women's cricket team failed to make it count as they were dismissed for 136 all out while chasing a target of 160. "My wicket along with Jemimah's turned out to be crucial. If you get out back-to-back in T20, it proves costly. When you are chasing 160 and the run-rate is above 7 or 8, next time we have to plan and play better. It didn't work out today," Mandhana said after the match. "Practically, I would say I have to bat till 20 overs, that is the best option. The more I bat till 18 overs, we won't collapse because if the top three or 4 batters can bat till the 18-20th overs then rest can revolve around them, so tactically that is what I will try to do," Mandhana said but it was also an .
1st T20I: New Zealand hammer India by 80 runs
An all-round effort guided New Zealand to a thumping 80-run victory over India in the first contest of the three-match Twenty20 rubber at the Westpac stadium here on Wednesday.
Real Kashmir beat Gokulam Kerala 1-0 under snow and rain, jump to top spot in I-League table
Real Kashmir FC kept themselves in contention for the I-League title as they jumped to the top of points table by defeating Gokulam Kerala 1-0 in a match played under rain and snow at the TRC Ground here Wednesday. Ivorian striker Gnohere Krizo scored the all-important goal in the 51st minute to hand Real Kashmir full three points from the match. The Jammu and Kashmir team now has 32 points from 16 matches to occupy the top spot, one point more than Chennai City FC (29 points from 14 matches) who, however, have played only 14 matches. Each team will play 20 matches in the league. The match was played under heavy ground conditions due to snow and heavy rainfall with the temperature hovering just above freezing point. It started snowing before the match but it gave way to heavy rainfall later on. The whole of the second half was played under rains. The players found it difficult to control the ball which stopped at areas of the synthetic turf where water collected. Ground passing was ...
1st T20 International: New Zealand crush India by 80 runs
A below-par India slumped to their worst ever defeat in T20 Internationals as New Zealand outclassed the visitors in all departments to win the first match of the series by a comprehensive 80-run margin here Wednesday. Batting first, unheralded keeper-batsman Tim Seifert took the Indian bowling apart blasting 84 off 43 balls as New Zealand posted a commanding 219 for six. With the crack opening pair of skipper Rohit Sharma (1) and Shikhar Dhawan (29) departing within the Powerplay overs, the chase became a difficult one and India were all out for 139 in 19.2 overs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (39 off 31 balls) did play his part but it was always an impossible chase with wickets falling at regular intervals at the other end. India had never lost a T20 International by 50 or more runs prior to this match. India's previous worst was a 49-run loss to Australia back in 2010. "We failed to get a good partnership. 200 was never going to be easy to chase," said Rohit in the post-match ...
India lose 1st T20 to New Zealand by -- runs
India lost the first T20 International against New Zealand by 80 runs here Wednesday. Put in to bat, New Zealand made 219/6 with unheralded opener Tim Seifert smashing 84 off 43 balls. In reply, India were bowled out for 139 in 19.2 overs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni top-scored for India with a 31-ball 39. Brief Scores: New Zealand: 219/6 in 20 overs (Tim Seifert 84, Kane Williamson 34, Hardik Pandya 2/51). India: 139 all out in 19.2 overs (M S Dhoni 39, Shikhar Dhawan 29, Vijay Shankar 27 Tim Southee 3/17, Mitchell Santner 2/24).
SA fast bowler Andile Phehlukwayo enjoys thriving under pressure
Fast bowler Andile Phehlukwayo, who is emerging as one of the adept white-ball performers for South Africa, says he enjoys thriving under pressure.The 22-year-old's ability to bowl accurate slower balls at will combined with a deceptive yorker makes him a rather challenging prospect for batsmen."I always land up in those situations, I really enjoy them," ICC quoted Phehlukwayo, as saying after conceding only seven off the final over in the second T20I against Pakistan to help close out the series with a game to spare.Phehlukwayo was exposed to high-pressure situations by then Dolphins coach Lance Klusener while playing for them in domestic cricket. He pointed out that he is getting only better. "At the Dolphins, I was put into those positions a lot when Lance (Klusener) was there and so you learn to take responsibility and ownership.""I have learned a lot. There are aspects of my game that need to improve. The player I was three years ago and the player I am now, I guess a lot of the .
Mithali Raj keen to avoid Qualifiers for World Cup 2021
India ODI skipper Mithali Raj is keen to avoid playing in the Qualifiers and with her side's victory over New Zealand in the recent away ODI series, the chances for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 finalists has bolstered.The coming month will see focus on the championship like never before. India are slated to play England starting on February 22, which will play a crucial role in the upper tiers of the points table as New Zealand and four other top teams will get a direct entry to the premier event."Coming to New Zealand, we did not have too many players who had the experience of the conditions with only Jhulan (Goswami) and me having toured here before. So winning two games here has given us a lot of confidence," Mithali said."In the first game, our spinners dominated and the opening pair gave a great start. In the second game, the spinners continued the momentum and though we had a collapse, the partnership between Smriti and me helped. Losing the third game, we have come ...