Page 705 - Sports

Initiatives like Khelo will create Olympic winners: Sushil

India's only individual double Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar is convinced that initiatives like Khelo India Youth Games have the potential to unearth and create medal winners on the international stage. "Such events will give our young athletes the feeling and exposure of international events. This can only help India find and mould talent that can shine at the top level," Sushil was quoted as saying in a media release. "Games like these create the atmosphere we find at top international events....India will reap the benefits of providing such opportunities and facilities in the future, that is for sure," added the star grappler. Asked if achievers like him were inspiration for the next generation, Sushil downplayed his image as a role model. "We all learnt from our seniors and I can only hope the young people here will do the same," he noted. Sushil, who won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and went one better at London four years later with silver, ...

Khelo badminton: Barve a strong contender, young talent on

Local girl Poorva Barve along with national champion Aakarshi Kashyap will be the front-runners among a host junior shuttlers gunning for gold in the Under-21 women's section at the Khelo India Youth Games here. Among the regular proven challengers to the throne will be Malavika Bansode (Maharashtra) and Gayatri Gopichand (Andhra Pradesh), daughter of chief national coach Pullela Gopichand, a media release issued Wednesday said. Poorva, amongst all, is older and experienced and is in her transition year having completed her run as an Under-19. She rounded off the year-end BWF World rankings ranked No.9. The other three Malvika and Gayatri are a little younger, but on-court all the four-share healthy competition. In the U21 men's section, India Under-19 No.1 Priyanshu Rajawat (Madhya Pradesh) leads the pack and has his task cut out with the presence of three of the top-5 ranked players in India which include no.3 Abhyansh Singh (Uttar Pradesh), no.4 Satish Kumar K (Tamil

Indian cricket admn suggested I put Border-Gavaskar Trophy in hand luggage: Aus FM

Amid the euphoria of the Indian cricket team's maiden Test series triumph Down Under, visiting Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Wednesday joked she had come here directly from the Sydney Test where it was suggested she should put the Border-Gavaskar trophy in her hand luggage. Cricket got a new seminal moment on Monday after talismanic Virat Kohli led the country to a historic series victory on Australian soil, ending a 71-year wait to script a golden chapter in the game's history. The fourth and final Test match at the SCG petered out to a barren draw due to inclement weather but not before providing India with a 2-1 series win and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Beginning her address at the Raisina Dialogue on a lighter note, Payne said: I have come directly to New Delhi from the Sydney cricket Test. There was a suggestion from the Indian cricket administration that I should put the Border Gavaskar trophy in my hand luggage and carry it with me to present it to the (Indian) ..

Would love to see more challenging wickets for batsmen in FC cricket: Tendulkar

Legendary Sachin Tendulkar wants Ranji Trophy and other domestic matches to be played on "challenging tracks" which will test a batsman's ability and also raised the "standard" of competition. "Domestic cricket of course, I feel if we could keep more challenging wickets for batters, it would help the standard of playing. We have had a number of opinions on this but I have always felt that (if) you play on good, difficult tracks, your standard of playing automatically goes up," Tendulkar said during a promotional event. However Tendulkar made it clear that "challenging tracks" by no means should be under-prepared where the bowler just comes and takes wickets. "That is what I would encourage the (custodians of) our domestic cricket to do -- to keep surfaces which are challenging for the batters but that does not mean the bowler should just come and roll their arm over (to get wickets). For bowlers also, to be able to control their seam or spin, it is a skill and (it) should not happen ..

I-League: Mohun Bagan get back to winning ways with 2-0 win over Minerva

City football heavyweights Mohun Bagan returned to winning ways under new coach Khalid Jamil as they brushed aside defending champions Minerva Punjab FC 2-0 in an I-League encounter at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Wednesday.

Bihar spinner Aman breaks Bedi's record; Uttarakhand qualify

Bihar left-arm spinner Ashutosh Aman etched his name in record books, surpassing the great Bishan Singh Bedi as the highest wicket-taker in a Ranji Trophy season after claiming his 65th scalp here on Wednesday. Bihar defeated Manipur by three wickets, while Uttarakhand sealed the lone quarterfinal spot from the Plate Group with a bonus point win over Mizoram in the Plate Group. The 32-year-old Aman achieved the feat when he trapped Manipur's Sagatpam Singh lbw for his 65th wicket and eclipsed former India captain Bedi's tally of 64 wickets for Delhi in 1974-75. An employee of Indian Air Force, Aman, ended up with 7/71 against Manipur in the second innings to end the season with 68 wickets from 14 innings at an average of 6.48. Resuming the day at 217/7 in their second innings and with a lead of 116, Manipur were bundled out for 238, with Aman claiming all the three wickets at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium here. Chasing 138, Bihar were tottering at 43/5 before Mangal Mehrur (53) led a solid .

Jonty Sidhu's defiant ton keeps Delhi in the hunt vs TN

: Jonty Sidhu's fighting ton helped Delhi reach 268 for 6 in 103 overs at stumps against Tamil Nadu on the third day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group 'B' match at the M A Chidambaram stadium here Wednesday. Tamil Nadu had made 432 in the first innings, riding on Abhinav Mukund's solid knock of 134. Sidhu's unbeaten 104 (235 balls) helped the team recover from 49 for 4 in Delhi's first innings. His 126-run seventh wicket partnership with Lalit Yadav (65 batting) went a long way in blunting the Tamil Nadu attack. The lanky left-hander mixed caution with aggression and used his feet to counter the Tamil Nadu spinners-R Sai Kishore and Mohan Prasath. Apart from 11 fours, Jonty Sidhu also hit three huge sixes and defended resolutely against the home side attack which was looking to wrap up the innings quickly after being top in the first session. Earlier in the morning, the visitors suffered two quick blows, losing Dhruv Shorey and skipper Nitish Rana in the space of two ...

Sydney International: Top-ranked Halep stunned in opener

World number one Simona Halep suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Australia's Ashleigh Barty in her opening clash of the ongoing Sydney International here at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre on Wednesday.Playing in her first match of the year, the 27-year-old stumbled to a 6-4, 6-4 loss against Barty in a clash that lasted one hour and 27 minutes.The Australian drew the first blood in the opening set and gets away with an initial lead. Halep, while maintaining her swift style of play, leveled the score at 3-3 but could not match the accuracy level of Barty and conceded the set 6-4.The second set saw the Romanian player getting the first break point. She maintained a healthy 5-3 lead in the second set and looked strong to score a leveler. Halep's daunting opponent, however, had other plans. With the help of some stunning mix of shots, Barty stunned the world number one to advance further in the tournament.Barty has made a good start to the 2019 season having defeated two ...

NADA utilises Khelo for mass anti-doping awareness programmes

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is utilising the Khelo India Youth Games platform to conduct mass awareness programmes for the 6,000 competing athletes from around the country. NADA Director General Navin Aggarwal spoke with some athletes who attended the anti-doping awareness session here on Wednesday. "We know that this a great platform to spread awareness since the athletes here represent the cream of India's young talent, some of whom will go on to represent the country at the highest levels," Aggarwal was quoted as saying in a media release issued here. "As many as 12 athletes tested positive for prohibited substances at the Khelo India School Games in Delhi last year and that is the reason we are reaching out to every athlete here," the DG noted. In response to a question, Aggarwal revealed that besides publishing the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited list on its website, NADA had opened a helpline to assist athletes in case they have a query. He ..

World Cup winner Pavard to join Bayern Munich from July 1

French World Cup winning defender Benjamin Pavard will join Bayern Munich from Stuttgart on a five-year contract as of July 1, the defending German champions revealed Wednesday. Media reports in Germany put the transfer at 35 million euros ($40 million) for the 22-year-old who can play at right-back or centre-back. "He is young and a world champion, so we are happy and proud to have won over such a player," said Bayern's sports director Hasan Salihamidzic at their winter training camp in Doha. Pavard's status skyrocketed last summer when the centre-back scored the goal of the World Cup with a stunning net-busting strike in a 4-3 last-16 win over Argentina that set France on their way to the Russia 2018 title. Pavard has been at struggling VfB Stuttgart, who are currently third from bottom in Germany's top flight, since 2016 after he joined from French side Lille for five million euros.

Elgar to captain South Africa in final Test

Opening batsman Dean Elgar will captain South Africa in the third and final Test against Pakistan, starting at the Wanderers Stadium on Friday, Cricket South Africa announced on Wednesday. Elgar, 31, will stand in for regular captain Faf du Plessis, who was suspended for one match after South Africa fell short of the required over rate during their nine-wicket win in the second Test at Newlands. It was the second offence under Du Plessis's leadership within a 12-month period. It will be the second time Elgar has captained the side. He led South Africa in the first Test against England at Lord's in 2017 when Du Plessis returned home for the birth of his first child. South Africa have also called up uncapped Pieter Malan on standby for Elgar's opening batting partner, Aiden Markram, who will undergo a fitness test on Thursday. Markram suffered a badly bruised right thigh while fielding during the second Test at Newlands and was unable to bat in the second innings. Malan, 29, has ...

Guardiola welcomes Man City trophy challenge despite fixture pile-up

Pep Guardiola says he welcomes Manchester City's multi-pronged trophy assault, even though title rivals Liverpool have only the Premier League and Champions League to focus on. City face Burton in the semi-finals of the League Cup on Wednesday, days after demolishing Rotherham 7-0 to advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup. But Liverpool, who sit four points clear of City in the Premier League, have just two competitions left to worry about after a much-weakened side were knocked out of the FA Cup by Wolves on Monday. "If everyone is fit and not injured we can cope with it," Guardiola said. "The problem is if you have 10 injured players, it's almost impossible. When everyone is fit, it's better. Without that competition, if we had just one competition to play in, I could play with the same 11 or same 12. "Now everyone is involved. The players don't know who will play against Burton. Then after four days we have another final at home to Wolves." Guardiola said he would rather be ...

Barcelona icon Iniesta apologises over blackface photo

Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta has apologised after posting a photo on social media with two people in blackface as part of Epiphany celebrations. The 34-year-old superstar who currently plays at Japan's Vissel Kobe had no intention "to upset anyone by displaying that photo," according to a statement by his agency sent to AFP on Wednesday. "He would like to apologise to those people who may have felt offended," the statement said. Iniesta's picture on Twitter and Instagram posted on Sunday showed his family and a group of people in costumes, taking part in the Three Kings Day celebration also known as Epiphany, which is widely celebrated in Spain. The midfielder, who lifted 32 major trophies and made 674 appearances for Catalan giants Barca, joined Vissel Kobe in May, calling his J-League move an "important career challenge". The Spain icon's decision to choose Vissel arguably represents Japanese football's biggest transfer coup, with many top players now moving to cash-rich Chinese .

Indian bowling attack competitive in all conditions:Tendulkar

Cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday said the Indian bowling attack has proved that it is capable of delivering in all conditions. After performing in South Africa and England, the Indian bowlers put up a stellar show in Australia, helping India win their maiden Test series Down Under. "I can comfortably say that we are a competitive attack in any part of the world (or) on any surface. We are ready to go and play anywhere in the world and be extremely competitive...," the legendary batsman said. "If I have to name.... (Jasprit) Bumrah, (Mohammed) Shami, Ishant (Sharma), Kuldeep (Yadav), (Ravichandra) Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja, Umesh (Yadav) also played one Test match (in Australia).... all these guys, have chipped in at various points," he said at a promotional event of IDBI Federal Life Insurance here. Tendulkar said even the spinners came to the party in Australia, not just the pacers. "Spinners have also chipped in, it's not just the fast-bowlers, but the spinners. But

Dean Elgar named stand-in Proteas skipper for Pak Test

South Africa batsman Dean Elgar is set to stand in for Faf du Plessis in the final Test against Pakistan, starting on January 11.Du Plessis was suspended for one Test and fined 20 per cent of his match fee after his team was found guilty of maintaining a slow over-rate during the second Test, which South Africa clinched by nine wickets.The 31-year-old will take the onus of his side for the second time as Test captain. He had earlier led the side in the first Test against England at the Lord's in 2017."The appointment of Elgar as stand-in captain is part of our strategy to develop our pool of leaders," ICC quoted Cricket South Africa national selection panel convener Linda Zondi, as saying."We have previously used Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock in this role in ODI matches, and Dean (Elgar) has previously captained the Proteas at Test match level against England at Lord's in 2017," he added.Meanwhile, opener Pieter Malan has been put on standby for the third Test after Markram ...

Australia drop Finch, Handscomb & Marsh brothers for Sri Lanka Tests

After the heartbreaking 1-2 loss to India in the four-Test series, Cricket Australia (CA) on Wednesday recalled openers Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw to the Test squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka, while axing the off-colour Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh and Peter Handscomb.

Mohun Bagan blank Minerva Punjab as Jamil gets winning start

Mohun Bagan struck one each on either side of the break to blank defending champions Minerva Punjab 2-0 and return to winning ways in the I-League here Wednesday. Man of the Match Omar El Hussieny converted from the spot at the halfway mark, while Dipanda Dicka completed the tally in the 69th minute on his comeback match. It was a winning start for head coach Khalid Jamil, who joined the Mariners at short notice, after Shankarlal Chakraborty stepped down following their back-to-back defeats. The win kept Mohun Bagan's slender title hopes alive as they remained sixth on the table with 18 points from 12 matches, while Minerva Punjab are a spot below them with 13 points from as many games. Mohun Bagan next face NEROCA in three days' time, before the return leg derby on January 27. Jamil made as many as five changes from the side that suffered a 1-2 loss to Real Kashmir. The I-League winning former Aizawl FC coach preferred Dipanda Dicka over Henry Kisekka, and he also brought in ...

Elgar named stand-in Protea skipper for final Test vs Pakistan

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has appointed opener Dean Elgar as the Proteas' stand-in captain in the absence of suspended Faf du Plessis for the final Test against Pakistan, starting here on Friday.

We will fight toe-to-toe with UAE, says Constantine on match-eve

Stressing that the game is not played on paper, football team coach Stephen Constantine Wednesday said India will fight "toe-to-toe" with fancied hosts United Arab Emirates in the AFC Asian Cup. Indian started their AFC Asian Cup campaign in a stunning fashion, thrashing Thailand 4-1. They will take on UAE on Thursday at the Sheikh Zayed Sports City Stadium here. "We know all the three games are going to be very tough. There'll be no easy game at this level. But we'll go toe-to-toe with them. A game is not played on paper, but on the pitch," Constantine was quoted as saying by All India Football Federation's (AIFF) website. "The UAE are the hosts and will be under pressure. It's understandable they will go for all three points," Constantine said. UAE are currently ranked 79 in the FIFA rankings, and they have been on the winning side on eight occasions against India out of 13 matches played between the two sides. The Blue Tigers have won thrice. The last encounter between these two ...

World number one Halep stunned in Sydney

World number one Simona Halep's preparations for next week's Australian Open suffered a huge setback Wednesday when she was bundled out of the Sydney International at the first hurdle. The Romanian hadn't played since withdrawing from the WTA Finals in October with a herniated disc, and was no match for fast-rising Australian Ashleigh Barty, who scored the biggest win of her career 6-4, 6-4. Halep, the reigning French Open champion and 2018 Australian Open runner-up, had a bye through to the second round, meaning she heads to Melbourne Park for the opening Grand Slam of the year with just one game under her belt. "It was a great match after almost four months (since the last one). I think I played a good level of tennis but I had no inspiration in some important points," she said. "She played really well and deserved to win. But I was also very close to winning. "No pain at all, that is a great sign," she added of her back. "The tennis is good, I just have to believe in myself ...