Page 617 - Sports

Davis Cup: Bopanna leads support for Bhupathi amid removal reports

Amidst reports of Mahesh Bhupathi's contract being under threat if India fails to qualify for the Davis Cup World Group Finals, veteran Rohan Bopanna on Thursday backed his non-playing captain saying his regular communication with them makes him different from previous skippers.

India to play New Zealand, Bangladesh in World Cup warm-up games

India will play New Zealand and Bangladesh in their warm-up matches leading up to the ICC ODI World Cup starting May 30 in England. All 10 competing nations will play two official warm-up fixtures ahead of the tournament, which will take place at four venues across England and Wales. "The fixtures will be held over five days between May 24-28, and will be hosted at four of the official Tournament Venues; the Bristol County Ground, Cardiff Wales Stadium, Hampshire Bowl and The Oval," the ICC said in a statement. India will take on New Zealand on May 25 at the Oval followed by a game against Bangladesh on May 28 in Cardiff. The warm-up fixtures will be 50-over affairs but will not carry official ODI status as teams would be able field all members of their 15-strong squads during the match. "These games provide another fantastic opportunity for fans to see world-class players at their local venue and allows the tournament to engage local schools and communities with another chance to get

INS Dronacharya wins Kochi area boat pulling regatta trophy

The INS Dronacharya team won the Regetta trophy in the Kochi Area Pulling Regatta 2019 of the Southern Naval Command (SNC) held in the Ernakulam Channel Thursday. The Boat Pulling Regatta is one of the most prestigious and traditional naval sporting activities conducted by the Navy. In the keenly contested event, the team from INS Dronacharya won the overall regatta trophy (called The Cock) while Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) School & Diving School secured the runners up position, a Defence release said. Races during the regatta were conducted in the traditional pulling 'whalers' and held in four different categories - - junior sailors, senior sailors, officers and best whaler. The boats had to cover a distance of 1.6 km in the Ernakulam Channel, starting from the Venduruthy-Vikrant Bridge and finishing at the North Jetty of the navy. Six teams, formed from all major units of SNC based at Kochi, participated in the regatta. Vice Admiral AK Chawla, Flag Officer ...

Japan's Yoshida blasts Asian Cup 'stupidity' before final

Japan captain Maya Yoshida has warned that problems on and off the pitch are embarrassing the Asian Cup as the Blue Samurai prepare to face Qatar in Friday's final. The Southampton defender called on tournament organisers to deal swiftly with incidents of "stupidity" that, according to Yoshida, risk damaging the reputation of Asian football. His plea came as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed to AFP that it had received a protest over the eligibility of two Qatari players from host country the United Arab Emirates and were investigating. "I think the AFC should control stuff about penalties and suspensions," Yoshida said Thursday, noting also that Japan's tempestuous 3-0 semi-final victory over Iran had ended with rival players almost coming to blows. "But I would mention that if (the tournament) is broadcast all over the world, you don't want to see any stupid things, especially after the game," he added. "We are representing Asia under the hashtag #bringingasiatogether

UAE protests over Qatari players' eligibility at Asian Cup

Asian Cup hosts the United Arab Emirates have lodged a protest over the eligibility of two Qatari players, the Asian Football Confederation said on Thursday. The move comes a day before Qatar make their first ever final appearance against Japan, and two days after the Maroons trounced UAE 4-0 in a bitter semi-final that saw the home crowd pelt the victors with plastic bottles and shoes. "The Asian Football Confederation has received a protest from the United Arab Emirates FA regarding the eligibility of two Qatar players," an AFC spokesperson told AFP. "This protest will now be reviewed in line with the AFC regulations." Media reports said the players in question are striker Almoez Ali, who has scored a record-equalling eight goals at the tournament, and defender Bassam Al-Rawi. Ali, 22, is of Sudanese descent, while 21-year-old Al-Rawi was born in Iraq. According to the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code, the penalty for fielding an ineligible player is forfeiting the match and a ...

A World Cup, and a team to match? Qatar get it right on the pitch

Qatar's transformation from also-rans to Asian Cup finalists was meticulously planned and has been years in the making -- and has finally given Qataris some swagger as they prepare to host the World Cup. The wealthy Gulf state has long projected its power through football, notably by winning the right to host the 2022 World Cup and by buying Paris Saint-Germain, the club of Neymar, the world's most expensive player. What was missing was a respectable national team, but Qatar seem to have solved that problem after putting together a record-breaking run in hostile conditions in the United Arab Emirates. Plastic bottles and even shoes rained down on the Qatari players as they thrashed the hosts 4-0 to reach their first Asian Cup final, keeping an unprecedented sixth clean sheet in the process. The ongoing Gulf blockade of Qatar has sent tensions sky-high, and with Qataris largely barred from UAE the Maroons have been virtually bereft of fans. But despite this, they have cut a swathe ...

England Lions pull off consolation win against India A

Ben Duckett starred with an unbeaten 70 as England Lions pulled off a narrow one-wicket win over India 'A' in a low-scoring fifth and final match of the unofficial ODI series here Thursday to prevent a clean sweep by the hosts. Buckett's knock, which includes 10 fours and a six, helped the visiting team overhaul India A's score of 121 all out in 35 overs, amid mounting tension. Earlier, opting to bat after skipper Ankit Bawne won the toss, the India 'A' batsmen found the going tough on a wicket aiding the bowlers. KL Rahul (0) who struggled in the previous two matches of the series, was dismissed off the first ball of the match. He was bowled by right-arm paceman Lewis Gregory for a duck to continue his run of low scores. England Lions struck at regular intervals as only three host batsmen -- Siddesh Lad (36), Axar Patel (23), Deepak Chahar (21) reached double figures. Test specialist Rishabh Pant, who was picked in the squad to enable him get some time in the middle ahead of the T20 .

I'm a different bowler when the ball swings: Boult

New Zealand pace spearhead Trent Boult Thursday said he is a different bowler in conditions aiding swing bowling after destroying India with an incisive five-wicket haul in the fourth ODI here. Boult picked 5 for 21 in his devastating spell of 10 consecutive overs to dismiss India for their seventh lowest ODI total -- 92 in 30.5 overs for a eight-wicket win, the hosts first success in the five-ODI series. "It's purely a conditions thing ... It was nice to see the ball move in the air like that. I feel like I am a different bowler definitely when it swings. I made the most of it today," he said. New Zealand were outclassed in the first three ODIs as India sealed the series 3-0 and Boult said it was really frustrating. "It was frustrating and disappointing to start the series the way we did, we know we have the skills in the tank and plans that are good enough for anyone on a day, so very satisfying," he said. "... my job as an opening bowler is to lead the bowling, so I had my job to ..

India in no danger of losing World Cup 2023 rights:ICC

India are not in danger of losing the hosting rights of the 2021 Champions Trophy and 2023 World Cup despite tax exemption issues, the International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO David Richardson declared Thursday, ending speculation that has swirled around the two events. The Indian government refused to give tax exemptions to the ICC when the country hosted the 2016 World T20 following which the game's governing body asked the BCCI to either pay USD 23 million (Rs 161 crore) as compensation or lose the 2023 World Cup rights. "Getting tax exemptions is very important for world cricket because every cent that is made by the ICC revenue wise is put back into the game. This helps countries like the West Indies who don't generate as much revenue," said Richardson at an event to announce a five-year partnership with Coco-Cola. "But having said that there are no plans of taking away the hosting (from India) and I'm sure we will get it (exemption) in the end, we've still got a lot of time," he .

Hesh should continue: India's Davis Cup team throws its weight behind captain

Senior players Rohan Bopanna and Prajnesh Gunneswaran Thursday backed an extension for non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi, whose contract renewal hinges on the team's performance on the Davis Cup tie against Italy starting Friday. Bhupathi had replaced Anand Amritraj as captain in April 2017 and his term will come to an end with the Italy tie. Senior AITA official had told PTI that parent body is unlikely to give Bhupathi an extension. However his one-time doubles partner Bopanna spoke glowingly about what Bhupathi brought to the table. "He brings in a lot more communication with the players not only just during the Davis Cup tie but throughout the entire year. That makes the big difference," Bopanna said. "Even though you don't meet him so often but the communication you constantly have brings in a bigger camaraderie when you come into the Davis Cup tie. That really helps and you know feel special with for the players you know when they come on the time great captain," the 2017 ...

I-League: Mohun Bagan, Gokulam Kerala share point after playing 2-2 draw

Kolkata (India_ Jan 31 (ANI): Mohun Bagan and Gokulam Kerala FC shared a point each after a thrilling 2-2 draw in the ongoing 12th edition of the I-League here at the on YBK Stadium on Wednesday.The match saw the home side failing to secure a much-needed win post their loss in the Kolkata derby, earlier this week. While the home side drew first blood through Shilton D'Silva in the 18th minute, their heroics were soon nullified due to an own goal in the 21st minute, due to a miscommunication between their defender Kim Kima and goalkeeper Shilton Paul.Their woes doubled up as Gokulam Kerala FC fired in a second through Marcus Joseph in the 24th minute to take a lead of 2-1. Mohun Bagan finally rescued them from a loss in the 60th minute when Dipanda Dicka scored the equaliser from a Henry Kisseka pass. Gokulam's goalkeeper Arnab Das Sarma was adjudged the Hero of the Match.Mohun Bagan started the game in their traditional Maroon and Green while Gokulam in their home strip of Brown and ..

Bengaluru agree on deal to let Chencho Gyeltshen join Neroca on loan

Bengaluru FC have announced that the club has agreed to a loan deal which will see forward player Chencho Gyeltshen join I-League side Neroca FC until the end of the season.The report comes just hours after the Bhutanese international scored to help his side secure a hard-fought 2-1 win over NorthEast United FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday night.Chencho had joined Bengaluru from Minerva Punjab FC at the beginning of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19 season. Despite failing to get a lot of game time in the initial stages of the campaign, an injury to star striker Miku paved the way for Chencho to play a part in Carles Cuadrat's setup.He made 9 appearances for Bengaluru this season, mostly from the bench, and pitched in with two very important goals. Incidentally, both his goals came against NorthEast in two different matches.In Bengaluru's away tie against the Highlanders back in December, Chencho came off the bench to rescue a point for his team with a spectacular ..

We get a reality check: Bhuvneshwar Kumar post fourth ODI debacle

Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar stated that the team have got a "reality check" after their crushing defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the fourth ODI on Thursday.The match saw the collapse of the Indian batting order in front of the swinging deliveries of Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme but Kumar asserted that judging the credibility of Indian batsmen just by one match would not be a fair deal.Speaking at a post-match press conference, Kumar said: "These kinds of matches just happen. We get a kind of reality check. Now, we should focus on what all things we can do from here and how to improve our game in such situations.""One cannot say that our weakness has been exposed in the match as we have played well in countries like England, South Africa and Australia. They (New Zealand) bowled really well. Overall, they outplayed us. We need to learn from this," he added.Indian skipper Virat Kohli was not a part of the match as he has been given rest for rest of the New Zealand tour. ..

Seppi wary of Ramkumar in opening rubber

Andreas Seppi, who will be leading the Italian challenge in their Davis Cup qualifier against India, wants to keep his guard up against Ramkumar Ramanathan, who has the ability to pose probing questions on the South Club grass court. The 34-year-old Seppi, currently world number 37, has pipped his team's top ranked singles player Marco Cecchinato (world no 19) as he gears up to face Ramkumar on the opening day. Ramkumar has played five tournaments on grass last year including his runner-up finish at the Newport ATP 250 event. He also has 7-5 record on grass last year, compared to Seppi's 3-4. "Ram has played a few times on grass and he can be very good on this surface. He played the final in Newport and also some other good tournaments on grass," Seppi told reporters on the sidelines of the official draw ceremony. "So of course he (Ramkumar) is dangerous. He does play the serve and volley game, so it's not going to be easy. But (then) every match is difficult and I am looking forward .

Holders Barcelona crush Sevilla in Copa del Rey tie

FC Barcelona hammered Sevilla 6-1 to win the Copa del Rey quarterfinal tie 6-3 on aggregate and keep alive their dream of hoisting the trophy for a fifth consecutive year.

One of our worst performances with the bat, says Rohit

With regular skipper Virat Kohli rested for the last two matches, India's stand-in captain Rohit Sharma said the performance against New Zealand in the fourth One Day International match on Thursday was one of the worst performances with the bat.

Loss in fourth ODI is a reality check for us: Bhuvneshwar

Outplayed in the fourth cricket one-dayer, Indian pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Thursday said the eight-wicket loss to New Zealand is a "reality check" for the team ahead of the remainder of the series. India's much-vaunted batting was dismissed for its seventh lowest ODI total -- 92 in 30.5 overs in the fourth ODI as New Zealand tasted success in the five-ODI series for the first time after already conceding the rubber. "If you look at the cricket we have been playing in the last few months, we have played good cricket and such matches come after some time. So it is a kind of reality check what we can do and improve in the next matches," Bhuvneshwar said. "We were confident after winning the series but things didn't go our way. I don't want to take credit away from these guys (New Zealand bowlers). They bowled really well and outplayed us." After the fifth and final ODI at Wellington on Sunday, India will play three T20 Internationals against New Zealand starting February ...

No room for complacency, Australia skipper warns

Australia skipper Tim Paine warned Thursday there was no room for complacency after sticking with the same side for the second Test against Sri Lanka as the one that thrashed them in Brisbane. The home team routed the visitors by an innings and 40 runs under lights at the Gabba and Paine pointed to their recent experience against India, where Australia won a Test in Perth only to be comprehensively beaten in Melbourne. "We touched on how we had a great win in Perth against India. I thought we turned up pretty poorly and really flat in Melbourne and started that Test match pretty ordinarily," Paine said. "And then you get a good side like India in front of you and we couldn't reel them back in. "It's just been making sure our attitude to this Test is spot on and we're leaving nothing to chance." On the back of the Brisbane thumping, Australia have opted to make no changes for the second Test in Canberra starting Friday against a Sri Lankan team struggling with injuries and off-field ...

I-League: Chencho Gyeltshen completes loan move to NEROCA

Indian Super League leaders Bengaluru FC Thursday announced that Chencho Gyeltshen has completed his loan move to I-League club NEROCA FC for remainder of the season. "Bhutanese winger @Che7cho Gyeltshen has today completed a loan move to I-League side @NerocaFC until the end of the 2018-19 season," Bengaluru FC announced in their twitter handle. Chencho will be joining the camp in Bhubaneswar and it is remains to be seen if he would play against Indian Arrows on Friday. Playing for NEROCA would provide Chencho a chance to improve his confidence and gain experience, as he is expected to get more match time compared to Bengaluru, where he has clocked only 359 minutes for BFC this season. Chencho's inclusion should bolster NEROCA's attack. Right now, the team is placed fifth on I-League table with 22 points in 14. The Blues star, who is also known as Ronaldo of Bhutan, has been improving his skills and is never shy of making acrobatic efforts to score goals with the help of his speedy ..

Mexico defender Layun signs with Monterrey

Mexico international full-back Miguel Layun has joined Monterrey from Spain's Villarreal, the Liga MX club said.