Page 711 - Sports
Australian batsmen were needlessly aggressive against patient Indian attack: Katich
Former Australia international Simon Katich Tuesday said the Indian pacers' ability to maintain "scoreboard pressure" on impatient and needlessly aggressive home batsmen proved to be decisive in the visitors' maiden Test series triumph Down Under. India won the four-Test series 2-1 with the fourth Test ending in a draw on Tuesday. Katich said that Australian batsmen couldn't manage period of pressure well enough. "On previous tours they (pacers) haven't been doing well in these conditions. But in this series, this pace attack was magnificent and they built scoreboard pressure. They have got pace and variety, and they were also able to move the ball. Perhaps that has been the big difference in the two teams," Katich told PTI. "India's bowlers were really patient and Australia's batsmen haven't been patient enough to withstand that pressure. And very good spinners backed up the pacers, whether it was R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav or Ravindra Jadeja," he said. Katich said Australian batsmen ...
Ladakh experiences Ice Hockey Championship
In spite of not having proper infrastructure, people from different parts of Ladakh came to witness the 12th Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) Ice Hockey Championship, inaugurated here at the Karzoo ice hockey rink on Tuesday.A total of 16 teams - 9 men's teams and 7 women's teams - are participating in the tournament. In the men's opening game, Chushul outplayed Skara Sporting Club, while in women's first match, Secmol defeated Spituk.In an exclusive interview to ANI, Secmol's player Tsetan Dolma said: "From today we are playing the 12th CEC Ice Hockey Championship. We are getting the opportunity to represent India, play in national and even an international level. We have very harsh winter but we have a very good game to play.""Everybody in India is looking forward to having this game in their state. So we people from Ladakh are very lucky to have this harsh winter where we get natural ice to play on, which empowers women in this game as well," she added.Unlike countries like Canada,
Aussies kidding themselves if they think all will be rosy when Smith, Warner return: Vaughan
Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels Australia, beaten for the first time in a home Test series against India, are "kidding themselves if they think everything will be rosy when Steve Smith and David Warner come back". In his column for 'The Daily Telegraph' following India's maiden Test series triumph Down Under, Vaughan wrote that Australia's issues run far deeper than the absence of suspended Smith and Warner. "If you think Australia's problems will be solved the moment Steve Smith and David Warner are available for selection again then you are wrong... Batting, bowling, selection and tactics were poor against India, and Australia have to admit they were just not good enough," wrote Vaughan. "Clearly, if you take the two best players out of any team they will struggle. But losing Smith and Warner is an easy excuse to hide behind. India were beaten 4-1 in English conditions last summer, although the matches were closer than the final score suggests, but would have beaten ...
Pant rises in ICC rankings
Rishabh Pant has attained new highs for an Indian wicket-keeper in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings after his superb century in the drawn final Test against Australia in Sydney.
Pak PM congratulates India for becoming first Asian team to win Test series on Australian soil
Pakistan Prime Minister and former cricketer Imran Khan on Tuesday heaped praises on the Indian cricket team for becoming the first Asian team to win a Test series on Australian soil.Khan took to Twitter to compliment the number one ranked India and its captain Virat Kohli, saying: "Congratulations to Virat Kohli and the Indian cricket team for the first ever win by a subcontinent team in a test series in Australia."Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar also lauded the Men in Blue for their performance and keeping the pressure on Australia in their own turf."Congratulations to Team India for a historic series victory Down Under. One of the toughest tours in world cricket is a Test Series in Australia. It was a great effort and they kept Aussies under pressure throughout," Akhtar wrote.Russel Arnold, the former Sri Lanka batsman, too hailed the Indian side calling them "thoroughly deserve the Tag of best Test team"."Congratulations @BCCI An outstanding achievement winning in Oz. ...
Anushka-Virat celebrate Team India's historic win
Being the doting wife she is, Anushka Sharma had a special surprise for Virat Kohli to celebrate the latter's historic 2-1 series win on Australian soil.In a picture shared by her husband and Indian cricket captain on social media, the couple can be seen commemorating the victory by cutting a cake with 'Congratulations Virat' written on it.The 30-year-old posted the happy picture on her Instagram story.Anushka, who is on cloud nine after India's historic Test win over Australia, had even penned a heartfelt note for "my love" Virat on Monday.Apart from her, a number of Bollywood celebrities, including megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Preity G Zinta, Farhan Akhtar and Anupam Kher, among others also cheered for team India.Ranked as world number one, India lifted the Border Gavaskar Trophy after clinching the four-Test series 2-1. The hosts Australia were bundled out for 300 on the fourth day of the fourth Test, which also forced them to follow-on at home for the first time ..
Ferrer beats Haase at ASB Classic in New Zealand
Four-time champion David Ferrer opened play Tuesday in ASB Classic with a 6-2, 6-1 first-round win over Robin Haase. The 36-year-old Ferrer said before Tuesday's match that this is his last season on the ATP Tour and he will not be returning as a competitor to a tournament that he won in 2007 and in three straight years from 2011 to 2013. "I'm really happy because winning today means I will have a chance to play one more match again on this court," Ferrer said. "It's very emotional for me to be here." Ferrer had good reason to enjoy himself Tuesday. Ferrer broke Haase's serve in the third, fifth and seventh games of the first set and didn't drop a point on his own serve until the sixth game when Haase broke back. In the eighth game, Ferrer took set point with an ace, gave it up with his only double fault of the match and served out the set in just half an hour. He was quickly on top again in the second set, breaking Haase in the third game, again the fifth and clinching the set and ...
Australian Open: History beckons as Serena shoots for Slam history
Serena Williams is back in Melbourne as hot favourite to repeat her 2017 Australian Open win and claim a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam with rivals, including defending champion Caroline Wozniacki, battling health issues and poor form. Williams won her 23rd title and seventh at Melbourne Park while eight weeks pregnant two years ago, and now attempts to match Margaret Court's mark of 24 singles majors on the Australian's home soil. The 37-year-old enters the tournament ranked 16 in the world but has proved in the past that such numbers mean little to her, despite fresh memories of her meltdown in losing the US Open final to Naomi Osaka in September. Her 2017 triumph Down Under gave Williams the outright open era record for singles majors ahead of Steffi Graf's 22, leaving only Court's tally of 24 titles -- 13 of which were earned in the amateur era before 1968 -- for Williams to chase. Williams missed her first chance to match Court when losing last year's Wimbledon final to ...
Tons for Taylor, Nicholls as Black Caps sweep Sri Lanka ODI series
Veteran Ross Taylor and rising star Henry Nicholls both smashed centuries as New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 115 runs in the third one-day international in Nelson Tuesday to complete a 3-0 series whitewash. Taylor top-scored with 137, and Nicholls was unbeaten on 124 off just 80 balls, lifting the hosts to 364 for four after they lost the toss and were sent in to bat. It was a record ODI score at Nelson's Saxton Oval, where the average is just 275, and Sri Lanka never looked like reaching the mammoth total. They were all out for 249 in the 42nd over, throwing away their final four wickets without scoring a run as the series ended with a whimper. Thisara Perera, who scored a blistering 140 in the second ODI, was again the tourists' standout performer, racing to 80 in 63 balls. With the series already decided, Nicholls and Taylor used the dead rubber to send a message to New Zealand selectors ahead of this year's World Cup. It was Nicholls' maiden ODI ton and the 27-year-old will hope his
Ausssie IM Sardana emerges champion
Australian IM Rishi Sardana (ELO 2398) clinched the title in the EKA-IIFL Investment Managers 4th Mumbai International Chess Tournament that concluded here on Monday night. He snatched a significant win over Indian IM Al Muthaiah (2408) in a ninth and concluding round game to emerge the champion. The 22-year-old Aussie of Indian origin finished with seven points, the same as the three overnight leaders, Vietnamese GM Tran Tuan Minh (2524), and Indians GM Abhimanyu Puranik (2544) and young talent IM D Gukesh (2466), who all drew their final games. The Vietnam Grandmaster was held to a draw by the 12-year-old Indian lad Gukesh while Puranik shared honours with Russian GM Ivan Rozum (2589) as they played out a draw. Sardana was declared winner on the basis of a better tie-break score of 47.0 as compared to 46.5 for GM Tran and 43.5 for both Puranik and Gukesh, who finished third and fourth respectively. In the final game, the winner was engaged in a tense battle with the ..
Imran Khan congratulates India on maiden series win in Australia
Pakistan Prime Minister and former cricket captain, Imran Khan, Tuesday congratulated India on becoming the first Asian team to win a Test series in Australia. "Congratulations to Virat Kohli and the Indian cricket team for the first ever win by a subcontinent team in a test series in Australia," Khan tweeted. India sealed the four-match series 2-1 after the rain-hit Sydney Test ended in a draw on Monday. The triumph ended a 71-year wait for India. Considered an inspirational former captain, Khan led Pakistan to their sole World Cup title till date, in Australia in 1992. He played 88 Tests and 175 ODIs in an illustrious career.
Jasprit Bumrah rested for remainder of Aus and NZ tour, Mohammed Siraj called up
Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the forthcoming ODI series against Australia and New Zealand due to workload.Bumrah, who remained the most successful bowler in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy, picked up 21 wickets at an average of 17 and strike-rate of 44.9."Keeping in mind the workload of the bowler (Bumrah), it was best felt to give him adequate rest ahead of the home series against Australia," a BCCI statement said on Tuesday.Bumrah has been replaced by Mohammed Siraj, who has played three T20I so far since his international bow against New Zealand last year. Siraj has also enjoyed a good run with India A in New Zealand, taking seven wickets in three first-class games.The selectors have also called up Siddarth Kaul, who has proved himself against New Zealand A for the three-match T20I series. He finished with seven wickets from three List A games, with a best of 4/37."Mohammed Siraj will replace Bumrah in the squad for the Australia and New Zealand tour. ...
Ramkumar, Ankita make winning start; Karman exits from Australian Open qualifiers
India's Ramkumar Ramanathan and Ankita Raina recorded straight sets victories to make a promising start at the Australian Open qualifiers but Karman Kaur Thandi went down fighting in the first round here on Tuesday. Seeded 21st, Ramkumar knocked out Spain's Sergio Guiterrez-Ferrol 6-3 6-2 in his men's singles opening round. "It was a very close match. We played a very long game at 2-2 on my serve, I held. He also held his own but after the new balls came in I broke him. I served well and that helped. At big moments also, my serves came out well," explained Ramkumar. Prajnesh Gunneswaran will open his campaign against Croatia's Viktor Galovic on Wednesday. Appearing in her third Grand Slam Qualifiers, Ankita (ranked 205) got the better of Myrtille Georges (ranked 238) from France 6-2 6-2 in her opening round. "I have been working on my serve for the last six months and today I got some dividends from it. My first serve percentage was high and got me many points but most satisfying was .
Confident of Australia's win in Women's T20 World Cup 2020: Alex Blackwell
Three-time T20 World Cup winner Alex Blackwell says the momentum generated by her team Australia in the recent Caribbean tournament is the perfect example to continue pushing the boundaries for women's sport ahead of the 2020 event.ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020 final will be held on the International Women's Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which holds the record for highest official attendance recorded at the 2015 World Cup final."I can just picture it. It is the 8th of March 2020 at the MCG, packed house, it is the T20 World Cup final, and we are cheering on Australia to win another trophy," ICC quoted Blackwell, as saying on Monday.Since the day will celebrate women, it raises the potential to break the 21-year-old record held by the Rose Bowl in California, which holds the largest ever crowd (90, 185 people) record for a women's sporting match- FIFA Women's World Cup final."And for it to be a World Record attendance for a women's sporting event across any code across ...
Kvitova beats in-form Sabalenka in Sydney
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova avenged her US Open defeat to in-form Aryna Sabalenka Tuesday to move into round two of the Sydney International. But less than a week before the Australian Open -- the season's first Grand Slam -- there was more misery for 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, who crashed out early to Australia's Ash Barty. Kvitova, who slumped to 29 in the world after being attacked in her home by a knife-wielding man in 2016, has battled her way back to number eight and was encouraged by her 6-1, 7-5 win over the Belarusian. Sabalenka is a form player, racing to number 11 in the world after a stellar 2018 and starting the year by winning the Shenzhen Open. "She was definitely (finishing strongly). She came from Shenzhen (last week) where she won the tournament so I knew it would be a tough match," said Kvitova. "Unfortunately I lost (to her) at the US Open but I'm happy with my performance here in the first round. "It's always tough to play her, she's a
The greatest? Serena can end Court argument at Australian Open
Serena Williams hopes to match Margaret Court's record of 24 singles majors at next week's Australian Open but many already regard her as the greatest women's player of all time -- though Court herself is not necessarily among them. Over the years, Court has expressed admiration for Serena's achievements but the Australian also bristles when her own record is dismissed as largely irrelevant in the world of modern tennis. The 76-year-old won 13 of her 24 Grand Slams before 1968, when the women's game entered the Open era and became fully professional. Court won 24 singles Grand Slams from 1960-73 -- 11 Australian Opens, five French Opens, three Wimbledons and five US Opens. Serena's tally stands at 23 since 1998 -- seven Australian Opens, three French Opens, seven Wimbledons and six US Opens. Chris Evert, who won 18 singles Slams, believes the standard of today's game is so far above previous eras that comparisons are meaningless. "Of course Serena is the best ever," she told CBS last .
Klopp defends changes as Wolves dump Liverpool out of FA Cup
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes an early injury to defender Dejan Lovren highlighted why he chose to name a second-string side in bowing out of the FA Cup 2-1 to Wolves on Monday. Klopp made nine changes to the side that lost narrowly for the first time in the Premier League this season to Manchester City on Thursday, with Lovren one of only two players to retain their place. However, the Croatian pulled up with a hamstring injury after just six minutes and was replaced by 16-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever. "Hamstring, is what I heard - without any signs before," said Klopp on what forced Lovren off. "I asked everybody, no signs, nothing, just out of the blue, so that's the decision you have to make. "I am not sure what you all would have said if immediately from the beginning if our centre-half situation was Fabinho and Ki-Jana; then probably a few very smart people would tell me that I don't respect the competition or whatever." Goals from Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves either side ..
Nadal says 'no pain' after Sydney tie as Slam looms
Injury-plagued world number two Rafael Nadal insists he is healthy and in no pain after coming through an exhibition game in Sydney, just days after pulling out of the Brisbane International. The Spaniard teamed up with Canadian Milos Raonic to defeat Australians Nick Kyrgios and John Millman in the FAST4 Showdown on Monday evening -- a shortened, quicker format of the game often described as the tennis equivalent of Twenty20 cricket. Nadal said that he was "feeling better" after withdrawing from Brisbane, when an MRI revealed a slight strain of his left thigh, casting doubts over his fitness for next week's Australian Open. "I did not feel the pain here," the 17-time Grand Slam champion said. "I think it was a good start for me, a good comeback to the action in front of a fantastic crowd in Sydney. "I really enjoyed playing here. I'm happy to be back on court and happy that I'm healthy again." Nadal has not played a main tour event since a knee problem forced him to retire during his
Mena best among Hero riders at 14th, Santosh 20th after stage 1 of Dakar Rally
Spaniard Oriol Mena finished a creditable 14th while his teammate C S Santosh of India was placed 20th after stage 1 as Hero MotoSports made a steady start to the 41st edition of the gruelling Dakar Rally here. After a long liaison of 247 kms, the short first special stage of 84 kms was kicked off in reverse order from Lima to Pisco on Monday. Ace Indian rider Santosh was the first to hit the sand dunes and made a strong finish on his fifth Dakar outing, finishing the first stage just 9 minutes 13 seconds behind leader Joan BarredaBort of Honda Factory Racing (57 minutes and 36 seconds). The comeback man for the team Portugese Joaquim Rodrigues - was the second to tackle the stage and finished the stage safely, crossing the line at 23rd position, 10 minutes and 14 seconds behind the leader. Last year's rookie of the year', Mena was the last to hit the track and despite facing a little touchdown trying to avoid a tricky hole in the first dune, he finished the stage in the 14th ...
Indian-origin player among contenders at poker tournament as top prize is raised to Rs 36 cr
An Indian-origin professional poker player is among the top contenders in the Pokerstars tournament here, even as the top winning price goes up to Rs 36 crore ($5.1 million), helped by new players who joined in till noon on Tuesday -- the cut-off time.