Page 618 - Sports
Fiorentina thrash Roma 7-1 to reach Italian Cup semis
Fiorentina thrashed Roma 7-1 to advance to the Italian Cup semi-finals at the Stadio Artemio Franchi here.
Davis Cup draw: Prajnesh to take on Berrettini, Ram up against Seppi
India's top ranked singles player Prajnesh Gunneswaran will take on Italy's debutant Matteo Berrettini in the second singles tie on the first day of the Davis Cup World Group qualifier tie here at the Calcutta South Club on Friday.
Nantes draw 1-1 with Saint Etienne, missing Sala remembered
Nantes avoided defeat at home against Saint Etienne with a 1-1 draw in their Stade de la Beaujoire, a game that had been postponed after the plane accident of their former player Argentine Emiliano Sala.
Ramkumar to play Seppi in opening rubber, Italy keep Marco out of singles
Country's second-ranked player Ramkumar Ramanathan will open India's campaign against Andreas Seppi in the first singles match of their Davis Cup qualifier against Italy, starting here on Friday. India's number one player Prajnesh Gunneswaran, who achieved career-high 102 ranking recently, has been drawn against 22-year-old debutant Matteo Berrettini in the second singles rubber at the Calcutta South Club grass courts. In a bold decision during Thursday's official draw, Italy's non-playing captain Corrado Barazzutti has kept their top-ranked player, world no. 19 Marco Cecchinato out of the singles main draw. "I thought that's the best decision in this case," the 1976 Davis Cup winner said of his combination, keeping an eye on the surprise element in grass. Excited to make his debut, Berrettini, who is the youngest member of the side said: "It will be tough. But we are ready for the challenge. I'm excited." Cecchinato will partner specialist Simone Bolelli, the 2015 Austrlian Open ...
Srikanth, Sindhu among those approved by SAI for TOPS scheme
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has approved the names of 23 athletes, including shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, from badminton, cycling, para-athletics and para-shooting fields, to be included in the flagship Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Paralympics and 2024 Olympics.Some athletes have been included in the developmental group for Olympic 2024, and a watchlist was also announced from among athletes competing in badminton, para-athletics, para-shooting, para-swimming and para-power lifting.Athletes who are in the watchlist will be considered for TOPS on the basis of their performance in the coming months.The Target Olympic Podium Scheme is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to provide assistance to India's top athletes.Players selected in the badminton category include Kidambi Srikanth (Men's Singles), Sameer Verma (Men's Singles), HS Prannoy (Men's Singles), PV Sindhu (Women's Singles), Saina Nehwal .
India bank on Prajnesh, CSC grass courts to upset Italy in Davis Cup
India would rely heavily on in-form Prajnesh Gunneswaran and favourable home conditions to upset former champions Italy in their bid to qualify for the inaugural Davis Cup Group Finals when the two teams clash in the Qualifiers starting here from Friday. The rejigged Davis Cup enters a new era with 12 qualifiers across the globe on the road to Madrid Finals in November. Against a team which leads 4-1 on head-to-head record, India have returned to their favourite Calcutta South Club (CSC) grass courts after 16 years. The venue boasts of an impressive 8-2 win-loss record for India, including the solitary victory over Italy in the 1985's World Group 1st Round. "It's grass, not clay! Maybe next time, we will play on clay against India. We have nothing to complain," said 1976 Davis Cup winner Corrado Barazzutti, here as the non-playing captain of Italy. Another boost for India is the shortened format. The popular 'home-away' format has been retained for the qualifiers and the ties now will
Hamilton ODI: Kiwis thump India by 8 wickets
New Zealand thrashed India by eight wickets in the fourth ODI of the ongoing five-match series here at the Seddon Park on Thursday.Defending a small total of 92 runs, India scalped just two New Zealand wickets as the hosts reached the target with around 35 overs still left in the match.The visitors seemed to be in hurry to finish the match as they adopted an aggressive style of play. Their opener Martin Guptill smashed Indian pacer Bhuvneshawar Kumar two fours and one six in the first overs.Guptill, however, lost his wicket when Kumar trapped him into his swinging delivery at the score of 14.Despite the wicket, New Zealand continued with their attacking shots. Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson stitched a 25-run partnership with Henry Nicholls to head towards a convincing victory.He departed back at the score of 11 and this time again it was Bhuvneshawar Kumar who came up with the wicket. Following Williamson's dismissal, Ross Taylor and Nicholls built a 54-runs partnership to guide ..
4th ODI: Boult carnage help New Zealand outsmart India
Pacer Trent Boult's carnage with the ball helped New Zealand outsmart India by eight wickets in the fourth and penultimate One Day International match here on Thursday.
Boult's fifer hands NZ consolation win over India in 4th ODI
India seemed shorn of their aura in the absence of talismanic skipper Virat Kohli as New Zealand pulled off a stunning eight-wicket win in the fourth cricket one-dayer to halt the visiting side's domination here Thursday. With run-machine Kohli rested after the side claimed an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, India's much-vaunted batting was dismissed for its seventh lowest ODI total -- 92 in 30.5 overs here -- after Trent Boult (5/21) dished out a deadly opening spell. It was also the lowest total posted by any side on this venue, the previous lowest of 122 also against India's name. With the series already out of their grasp after India won the first three games, Boult wreaked havoc with the new ball and in Colin de Grandhomme's (3/26) company utilised the swinging conditions at the Seddon Park. "Never expected this to happen. (But) games like this happen...We've got ourselves to blame for this," said India's stand-in captain Rohit Sharma. In the absence of Kohli and an
New Zealand register consolation win over India in 4th ODI
New Zealand beat India by eight wickets in the fourth ODI to register a consolation win in the five-match series here on Thursday. Trent Boult shone with the ball for New Zealand with figures of 5 for 21 to bundle out India for 92 in 30.5 overs. The Kiwis then chased down the target in 14.4 overs by losing just two wickets. Henry Nicholls remained unbeaten on 30 in the company of Ross Taylor (37). For India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/25) picked up both the wickets. Despite the loss, India lead the series 3-1 with the fifth and final ODI scheduled to be held at Wellington on Sunday. Brief Scores: India: 92 all out in 30.5 overs (Yuzvendra Chahal 18 not out; Trent Boult 5/21, Colin de Grandhomme 3/26). New Zealand: 93 for 2 in 14.4 overs (Ross Taylor 37 not out, Henry Nicholls 30 not out; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/25).
Davis Cup: India fancy chances against formidable Italy in qualifier (Preview)
India would strive to make the most of home conditions, a favourable surface and format to battle history and higher ranked Italy in a Davis Cup World Group qualifiers tie here from Friday.
Hamilton ODI: Boult storm restricts India to 92 runs
Indian batting order faced a dramatic collapse as New Zealand bowled out the entire team for a score of 92 runs in the fourth ODI of the ongoing five-match series here at the Seddon Park on Thursday.New Zealand pacer Trent Boult gave a sensational performance and picked up a haul of five wickets to bundle out India within 31 overs. None of the Indian batsmen could effectively tackle the swinging deliveries of the New Zealand pacers and threw away their wickets quite cheaply.Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan, who was impressive with the bat in the Napier ODI, was the first one to lose his wicket when he was trapped by Boult in front of the wickets at the score of 13. His partner and stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma also failed to make an impression on the day as he got out for 7 runs.While Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik went back to pavilion for a duck, debutant Shubnam Gill could only contribute 9 runs to the team's total.India had lost five wickets at the score of 33 and with no MS Dhoni ..
Pacer Boult dismantles India in fourth ODI
New Zealand pacers Trent Boult's five wicket haul and Colin de Grandhomme disciplined bowling wrecked havoc on India's batting line-up as the visitors were bowled out for 92 in the fourth and penultimate One Day International (ODI) match here on Thursday.
Boult, Grandhomme swings India out for 92
New Zealand's Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme wreaked havoc with the new ball to bundle out a hapless India for 92 in the fourth and penultimate ODI, their seventh lowest total in the 50-over format here on Thursday. Bowling his 10 overs at a stretch, Boult troubled the Indian batsmen with his swing to return with impressive figures of 5 for 21. Boult was ably supported by Grandhomme (3/26) as the duo made perfect use of the new ball and swung the ball both ways to make life miserable for Indian batsmen after New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss elected to bowl. In the absence of Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian batting unit found the going tough against the Kiwi bowling attack and lost wickets regularly to slump to their seventh lowest ODI total. India's lowest ODI total is 54 against Sri Lanka at Sharjah in 2000. It was also India's second lowest total in ODIs against New Zealand, having somehow managing to surpass the 88 scored at Dambulla. It was ...
McGregor, Khabib face suspension for post-fight brawl
Fighters Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov were handed over suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission for indulging in a brawl after their lightweight Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match which was held in Las Vegas, last year.While McGregor faced a six-month suspension and fined $50,000, Khabib was slapped with a nine-month ban and a fine of $500,000.After the suspension, McGregor took to Twitter and stated that he is looking forward to competing soon after facing the suspension."I am thankful for the Nevada athletic commissions fair assessment and handling of the brawl incident. It was not my intention to land the final blow of the night on my opponent's blood relative. It's just how it played out. I look forward to competing again soon. Thank you all," he wrote.McGregor was handed a thumping defeat by Russian fighter in their championship match.As the match ended, Khabib climbed the octagon (fighting ring) and attacked Conor's team, three months after McGregor hurled .
NZ bowl out India for 92 in 4th ODI
India were bowled out for a paltry 92 in the fourth ODI of the five-match series against New Zealand here on Thursday. Trent Boult was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 5 for 21 as New Zealand bundled out India in 30.5 overs. Brief Scores: India: 92 all out in 30.5 overs (Yuzvendra Chahal 18 not out; Trent Boult 5/21, Colin de Grandhomme 3/26).
High-flying Mumbai eye revenge against FC Goa
Hosts Mumbai City FC will be eyeing a revenge when they lock horns with FC Goa in an IndianSuper League encounter here on Friday. Mumbai were hammered 5-0 when the two sides last met in Goa in October. But since then they have bounced back in style and are currently unbeaten in nine games. The Jorge Costa-coached team is in splendid form and their confidence would be bolstered following a 1-0 win against a formidable Bengaluru FC. For Mumbai, the star of the season has been Modou Sougou, who has so far pumped in nine goals in the league. The Senegalese, along with Arnold Issako of Congo whohas five assists to his credit, form a lethal pair. Mumbai skipper Paulo Machado scored the winner against Bengaluru on a counter attack and he, too, would be hoping to continue the good form. With a forward like Brazilian Rafael Bastos and an array of mid-fielders including Sougou, Machado and Matias Mirabaje, Mumbai seemed to have found a winning formula. And with experienced Issako, ..
Injured Sharapova pulls out of St Petersburg Open
Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova pulled out of the ongoing St Petersburg Open owing to an injury in the right shoulder.The 31-year-old was due to play her second-round match against number 3 seed Daria Kesatkina but had to withdraw due to injury. Consequently, Kasatkina won the match by walkover and moved into the quarter-final of the event.The former world number one said that despite making all the efforts, she could not make herself ready for the match."I tried to do everything possible to be able to be ready to compete this week, but my right shoulder continues to be an issue for me. I will meet with my team of doctors over the next few days to evaluate the situation, and I look forward to returning to completion as soon as possible," WTA quoted Sharapova, as saying."It was so special to play in front of my home crowd this week and I wish I could have continued competing in this fantastic tournament," she added.Sharapova had made a smashing start to the tournament after ...
Lots of ups and downs but I am happy: Rohit Sharma on 200th ODI
Opening batsman Rohit Sharma on Thursday became the 14th Indian player to play 200 one-day internationals. While admitting that it there has been a lot of ups and downs in his career so far, the 31-year-old said that the "200th game is special"."Yeah, 200th game is special. Lots of ups and downs but I am happy where I am," ESPNcricinfo quoted Sharma as saying.The right-hand batsman is playing as a stand-in skipper in the ongoing fourth ODI against New Zealand, which marks his 200th ODI appearance, as Virat Kohli has been rested for the last two matches.Meanwhile, India have lost the toss and are batting first in the fourth match. Top-order batsman Shubman Gill has been handed over his debut cap in the match by MS Dhoni.Having already pocketed the series 3-0, India have included two newcomers in the team- Gill and Khaleel Ahmed- with the aim of testing the bench strength."Gill is a very promising talent. He has shown a lot of promise in the past. We are looking to bat first as well. We
Liverpool held in title blow, Chelsea humiliated
Liverpool wasted a chance to take complete control of the Premier League title race as Leicester earned a 1-1 draw against the leaders, while Chelsea's bid for a top-four finish was rocked by a humiliating 4-0 thrashing at Bournemouth. After second-placed Manchester City lost at Newcastle on Tuesday, Jurgen Klopp's side would have moved seven points clear at the top with a win over Leicester. But Liverpool, chasing a first English title since 1990, had to settle for a frustrating draw on Wednesday that left them five points ahead of champions City. "We put Leicester under pressure but we were unlucky with the goal in the last second before half-time. You have to take it how it is," Klopp said. Following a warm-weather training break in Dubai, Liverpool were ahead in the third minute at snowy Anfield. Senegal winger Sadio Mane wriggled through the Leicester defence and slotted a clinical finish into the far corner for his 11th goal of the season. Liverpool's quickest league goal since .