Page 599 - Sports
NBA schools can help basketball in India: Jennifer Azzi
Former Olympic champion Jennifer Azzi is confident that the NBA schools in India will change the scenario for bastketball in the not too distant future.
Uruguay coach Tabarez making 'good recovery' after surgery
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez is recovering well after undergoing a hernia operation, the South American country's football association (AUF) said.
Serve would be key on indoor courts in Fed cup: India coach Bhambri
India Fed Cup coach Ankita Bhambri reckons a good serve will be the key on indoor courts when Ankita Raina and Karman Kaur Thandi fight it out with higher-ranked players in the Fed Cup here. India will begin their campaign at the Asia/Oceania Group I against Thailand on Thursday before clashing with formidable hosts Kazakhstan on Friday. Getting past Thailand is not expected to be too hard for India with Ankita and fast-improving Karman in good form. Thailand's best-ranked singles player is Peangtarn Plipuech, who is placed at 297 while Punnin Kovapitukted is way lower at number 657. "To be very honest, the girls are improving every year. Karman is stronger and fitter while Ankita is also strong and has more experience. They need to put it together," Bhambri told PTI. The matches will be played indoors due to the sub-zero temperature in the city. "It is important to serve well (indoor) and reach out to the ball faster. If you start a point well, the chances of ending it well also get .
1st 'Test': Focus on Rahul and fast bowlers Aaron, Avesh
England Lions will be one of the innumerable stops that out-of-form opener KL Rahul will encounter in his road to redemption as he gears up to play for India A in the first unofficial Test. The match will also feature two of India's quickest bowlers in young Avesh Khan and the not so young Varun Aaron, who will be keenly watched by the national selection committee. Virat Kohli wants three more fast bowlers which will broaden the base of the current pool of speed merchants and that's the specific reason why injury prone not known for his consistency has been recalled. It's all about sheer speed and same for Avesh, who has really intimidated the domestic batsmen during the season. Rahul hasn't exactly set the stage on fire during the limited overs games having come back from an interim suspension for his sexist comments on a television chat show. India chief coach Ravi Shastri has recently made it clear that he would like Rahul to play a lot of A games in order to regain form. The India
1st T20I: New Zealand post mammoth 219/6 vs India
New Zealand opener Tim Seifert's quick-fire 84 got the hosts off to a flying start and saw them posting a huge 219/6 against India in the first of the three-match Twenty20 international series here on Wednesday.
Bremen knock Dortmund out of German Cup
Werder Bremen made it through to the quarter-finals of the German Cup, defeating Borussia Dortmund on home soil in a penalty shootout (2-4) after 120 minutes' play ended in a 3-3 draw.
Rookie keeper Seifert smashes 84 as New Zealand score 219/6 vs India
Unheralded wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert took the Indian bowling attack to cleaners with a scintillating 84 off 43 balls as New Zealand scored a commanding 219 for 6 in the first T20 International here Wednesday. Seifert, whose previous best score in T20 Internationals happens to be 14, was promoted to open alongside Colin Munro (34 off 20 balls) and they added 86 runs in only 8.2 overs in a whirlwind start. Seifert's knock had seven fours and half a dozen of sixes, setting the tone for a big total. Seifert showed the intent straightaway as he gave Bhuvneshwar Kumar the charge as he picked the knuckle ball early, dispatching it over mid-wicket for a six. The next shot was a four as he stood and hammered past the bowler. With Munro hitting Khaleel Ahmed (1/48 in 4 overs) for two successive sixes, New Zealand were off to a blazing start scoring 44 off the first four overs. Seifert was lucky to survive when Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped a sharp chance as the batsman had edged one off ..
1st T20I: Disciplined New Zealand beat Indian women by 23 runs
A disciplined performance with the ball and on field pressure helped New Zealand outsmart India by 23 runs in the opening Twenty20 International match here on Wednesday.
Mineiro draw 2-2 with Danubio in Copa Libertadores match
Brazil's Atletico Mineiro squandered their lead twice and in the end had to resign themselves to a two-goal draw when they visited Uruguay's Danubio in the first leg of the second phase of the 60th edition of the Copa Libertadores.
Lot of similarities between Virat Kohli, Imran Khan: Abdul Qadir
Former Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir has said that he sees lot of similarities between Indian skipper Virat Kohli and former Pakistan captain and the country's prime minister, Imran Khan. "If I look at Virat Kohli as a batsman and captain... I can say he is similar to Imran in the manner that he, like Imran, sets an example by doing something himself and then expects his team to do the same," Qadir said on a TV show on Tuesday night. "I wouldn't compare the two (Kohli, Khan) but, if I look at Kohli, he also has this ability of leading from the front," he added. "Kohli also (like Khan) takes responsibility and performs and forces the other players to perform," Qadir said further. The spinner who played 67 tests and 104 One-day Internationals for Pakistan, many of them under the captaincy of Khan, was reacting to Indian head coach Ravi Shastri's comparing Kohli to cult cricketing figures like Sir Vivian Richards and the iconic former Pakistan captain. "If I talk about Imran, the sort
Haryana para-athletes seek assurance on jobs from CM
A group of para-athletes, including Paralympic silver-medallist Deepa Malik, met Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar seeking assurances on the job promises made to them by the state government. Malik became the first Indian woman athlete to win a medal at Paralympics with her silver in the women's shotput event at the Rio Games in 2016. She was accompanied by, among others, Asian Para Games gold-medallist discus thrower Amit Saroha in the meeting held on Tuesday. The 48-year-old Malik had been given a cash award of Rs four crore by the Haryana government for her medal, at par with medal-winners at the Olympic Games. The the athlete is now hopeful that the job promise made to her too will be fulfilled soon. "My file has been approved. I am quite hopeful that job letter will be given soon as I and other para-athletes who met the chief minister have been given positive assurance," Malik told PTI. The athletes are apprehensive of their appointment letters being delayed once the Model Code .
1st T20I: India opt to bowl vs New Zealand
Stand-in India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl against New Zealand in the first of the three-match Twenty20 international rubber here on Wednesday.
Shaky start for India Women, go 0-1 down in T20I series against NZ
Coming from their ODI series win, a Mithali Raj-less India Women failed to maintain their winning streak as they lost the opening T20I by 23 runs to New Zealand's White Ferns at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Wednesday.India faced an early loss of wicket as debutant Priya Punia fell for four in the very first over of the run-chase. The touring side, however, retained their momentum with Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues in the middle. The duo displayed classy batting with some vintage shots, including 13 boundaries shared between them and three sixes by Mandhana.As the top order was doing their job and were halfway in the chase, New Zealand got a breakthrough in the name of Mandhana. On an Amelia Kerr delivery, the Indian opener, who smashed the fastest fifty off 24 balls, was dismissed for 58.The loss of Mandhana's wicket boosted the hosts, who then rattled the Indian batting line-up at different stages. Neither Rodrigues (39) nor skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (17) could stay ...
Extras top score as Australian side all out for 10
It's not a good look when the extras are the top score, but that's what happened to an Australian women's side who were all out for 10 on Wednesday. It took six extras for South Australia to reach double figures at the National Indigenous Cricket Championship in Alice Springs. Opener Febi Mansell scored the only runs off the bat with four followed by 10 ducks against New South Wales. Roxsanne Van-Veen returned the unbelievable figures of five wickets for one run off two overs. Naomi Woods took two wickets with the only two balls she bowled. The innings was over in just 62 deliveries and NSW only needed 15 balls to knock off their target in the scheduled Twenty20 match.
I-League: Shillong upset second-placed Churchill 3-2
Bottom-placed Shillong Lajong FC emerged victorious at home as they defeated the second-placed Churchill Brothers FC Goa by 3-2 in the 12th I-League. In a competitive encounter, the talented Naorem Mahesh Singh scored his fourth league goal late in the second half to ensure Churchill remain on 29 points, a point adrift of Chennai, and in second place after 16 completed games on Tuesday.Churchill did well to get back on level terms through Willis Plaza's 17th league goal and an Anthony Wolfe strike in the second half, after going into the break two goals down, but Mahesh's left foot had the last say in the game.Churchill's Romanian coach Petre Gigiu made three changes to his side from the last game, while Alison Kharsyntiew, the Shillong gaffer, made a couple as ironically, the scoreline read the reverse for them.The game began and continued at a fast pace in the first half. Shillong though took a two-goal lead into the break courtesy a double strike from Samuel Kynshi, who has been ...
Qadir sees similarities between Kohli and Imran as inspiring leaders
Former Test leg-spinner Abdul Qadir sees a lot of similarities between India skipper Virat Kohli and ex-Pakistan captain and now Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying both inspire their team-mates by leading from the front. "If I look at Virat Kohli as a batsman and captain, yes, I can say he is similar to Imran in the manner that he also sets the example by doing something himself and than expects his team to also do the same," Qadir said on GTV news channel. He was asked about India coach Ravi Shastri's recent statement that he saw many similarities between Kohli and Imran. The 63-year-old Qadir played 67 Tests and 104 ODIs, many of them under the captaincy of Imran. He has 236 Test wickets and 132 scalps from the ODIs. "Both (Kohli and Imran) lead from the front. Kohli takes responsibility and performs and then expects other players to also perform," Qadir said. "Imran has the personality and ability to get performance out of his players. Kohli is not yet there (at the level of Imran).
Challenges lie ahead as UEFA president Ceferin set for re-election
Two and a half years after becoming UEFA president in the wake of the scandal that brought down Michel Platini, Aleksander Ceferin will win a new four-year term at the head of European football's governing body on Thursday. The 51-year-old Slovenian lawyer -- who saw off the Dutchman Michael van Praag in 2016 -- is the only candidate this time in the election for the UEFA president, which will be take place at the organisation's Congress in Rome. Previously the head of the Slovenian Football Federation, Ceferin's presidency so far has been marked by his discretion and a less charismatic approach than that of Platini. The Frenchman is still suspended until October this year, when he will complete a four-year ban from all football-related activities following the corruption scandal that also brought down then-FIFA chief Sepp Blatter. "The situation was ideal. The biggest scandal had tarnished football's image," Ceferin admitted during a recent speech to students in Ljubljana as he ...
CWI urges ICC to review slow over-rate rule post Holder's suspension
West Indies Cricket Board (CWI) president Dave Cameron has urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to review its slow over-rate rule.This came in the backdrop of a one-match suspension handed over by the ICC to West Indies skipper Jason Holder for slow over-rate following which he will miss the third Test against England.West Indies are leading the three-match series 2-0 and are on the verge of a memorable clean sweep but the absence of their in-form player could spoil the party for them. Cameron said that if they lost the match then the series would not be remembered for their "sparkling play" but for "crippling" decision made by the ICC."We will, of course, abide by the ICC ruling, but we have to wonder if such punitive action at a pivotal stage of the series is good for cricket. What a shame if the series is remembered not for the sparkling play of the reinvigorated West Indies players but for a crippling decision made by a rule that ought to be modified," ESPNcricinfo quoted
Pro Volleyball League: Calicut Heroes overcome resurgent U Mumba Volley 3-2
Calicut Heroes registered a thrilling 3-2 win against U Mumba Volley here at the Rajiv Gandhi indoor stadium on Tuesday.For Calicut, it was yet again Ajith Lal C who played the lead role with 16 points (15 spikes, 1 block) whereas for U Mumba Volley, it was skipper Dipesh Kumar Sinha who stood out with 11 points (7 spikes, 3 blocks and 1 serve).After winning the toss, U Mumba Volley decided to serve and got two quick points. Calicut picked up the pace soon with two back-to-back spikes from Lal. At the Technical Time Out (TTO), Calicut led U Mumba by just one point at 8-7.At 11-8, Calicut called for a Super Point and a beautifully executed deception ending with a spike from Lal got them the bonus point. U Mumba made a two-point recovery to 10-14, owing to errors by Iluoni Ngampourou and Jerome Vinith, but a spike from Calicut skipper Vinith closed the set in their favour at 15-10.Both the teams started cautiously in the second, countering each other's moves and earning on a few ...
Sleeping giant has woken up: Striker Jeje Lalpekhlua on Indian football team
India was dubbed as a sleeping giant by former FIFA President Joseph Blatter way back in 2006. Post India's heart-warming performance in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, national team striker Jeje Lalpekhlua believes that "sleeping giant is now awake and ever-evolving"."The sleeping giant is now awake. We have shown to all in Asia that we belong on the same page as them. Our performance in the AFC Asian Cup has improved tenfold, and it can only get better from here as the young players have been given the needed experience," Jeje commented.India qualified for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 after an eight-year hiatus. Their last appearance was in 2011 in Doha where the Blue Tigers had succumbed to hard-fought losses in all three games in the group stage."Our biggest achievement was the win against Thailand. We gave our 100% in every match. But we could have done better. Not qualifying out of the group stages is a setback for us. It shows that anything can happen in Football," he expressed. "It .