Page 706 - Sports
Asian Cup: India must be wary of wounded UAE (Preview)
Indias 4-1 victory over Thailand in the opening match of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 was phenomenal, but now Stephen Constantines boys have an even bigger task on hand.
Tendulkar hails contribution of Pujara, pacers in India's win
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar Wednesday singled out 'Run Machine' Cheteshwar Pujara for his stellar show in India's historic maiden Test series win in Australia. Tendulkar was also impressed with the style of play dished out by the Indian team, saying the brand of cricket produced by Virat Kohli and his men in the four-Test series was "magnificent". India registered its first-ever Test series triumph in Australia since the country's first visit way back in 1947-48, winning matches at Adelaide and Melbourne while losing at Perth before the rain-marred last Test at Sydney was drawn. "Fantastic. The team has done really well. The brand of cricket that India has been able to produce Down Under has been magnificent," said Tendulkar here at the launch of "Keep Moving" initiative by IDBI Federal Life Insurance here. Pujara scored 521 runs in the series with three centuries and one half century with 193 as his highest score and Tendulkar pin-pointed that Pujara was outstanding in the ...
Russia says 'understanding' reached on doping data for WADA
The Kremlin says there is "understanding" on how crucial data on drug use by Russian athletes will be handed over to the World Anti-Doping Agency. WADA officials are due to arrive in Moscow on Wednesday for their third visit seeking the lab data. The Moscow laboratory data could help WADA file doping charges against numerous Russian athletes. Russia missed a deadline to hand over the data by Dec. 31, meaning its anti-doping agency could face sanctions from WADA. "There were some working disagreements which arose last time related to which storage devices (the data) will be transferred onto and how, and so on. I would say these are not so much substantial matters as issues of logistics," Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Wednesday. "As far as we know via our sports authorities, there are intensive contacts under way and now understanding has been reached with the WADA representatives regarding how the work will continue." Despite protests from many ...
Hero 2nd Division League set to kick off on January 12
With the two top-division leagues already half-way through, the Hero 2nd League is all set to kick off with local rivals Mohammedan Sporting and ATK reserves facing off against each other at the Kalyani Stadium on January 12. This season, the Hero 2nd Division is set to see 16 teams participate in it, spanning the length and breadth of the country. The 2018-19 season of the tournament is set to feature four debutants ARA FC (Ahmedabad), ATK Reserves (Kolkata), Chhinga Veng (Aizawl) and Rainbow AC (Kolkata). "It was our endeavour to spread the game throughout the country. It's good to have a team from Gujarat for the first time, along with teams from other parts of the country," said I-League CEO Sunando Dhar. Interestingly, with the addition of ARA FC, the Hero 2nd Division League now has teams from all four corners of India. The league has acted as platforms for a number of clubs, before they went on to shine in the I-League. Neroca FC, who finished runners-up in the Hero I-League ..
Indonesia eye two men's doubles pairs in 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Indonesia hopes it can send two men's doubles pairs to the badminton event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Prajnesh moves to second round of Australian Open Qualifiers
India's top singles player Prajnesh Gunneswaran overcame a fighting Viktor Galovic in straight sets to move to the second round of the Australian Open qualifiers here Wednesday. The left-handed sixth seed Indian prevailed 6-4 6-4 over the Croatian, ranked 228 as compared to 112 of his opponent. "It was an average match, I played okay, It was a tricky match, stayed tough mentally and got the job done," Prajnesh said, reflecting on the win. "I broke early in the first set and held serve till the end to take the opening set. I was up a break in the second but lost serve. I broke once more at 4-4 to win. It was nice weather, windy but not hot," he added. He will next face Spain's Enrique Lopez Perez, ranked 213th. Prajnesh had a breakthrough 2018 in which he made four Challenger-level finals and won tow titles. He also came close to making his first ever Grand Slam main draw appearance at the French Open but missed out. After losing the third round to Elias Ymer, Prajnesh could have ...
Upbeat India face UAE test in AFC Asian Cup
If Thailand was big, India are faced with a bigger test in hosts United Arab Emirates in the AFC Asian Cup here Thursday, overcoming whom will require them to play out of their skins. Four days after creating a flutter with a stunning 4-1 drubbing of Thailand, India are now looking an upbeat lot in the continental showpiece. While the result against Thailand, who have three J-League players in their ranks, was no mean feat, it will be a bigger achievement if the Indians are able to put it across the hosts who are gunning for the title. Currently ranked 79th to India's 97th, the United Arab Emirates were placed as high as 24 in the FIFA chart in January 2015. Coach Stephen Constantine will be pleased with how the second half against Thailand turned out. India not only managed to shut down a lethal Thai attack after being tied 1-1 at the break, but also threatened at the other end through quick transitions in attack. That stupendous show earned India three valuable points, a place on ...
Rohit Sharma asks Rishabh Pant to 'babysit' his girl
Proud father and batsman Rohit Sharma on Wednesday asked wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant to babysit his little daughter Samaira.Replying to Pant's 'Good Morning' post on Twitter, the Hitman wrote, "Morning buddy. Heard you're a good baby sitter, need one right now. Ritika will be quite happy @RishabPant777."During the Melbourne Test, when Australia captain Tim Paine offered Pant to babysit his kids during their sledging session, nobody would have ever thought that this could be true. The on-field banter was taken way too seriously by Paine's wife Bonnie as she posted a picture captioned "Best Babysitter" of the Indian wicket-keeper with her kids.On the Australian soil, Pant ended the five-Test series as the second-highest run-scorer after Cheteshwar Pujara, notching 350 runs in seven innings. While behind the stumps, he broke the record for most catches (20) by an Indian wicket-keeper in a Test series.
Loeb wins Dakar Rally's second stage
French driver Sebastien Loeb won the second stage of the Dakar Rally, held between the Peruvian cities of Pisco and San Juan de Marcona.
De Minaur advances to Sydney International quarters
Rising Australian star Alex de Minaur advanced to the quarter-finals of the Sydney International tennis tournament, defeating Reilly Opelka of the United States 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Wednesday.
Bacsinszky downs Stosur in second round of Sydney International
Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland came back from a set behind to defeat local favourite Samantha Stosur in the second round of the Sydney International tennis tournament on Wednesday.
Barty knocks out World NO.1 Halep, advances to last 8 in Sydney
Australias Ashleigh Barty stunned World No.1 Simona Halep to advance to the quarterfinals of the Sydney International on Wednesday.
Australian Open: Magnificent seven beckons for Federer, Djokovic
Thirtysomethings Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic share the Australian Open record with six wins, but either could make history with a magnificent seventh when the first Grand Slam of the year begins in Melbourne on Monday. The pair face a stern challenge from youthful force Alexander Zverev, looking for a first major as the torch-bearer for the next generation. But there are question marks over the fitness of Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, meaning it remains to be seen if all members of the "Big Four" will again prove a force to be reckoned with. Twelve months ago Federer rolled back the years once more at the Rod Laver Arena to beat Marin Cilic in five pulsating sets and lift an emotional 20th Grand Slam. It put him on a par with other six-time Australian Open winners Djokovic and Roy Emerson -- but the Australian great's victories all came before the Open era. By contrast, the 31-year-old Djokovic endured a miserable early Melbourne exit, followed by elbow surgery and a string of ...
Cilic comes through knee injury test as Kyrgios stumbles
World number seven Marin Cilic tested a knee injury with the best possible result on Wednesday, but temperamental Nick Kyrgios' poor start to the season continued at the Kooyong Classic. Former US Open champion Cilic, who led Croatia to a Davis Cup trophy in November, skipped last week's Maharashtra ATP tournament to rest. The wait was worth it as he posted a gritty 6-3, 4-6, 15-13 win over Kevin Anderson, recovering from 2-7 down in the new final-set tiebreaker that will be used at the Australian Open for the first time next week. Under the rules, the first player to win at least 10 points by a two-point margin takes the match. Cilic, who was beaten by Roger Federer in an epic Australian Open final last year, said his knee was not a worry. "The knee felt slightly more stiff than usual, maybe that's from a first match," he said. "I need a few more days to play and train and hopefully reach 100 percent." Cilic added: "It took me some time to recover from the emotional end to last ...
Bangladesh cricket "court" expels gamblers from stadium
A special temporary courthouse at Dhaka's main cricket stadium expelled 20 punters for placing illegal bets during the first three days of the Bangladesh Premier League, an official said Wednesday. Betting is illegal in Bangladesh but rampant during cricket matches, where gamblers exploit a brief delay between live play and the official broadcast of results to place frantic bets. Those caught are hauled from the stands and tried on the spot by judges stationed at stadiums across the cricket-mad South Asian country during international matches and the lucrative Twenty20 BPL tournament. The temporary court at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium fined 20 gamblers and barred them from the grounds in the first three days of the BPL, which started Sunday. Six Indians were among those slapped with fines up to 4,000 taka ($48) for infringements, said executive magistrate Imrul Hasan, the judge who presided at the special court. "They were caught on the grounds placing live bets with their .
ICC ODI rankings: Kohli, Bumrah retain number one position
India captain Virat Kohli and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah have retained their respective number one position in the updated ICC ODI player rankings, released on Wednesday.Bumrah, who picked up 21 wickets at an average of 17 and strike-rate of 44.9 in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy, leads the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers with 841 points.New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and fast bowler Lachlan Ferguson have moved up to become joint-31st position holders after their credible performances during a 3-0 sweep over Sri Lanka.Sodhi's eight wickets in the series helped him climb up 26 slots and Ferguson's seven wickets lifted him 12 places to a career-best position in the list. Sri Lanka captain and fast bowler Lasith Malinga has moved up three places to take the 46th place after finishing with seven scalps in the series.In the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen, Kohli and Rohit Sharma are the incumbent number one and two with 899 points and 871 points respectively.From New Zealand side, Ross ...
Spurs beat Chelsea in 1st leg of Carabao Cup semis
Tottenham Hotspur can thank the video assistant referee for their 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Sporting beat Valencia in Copa del Rey tie
Valencia plunged deeper into crisis with a 1-2 loss against second-division Sporting Gijon in the first leg of their Copa del Rey knockout stage tie.
Salah named Africa's best player for 2nd successive year
Egyptian international footballer Mohamed Salah has won the 2018 Confederation of African Football Player of the Year award for the second year in a row.
Century remains out of reach, but Sophie Devine blazes unbeaten 115
New Zealand and Adelaide Strikers' all-rounder Sophie Devine missed out on a century in spite of contributing an unbeaten 115 against Hobart Hurricanes in the fourth edition of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL).The 29-year-old, who was named in the ICC ODI Team of the Year for 2018, remained heart-breakingly short on 99* followed with 16* in an entertaining Super Over, which helped her side win over Hurricanes on Tuesday."My nerves are a bit shot, to be honest. I just swung my arms and it went our way," ICC quoted Devine, as saying.Devine required five runs in the last two balls to get to the mark, but the deep square leg fielder denied the all-rounder. Her inning included 10 boundaries and four sixes, which helped Strikers post their highest total ever 189/5.Although a century in the season remained out of her reach, Devine is the second on the runs chart so far, with 449 runs from 10 matches. Earlier, the all-rounder was restricted on 95 by Melbourne Stars and on 89 by Brisbane ...