Page 675 - Sports
Federer says Zverev could win a Grand Slam this year
World number three Roger Federer on Wednesday said that Germany's Alexander Zverev, the winner of the ATP Finals in London, could win one of the four Grand Slam titles of this season.
Bautista Agut beats Millman, moves to Australian Open Round 3
Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut on Wednesday won a marathon five-set duel against home-favourite John Millman 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 6-7 (6), 6-4 to reach the third round of the Australian Open in Melbourne Park.
Roosh Kalaria gets a hat-trick
: Left-arm fast bowler Roosh Kalaria starred with a hat-trick leaving Gujarat needing 195 runs to beat Kerala and seal a Ranji Trophy semifinal berth at the end of the second day of the quarterfinal here Wednesday. Gujarat hit back to restrict the host to 171 in the second innings after conceding the first innings lead. A disciplined bowling effort helped Gujarat bowl out Kerala for 171 in 59 overs with Kalaria (3 for 36) and Axar Patel (3 for 40) sharing the spoils. Earlier, resuming at 97 for 4, Gujarat quickly slipped to 107 for 7 before some aggressive batting by Kalaria (36, 5X4, 1X6) enabled the team make 162 in reply to the home side's first innings score of 185. Sandeep Warrier (4 for 42) was Kerala's best bowler and he was well supported by M D Nideesh (3 for 38) and Basil Thampi (3 for 61). Skipper Parthiv Patel was the top-scorer for Gujarat with 43. In Kerala's second innings, opener Mohammed Azharudeen fell for a duck in the second over and the team lost ...
Ranji QF: Ramaswamy, Jaffer hits tons, lead Vidarbha's charge
Veteran Wasim Jaffer and opener Sanjay Ramaswamy struck unbeaten centuries as Vidarbha took command against Uttarakhand on the second day of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final match here Wednesday. At close of play, Vidarbha reached 260/1 in the first innings, in response to Uttarakhand's 355, with Ramaswamy (112 not out) and Jaffer (111 not out) holding fort. The hosts are still adrift by 95 runs at the end of day two at the Vidarbha Cricket Association's stadium at Jamtha on the city's outskirts. But the day clearly belonged to Ramaswamy and Jaffer, who conjured an unbeaten 215-run stand for the second wicket after a rare failure by skipper Faiz Fazal (29) who perished early. Fazal was dismissed by right-arm medium pacer Deepak Dhapola. Jaffer in the process struck his fourth ton of this Ranji season, having already hit hundreds in the league stage against Mumbai, Gujarat and Baroda. In his 153-ball stay at the crease so far, the 40-year -old batsman has hammered 13 ...
Altered course for elite runners in Mumbai Marathon
The elite runners in the competitive section of the 16th Tata Mumbai Marathon will make a lap of the Oval Maidan on the race's outward stretch on January 20. Announcing the slightly altered route, Race Director Hugh Jones said this change will enhance the runners' overall experience as compared to the earlier years. "The course is changed a bit. There is pretty much a full lap of the Oval Maidan. "There will be a U-turn like in an athletic track," Jones said at a media conference here Wednesday. He also said the casual runners will all finish at a different spot on the opposite side of the Azad Maidan in South Mumbai and not outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus which is both the start and finish point for the elite runners. "There is a different finish for the open category runners, on the other side of the Azad Maidan. But the overlap of slow runners with the elite ones at some stretches is inevitable even though the two starts are spread out. "But there are
Clinical Nadal overwhelms Aussie Ebden
A dominant Rafael Nadal overwhelmed Australia's Matthew Ebden in straight sets to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday and stay on track for an 18th Grand Slam title. The Spaniard, who cut short his 2018 season to have surgery on a foot injury, raced through the tie in just 116 minutes. The 32-year-old's newly remodelled serve only briefly came under pressure from Ebden, 31, who enjoyed vociferous home support on Rod Laver Arena before losing 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. The Australian forced three break points at 3-2 in the first set, but could convert none before the second seed reeled off four games in a row to close it out in 35 minutes. It was one-way traffic from then on as Nadal, sporting a trademark sleeveless shirt, cruised into the last 32. "I played a solid match, I was happy with the way I served. I did a few things very well," said Nadal, who next plays Australian 27th seed Alex de Minaur. "It is an honour to play here. Was a great atmosphere." Nadal pulled out of .
Indian women team is balanced to take on New Zealand: Anuja Patil
New Delhi [India], Jan 15 (ANI): Offspinner Anuja Patil believes that the Indian women's team is balanced to take on New Zealand in the limited-overs series, beginning on January 24.In an exclusive interview to ANI on Wednesday, the 26-year-old, who has been selected for the T20I squad, said: "Both our bowling attack and batting line-up are brilliant. New Zealand's weather won't affect us that much. I am sure we can defend them well as our team is balanced. We have a couple of all-rounders as well, which can work in our interest."The wickets do not tend to turn up much in New Zealand's conditions, however, India has named six spinners for the shortest format. Being one of them, the youngster from Kolhapur said: "As a spinner, I will try to vary my speed because the wicket is batting friendly. As the situation will demand, I will try to bowl accordingly."White Ferns, as the New Zealand team is called, have enjoyed a lot of success playing at home. Talking about the most challenging ...
After historic 2018, Indian TT team's Olympic preparation hits 'coach' roadblock
The Indian table tennis team's preparations in an Olympic qualification year have hit a major roadblock with the players having to fend for themselves without a coach, following a path-breaking 2018. The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and the Sports Authority of India, which is the employer of all coaches, are still far from finding Massimo Costantini's successor five months after the Asian Games, where India ended a 60-year-wait for a table tennis medal. India, in fact, got two medals from Jakarta with the men's team and the mixed doubles pairing of Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra winning a bronze each. The unprecedented performance at Asiad has raised hopes of an Olympic medal, mainly in mixed doubles. "There is no movement in the appointment of the foreign coach. We had sent shortlisted names to SAI and Sports Ministry but as of now, the government is busy with Khelo India. Everything else has been put on hold," a TTFI official told PTI on Wednesday. The final approval ...
You cannot calculate Dhoni's value: Gavaskar
"Please leave the gentleman alone," former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, insisting that the veteran's value to the team cannot be calculated despite the lack of consistency. Dhoni turned back the clock with a match-winning half century against Australia in the second one-dayer in Adelaide, even hitting one of those trademark last-over sixes. The well-timed knock eased the pressure he has been under under due to inconsistent form. "My prayer is to please leave the gentleman alone and he will continue to do well. He is also not getting younger. So the consistency you might have at a younger age will obviously not be there and you have to bear with that," Gavaskar told 'India Today'. The 37-year-old two-time World Cup winning former captain's future is one of the most debated topics in Indian cricket right now but Gavaskar feels he deserves better. "Bear with that little inconsistency. But he's still tremendous value to the team... That value you cannot ...
Golfer Diksha takes sole lead on pro debut in Hero women's Tour opener
Golfer Diksha Dagar opened her professional career in style with a one-under 70 that put her right on top of the leaderboard in the first leg of the Hero womens Pro Tour 2019 at the Poona Club Golf Course here on Wednesday.
India women's football team to play friendlies against Hong Kong, Indonesia
In preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifiers Round 2, the Indian women's football team will be playing two matches each against the senior national teams of Hong Kong and Indonesia.
Swimmer Nataraj makes splash at Khelo; now eyes World C'ships
Budding Karnataka swimmer Srihari Nataraj had a 100 per cent record at the Khelo India Youth Games, winning gold in each of the seven events he took part in the competition here. At last year's Khelo India School Games, Nataraj had won six gold medals and this time bettered his show. Another Karnataka swimmer who caught the eye was Likith SP, who ended his campaign at the Games with six medals, including five gold, a media release said Wednesday. When asked about their friendship, the Karnataka boys, Likith and Srihari, said they always help each other improve as swimmers. "I see great potential in Srihari and I am sure he will achieve big things in the time to come," said Likith. Having already represented India at the Youth Olympics and the Asian Games in 2018, Srihari will now turn his focus towards the World Championships to be held in South Korea later this year as he hopes to bring laurels to the country. "I have a few important exams to finish now, after which I ...
National U-16: Haryana boys beat Jharkhand to lift Vijay Merchant Trophy
Haryana lifted the Vijay Merchant Trophy after beating Jharkhand in the final on the basis of first innings lead, riding on lion-hearted effort from new ball bowlers Vivek Kumar and Anuj Thakral. In the final of the National U-16 Cricket tournament at the Devineni Venkata Ramana Praneetha Ground, Haryana scored 247 in their first innings with Ahan Poddar top-scoring with 57 off 177 balls, hitting 10 boundaries. Jharkhand's Abhishek took six wickets for 48 runs but Haryana seamers Vivek (5/59) and Anuj (5/53) bowled the opposition out for 186 in 66.1 overs. The 61-run first innings lead proved to be decisive in the end as Haryana batted Jharkhand out of the contest, scoring a mammoth 502 for 9 in 163.1 overs before declaring. There were five half-centuries in the second innings from number 4, 5,6, 7 and 8 batsmen. They were Piyush Dahiya (64), Nishant Sindhu (53), Parth Vats (70), Yuvraj Singh (93) and Sarvesh Rohilla (60). Before the umpires called time, Jharkhand scored 93 for 3 in ..
Khelo India: Delhi dominate judo ring; bag 12 gold medals
Delhi judokas proved to be a cut above the rest as the northern state ended up with 12 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze medals to top in the discipline at the Khelo India Youth Games here. The closest to Delhi was Punjab, which won 4 gold, while Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and hosts Maharashtra bagged three gold medals each in judo at the Games. Delhi's dominance primarily came in the Under-17 and Under-21 girls' section, where they won eight of the 12 gold medals at stake, a media release said. A shot in the arm for judo was that 22 of the 29 participating states won medals. According to the release, judo was dominated by the states from the north as nine states from the region won 22 gold, 17 silver and 24 bronze medals. In comparison, states from the southern India could not muster even one gold. However, the surprise pack was Kerala which cornered eight medals - two silver and six bronze. From the east, Manipur remained the flag-bearer with Youth Olympics silver medallist and ..
Kohli wants India to be superpower in Test cricket
Virat Kohli added another feather to his cap after becoming the first ever India skipper to win a Test series on Australian soil. However, the 30-year-old wants to take Indian cricket to much greater heights.
Saina, Kashyap, Srikanth enter second round of Malaysia Masters
Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth entered the second round to mark a fine day for Indian shuttlers at the Malaysia Masters here on Wednesday. Seeded seventh, Saina had to toil hard and came back from a game down to quell the challenge of Hong Kong's Joy Xuan Deng 14-21 21-18 21-18 in a women's singles first round encounter that lasted one hour and five minutes. Saina, the only Indian in women's singles event, will next play another unseeded shuttler from Hong Kong, Pui Yin Yip in the second round. Like Saina, Kashyap too had a tough outing, against Denmark's Rasmus Gemke. He had to dig deep to get the better of his opponent 19-21 21-19 21-10 in his men's singles first round match. But it was a relatively walk in the park for another Indian men's singles shuttler Kidambi Srikanth, seeded seventh, as he took just 30 minutes to beat Angus Ka Long NG of Hong Kong 21-17 21-11 in the first round. While Kashyap has a tough second round encounter against ..
Indian women's team to play friendlies against Hong Kong and Indonesia
In a bid to qualify for the 2020 Olympics, the Indian women's football team will play two matches each against Hong Kong and Indonesia. The 25-member squad will leave Indian shores on Saturday to travel to Hong Kong to play back-to-back friendlies on January 21 and 23. The team will then travel to Indonesia to play matches on January 27 and January 30. "In our quest to qualify from the Round 2, we have to play against tough teams and both Hong Kong and Indonesia will provide us with challenges of their own and help in our development," Head Coach Maymol Rocky said. "The Olympic qualifiers will be a test and a challenge for all of us and we are preparing to script history and make the nation proud," he added. The second round of the Tokyo Olympic qualifiers are slated to be held from April 1-9 with the draw for the same yet to take place. Squad: Goalkeepers: Aditi Chauhan, M. Linthoingambi Devi, Sowmiya Narayansamy, Shreya Hooda Defenders: Ashalata Devi, Sweety Devi, Jabamani Tudu, ...
SAI beat Hockey Madhya Bharat 2-0, enter quarters
: Sports Authority of India beat Hockey Madhya Bharat 2-0 in a Pool 'H' match to enter the quarterfinals of Arise Steel 9th Hockey India senior national championship for men ('B' Division) here Wednesday. It was SAI's fourth win in the group. SAI topped the pool with 13 points to enter the quarterfinal. It will take on Hockey Maharashtra in the quarter-finals tomorrow. In another match in the same group played Wednesday, Hockey Coorg drew with All India Police Sports Control Board 0-0. Quarterfinal line-up: Hockey Maharashtra vs Sports Authority of India, Sashastra Seema Bal vs Tamil Nadu, Central Secretariat vs Food Corporation of India, Bengaluru HA vs Hockey Patiala. Results: Pool 'H': SAI beat Hockey Madhya Bharat 2-0, Hockey Coorg drew All India Police Sports Control Board 0-0. Tuesday's matches: Pool E: Hockey Patiala beat Delhi Hockey 4-3, Bengal Hockey Association beat Hockey Rajasthan 5-1. Pool G: Hockey Unit of Tamilnadu beat Hockey HIM 8-2, CISF beat Hockey ..
Youngsters focussing solely on shorter formats could have problems playing Test: Virat
Virat Kohli has no peers when it comes to ODI cricket but he has priceless message for youngsters -- sole focus on limited overs formats shouldn't be used an "excuse" of not being able to cope with challenges that Test cricket presents. World's No 1 batsman with 25 Test hundreds warned that youngsters will have mental problems if they don't embrace the pristine form of five-day cricket. "If we focus too much on shorter formats - yes, they're important - but if we solely focus and look at them as an escape or an excuse to not be in the kind of situations that Test cricket presents to you, then I think there will start being a mental problem with the cricketers coming up," Kohli was quoted as saying by Star Sports. The Indian skipper, who has played a few defining knocks against world class bowlers like Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Mitchell Starc during the past year spoke about the hardwork that goes into making of a quality Test player. "As long as you're willing to wake up every .
Federer overpowers Evans in round 2 of Australian Open
Two-time defending champion Roger Federer overpowered British qualifier Dan Evans in a hard fought game on Wednesday to reach the third round of the Australian Open.