Page 715 - Sports
Real Madrid lose 0-2 to Real Sociedad
Real Madrid suffered a 0-2 defeat at home to Real Sociedad in La Liga action, thanks to tallies by Willian Jose on a penalty kick just two minutes into play and Ruben Pardo in the 82nd minute.
Shastri heaps praises on Kohli, says 'I salute my captain'
Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri heaped praises on captain Virat Kohli for scripting the historic Test series victory on the Australian soil on Monday.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 in 30 years."Past is history future is a mystery. We have won today, I like to live in the present and salute my captain (Virat Kohli) for being the captain of the team that beat Australia for the first time in Australia in a series," the head coach said in a post-match press conference."He is been around the globe captaining the side. I don't think anyone plays Test match cricket with more passion than he does. At least I don't see any other international captain coming close to him on the field. He is very expressive which is different from other personalities. He is ...
Coulter-Nile slams selectors for poor communication over omission from ODI team against India
Fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile has criticised poor communication from Australia selectors following his omission from the ODI squad to face India this month, saying they have not checked his fitness status properly. Cricket Australia selector Trevor Hohns had said Coulter-Nile was not picked due to lower back soreness but the paceman, who has a long injury history, claimed subsequent scans had cleared him. Just a day after Australia named the ODI team on January 4, Coulter-Nile claimed 3 for 25 for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League. He said the back soreness that was given as the official reason should not have been enough to exclude him. "I didn't take (the news) the best, to be honest. I think it was communicated to me really poorly," Coulter-Nile was quoted as saying by 'ABC Radio'. "I won't go into it, but I don't think soreness is really any excuse for not playing cricket. In fairness, I hadn't had a scan yet. I had had back soreness and back history, but I hadn't had a ...
Mexican defender Galindo retires from professional football
Mexican defender Aaron Galindo, who played for Spain's Toledo and Hercules, has announced his retirement after 16 years as a professional footballer.
Atletico Madrid ties Sevilla 1-1, keeps La Liga 2nd spot
Sevilla and Atletico Madrid played a 1-1 draw in a La Liga contest at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium in this Spanish city.
Eibar plays 0-0 draw against Villarreal
Eibar and Villarreal played a scoreless draw in a La Liga match in which both teams' keepers stole the limelight.
This team doesn't fire blanks, Shastri hits back at critics
India coach Ravi Shastri Monday used his tried and trusted ammunition to attack the critics, saying negative comments coming from miles away were blown away by the wind like, what else, but a "tracer bullet". Moments after India's maiden Test series triumph in Australia, Shastri hit back at the critics, including the legendry Sunil Gavaskar, who had questioned selections and the training regimen of the team. "I said in Melbourne - I think I mentioned people taking pot shots and firing blanks. I wasn't joking there, because I knew how hard this team had worked. When you fire from there, by the time it crosses the southern hemisphere, it's blown away by the wind like a tracer bullet," Shastri told reporters after the 2-1 Test series triumph over Australia, India's first in 71 years. The former all-rounder was alluding to Gavaskar's comments made on air during the fourth day's play Sunday. After fellow panellist Murali Karthik called the Perth defeat a wake-up call, Gavaskar had said, ...
My best achievement, says Kohli after historic win
After India scripted history by winning its first series on Australian soil, edging past the hosts 2-1, an elated Virat Kohli termed the victory as his "best achievement'.
President, PM congratulate Indian cricket team on maiden Test series win in Australia
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday hailed the Indian cricket team's maiden Test series triumph in Australia, calling the feat a historic accomplishment. In his congratulatory message to the side, President Kovind lauded the effort in achieving the series win. "Congratulations to @imVkohli and his team for reaching one of Indian cricket's final frontiers and winning a test series in Australia for the first time. Gritty batting, marvellous fast bowling and a fine team effort has done us proud. Let's make a habit of it!," the President wrote on his official Twitter handle. Prime Minister Modi called the Test series win a "historic accomplishment". "A historic cricketing accomplishment in Australia! Congratulations to the Indian Cricket Team for the hard-fought and richly deserved series victory," PM Modi tweeted. "The series witnessed some memorable performances and solid teamwork. Best wishes for the various games ahead," he wrote. India won the four-match
Eight Indians compete for Rs 21 crore top prize at Bahamas poker tournament
Eight Indian men from across the country are vying to win one of the largest prize money of over Rs 21 crore in a poker tournament being held over five days in this picturesque island, known for its watersports and casinos.
Not India's fault that Smith and Warner were not picked: Gavaskar
Fittest, unstoppable and consistency personified -- India's history-making cricket team was showered with gushing praise by former players with batting great Sunil Gavaskar slamming criticism that the triumph came against a weakened Australian team. India won the four-match series 2-1 after the Sydney Test ended in a rain-forced draw, their first ever Test series triumph on Australian soil. What the weather could not hide was Australia's poor performance with both bat and ball through the four matches. It was attributed to batting mainstays David Warner and Steve Smith's one-year ban on ball tampering charges but Gavaskar rejected the assertion. "It is not India's fault that this Australian team was without David Warner and Steve Smith. Australia could have handed them shorter bans but obviously it was thought that one-year bans would be good for Australian cricket, that they needed to be made an example for anyone who brings the game into disrepute," Gavaskar said during a ...
Sacked after defeat to India, Thailand head coach praises Chhetri and Co.
The humiliating loss to India in the Asian Cup has resulted in Thailand head coach Milovan Rajevac's sacking but the Serb was effusive in his praise for the Stephen Constantine-coached side. Rajevac, who was sacked by Football Association of Thailand hours after India's stunning 4-1 win on Monday, said his side's opponents thoroughly deserved to take all three points. "They (India) absolutely deserved to win the match. For us, the first half was mostly okay, even though we conceded the opening goal after a corner of our own. In the second period, India were more aggressive, and they clearly wanted the victory," Rajevac said. "We under-performed after the break. At the start of the second half we conceded an early goal which forced us to open up a little as we tried to find an equaliser. The real problem for us was that we did not have a response to India's aggressive style of play." The Serbian, who took Ghana to the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after stints in
India script historic Test series, win on Australian soil
India have penned history by winning a Test series on Australian soil for the first time on Monday.Having already retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy thanks to their win at Adelaide and Melbourne, the number one-ranked India clinched the four-Test series 2-1 as the fifth day of the final Test in Sydney concluded in a draw due to persistent rain. The morning session of the fourth day was washed out as well, following which the ground saw a bit of play in the second session and the abandonment of the final session.Cheteshwar Pujara has been adjudged the Player of the Series for his splendid 521 runs, which includes three tons at an average of 74."It is a great feeling for all of us. We have been working hard to win a series overseas, and winning in Australia has never been easy. And really pleased with my contribution. For me, the first hundred was special. Scoring a ton at Adelaide and going 1-0 up is what we were aiming for," Pujara said at the post-match presentation."This is the ...
Sydney to host finals of new ATP World Team Cup
Sydney will host the finals of the new innovative ATP World Team Cup, organisers announced Monday, while Brisbane and one other city will feature round-robin games in a revamp of the season-opening tennis calendar. The Association of Tennis Professionals, which runs the men's game, voted in London earlier this year to award the tournament to Australia. It will be played from January 3 over 10 days in the lead-up to the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, starting in 2020. Sydney will host the final of the 24-team event at the Ken Rosewall Arena, which will get a new roof, along with some round-robin matches. There will be group action in Brisbane along with another city, reportedly Adelaide. The existing Brisbane International will continue as a women-only event. Perth was widely seen to be in the running, but the ongoing success of the mixed-teams Hopman Cup, spearheaded this year by Roger Federer and Serena Williams, has thrown that into doubt. "The ATP Cup fits ...
Tottenham women's player accuses opponent of 'monkey noise' abuse
Renee Hector took to Twitter to insist she had been racially abused by an opponent making "monkey noises" while playing for Tottenham Hotspur Ladies in an English second division women's match. The alleged incident took place during Spurs' 2-1 win away to Sheffield United in the FA Women's Championship, the division below the elite Women's Super League. But a result that saw the visitors climb to second place in the table was overshadowed by defender Hector's post-match allegation. Hector, who did not name the player in question, tweeted: "Such a shame that racism seems to be rising up again in football -- I received some monkey noises today from an opposition player. "The only reaction was to let the football do the talking and that we did great start to the year! @ThlfcOfficial #COYSL #SHEvTOT #KickItOut." Recent events of racist abuse in English football have largely been a matter of supporters turning on non-white male players, although Luis Suarez, then of Liverpool, was given an
Madrid slip 10 points behind Barcelona after shock defeat by Real Sociedad
Real Madrid may not even challenge for the title let alone win it as a shock 2-0 defeat at home to Real Sociedad left them 10 points behind Barcelona in La Liga. Barca took their advantage over their fiercest rivals into double figures by beating Getafe 2-1 while Atletico Madrid and Sevilla also gained on the European champions, despite earlier sharing a 1-1 draw. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez's goals were enough for Barca, for whom the weekend could hardly have gone better. Antoine Griezmann's stunning free-kick earned Atletico a point at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Madrid played with 10 men for half an hour after Lucas Vazquez was sent off but by then they already trailed to Willian Jose's early penalty. Ruben Pardo wrapped up a brilliant victory for La Real, who had won this fixture only once in their last 22 attempts. This was their first victory at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2004 and then, Madrid fired coach Carlos Queiroz a day later. Santiago Solari is not there yet, even if he .
Malinda Pushpakumara takes all ten wickets in an innings
Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara has achieved the rare feat of claiming all ten wickets in a first-class match.Playing for Colombo Cricket Club, the 31-year-old took 10 for 37 to single-handedly bowl Saracens Sports Club out for 113 in the fourth-innings chase of 349 on Sunday. He also picked up a six-for in Saracens' first innings and finished with match figures of 16 for 110.Pushpakumara's 10/37 have also become the best figures recorded since 1995, where Naeem Akhtar took 10/28 for Rawalpindi Blues against Peshawar in Pakistan, and the best-ever cemented in the history books by a Sri Lanka player.The last bowler to take all the ten wickets was Pakistan's Test left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar, who took 10/146 for Multan against Islamabad in 2009.Colombo Cricket Club registered a massive 235 runs victory over Saracens Sports Club.
India registers maiden Test series win in Australia
The Virat Kohli-led Indian team registered its name in history books after winning their first-ever Test series in Australia here on Monday.
This Indian team the best I have been part of: Pujara
India's top run accumulator Cheteshwar Pujara Monday described the current team which clinched the country's maiden Test series win in Australia as the best he has been a part of with lethal bowling attack complementing the batting. Pujara, who scored 521 runs at an average of 74 with the help of three hundreds, was named Player of the Series in the historic series win. "It's a great feeling for all of us. We've been working hard to win a series overseas, and winning in Australia has never been easy. This is the best Indian side I have been part of. I would like to congratulate the team," he said after India clinched the four-match series 2-1. The fourth and final Test at the SCG ended in a draw after the fifth day's play was abandoned due to persistent rain. India clinched the series 2-1, ending a 71-year-old long wait of winning a Test series on Australian soil. The 30-year-old Pujara was all praise for the bowling attack. "We've had four bowlers, and it's not easy taking 20 ...
This is my biggest achievement: Virat Kohli
India captain Virat Kohli termed his team's historic 2-1 series win on Australia soil as his "biggest achievement" which will give the current team a "different identity". Eight summers back at the Wankhede, Kohli was the youngest member of a star-studded team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni which lifted the World Cup but this according to him will remain on "top of the pile". "By far this is my best achievement. Has to be on top of the pile. When we won the World Cup, I was a young player. I saw the others getting emotional. This series will give us a different identity as a team. What we've been able to achieve is something to be really proud of," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony. It was at Sydney that Kohli was annointed with permanent Test captaincy and it is at the very ground that he created an epic chapter in Indian cricket history. "Our transition started here when I became the captain for the first time. Only one word to say, I'm proud. To lead these players is .