Page 718 - Sports

Mohun Bagan coach quits after defeat to Real Kashmir

Mohun Bagan's defeat at the hands of I-League debutants Real Kashmir FC Sunday had an immediate casualty as coach Shankarlal Chakraborty tendered his resignation, owning "moral responsibility". This was Mohun Bagan's second consecutive defeat in the I-League after losing to Neroca FC as their title hopes are all but over. "I've informed the club officials that I do not wish to stay anymore. Now it's up to the club to take a call," Chakraborty said at the post-match news conference. The Kolkata giants have a packed calendar with four successive matches at Saltlake Stadium, including the return-leg derby on January 27 and Chakraborty said he would remain with the club till the management appoints his successor. "We have a match (against defending champions Minerva Punjab) after three days. It will be difficult for the club to rope in someone. So, I will continue till the club management decides of someone." Mohun Bagan have faired poorly at Saltlake Stadium this season, losing thrice, ..

Veteran Yuvraj still harbours World Cup selection hopes

Yuvraj Singh may be past his prime but the veteran all-rounder Sunday said he would give his "best shot" to get into the reckoning for the upcoming World Cup. "Cricket has given me everything. When I leave the game, I want to be at my best. I do not want to go with any regret," the 2011 World Cup winning hero, who is here for Punjab's Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match against Bengal, said. The 37-year-old, who was picked by Mumbai Indians for his base price of Rs 1 crore at the IPL auctions, has set his sights on the T20 extravaganza to make a bid for a comeback. "I'm trying my best. This is our final league Ranji Trophy match and let's see if we can qualify. After this, we have the national T20 tournament and then we have the IPL. I will give my best shot and hope for the best," Yuvraj said at the Jadavpur University Salt Lake Campus ground. Yuvraj hailed the Virat Kohli-led India's fine show in the Test series in Australia. "Obviously their experience in batting is not that much what

First priority is club's growth, Atletico coach

Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone has reiterated that the club's continuous improvement was a top priority, stressing he was focused on day-to-day tasks during the current winter transfer window.

Delhi, TN face off in inconsequential Group B game

Out of the reckoning for quarterfinals berth, Delhi and Tamil Nadu have nothing but pride to look forward to, as they lock horns in a Ranji Trophy Group B match here Monday. A win at the M A Chidambaram stadium could act as motivation ahead of the national T20 championship, that follows the Ranji season. Delhi are on 13 points while Tamil Nadu have a point less going into the match. Both teams have won only one game while Delhi suffered three losses to the home team's two. The Baba Indrajith-led TN also had to miss out on points after two of the games were affected by weather, resulting in the first innings not being completed. It has been a season to forget for both the teams, now languishing in the bottom rung of the group. But they would be eager to finish on a strong note. Tamil Nadu brought in a few young players in an effort to infuse fresh blood into the squad. The batting unit hasn't clicked in unison resulting in the team's sagging fortunes. As Indrajith pointed out, poor ...

Real Kashmir humble Mohun Bagan 2-1, keep title hopes alive in maiden season

Real Kashmir humbled heavyweights Mohun Bagan 2-1 and the giant-killing act, one of many engineered by the debutantes in the ongoing I-League, kept their title hopes alive, here Sunday. The win against a profligate Mohun Bagan helped Real Kashmir, the first team from the valley to play in India's top-flight, continue their fairy tale run. The team's sixth victory was achieved on the back of a brace by Mason Robertson, who struck in the 33rd and 74th minute at the Salt Lake Stadium. Starting as a defender, Scottish Robertson, who was recruited by his father and coach of the club David Robertson, dominated the game to hand the former champions a second successive defeat. League winning star winger Sony Norde, who made a comeback after missing four matches due to his leg injury, scored the solitary goal for the home side in the 42nd minute. "Today's win is because of dedication and hard work of everyone at RKFC. The boys were exceptional and I am sure that the spirit continues as we ...

I-League: Real Kashmir stun Mohun Bagan

Debutants Real Kashmir FC snatched a stunning 2-1 win against Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan to move to the third spot in the I-League points table here on Sunday.

Ethiopians continue dominance at Xiamen Marathon

Ethiopian runners continued their dominance in both men's and women's competition at the 2019 Xiamen Marathon, the first Gold Label road race of the year.

CBSE Welfare Sports Organisation wins gold in National TT

CBSE Welfare Sports Organisation rose to the occasion, winning a gold in the 11SPORTS 64th National School Games Table Tennis Championship here on Sunday.

Pliskova wins Brisbane International for 12th career title

The Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova on Sunday secured her 12th WTA title with a victory over Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko at the final of Brisbane International.

Bowling coach Arun praises chinaman Kuldeep Yadav

India bowling coach Bharat Arun on Sunday praised chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, who took five wickets in the first innings of the fourth Test match against Australia here.

Cricket- a ray of hope for Syrian refugees

Historically, the game of cricket is associated with English-speaking world but the notion is now being challenged by few Syrian refuge children residing in Shatila camp of Beirut in Lebanon.During the Syrian civil war, millions of people fled the country and took shelter in Lebanon. According to The Telegraph, out of the total number of people living in the Shatila camp, about a third of them are children.These kids were introduced to cricket in October 2018 by a local charity group. The response received was overwhelming as 40 Syrian boys and girls turned for the first session and the number rose to 140 by the end of the week, The Telegraph reported.The children are coached by Capital Kids Cricket (CKC) which is a London-based philanthropic organisation. It is primarily concerned with promoting cricket in state schools of London.In order to make the initiative a success, CKC's CEO Shahidul Alam or "Ratan", who has been a coach to Bangladesh's under-19 cricket team, will organise the

Bayern Munich hand Ribery "heavy fine" for Tweetstorm

Bayern Munich will impose "a heavy fine" on Franck Ribery for his obscenity laced outburst on social media, the club's sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said on Sunday. The French striker put a string of angry posts on Twitter and Instagram on Saturday aimed at those who had criticised him for eating a gold-coated steak. "I had a long talk with Franck and I let him know that we would impose a heavy fine on him and he accepted it," Salihamidzic told journalists in Qatar, where the club is on a training camp. "He used words that we, FC Bayern, cannot accept and that Franck does not have the right to use, as a role-model and player of FC Bayern", added Salihamidzic. On Thursday, the 35-year-old Bayern Munich player posted a video on social media showing him in a steak house owned by celebrity Turkish restauranteur Salt Bae and rubbing his hands before tucking into a huge chop coated in gold. That ostentatious luxury, and the reported cost of the meal, drew ferocious criticism before ..

Kagiso Rabada defends SA pitch

Defending the South African pitches, bowler Kagiso Rabada on Sunday said when the batsmen have applied themselves, they have scored runs."Right from series against India, through to Australia and now against Pakistan. It shows that when you are prepared to fight in the middle, you will get runs. Faf (du Plessis) got a hundred, there were two 70s - Aiden (Markram) and Temba (Bavuma) - a fifty from Quinton (de Kock)," ICC quoted Rabada, as saying.Talking about the ongoing Pakistan series, the 23-year-old said, "Even in Centurion, you had Imam-ul-Haq, he batted well, Shan Masood batted well, batted well again today, (Asad) Shafiq. It shouldn't be too easy to score runs in Test cricket!"Insisting that it wasn't easy for the bowlers too, Rabada said, "We had to show a lot of resilience, but that's Test cricket. We toiled but it wouldn't be Test cricket if it was too easy. What is important is that we showed resilience."Rabada, referring to attaining the top spot on the Test team rankings, .

Switzerland defeat Germany at Hopman Cup

Roger Federer has become the first tennis player in history to win three Hopman Cup trophies after Switzerland snatched victory from Germany 2-1 in the final at the RAC Arena here.

Plucky Kyrgyzstan go from dead goats to Asian Cup hopefuls

Better known for horseback wrestling, eagle hunting and dead goat polo, Kyrgyzstan are hoping to turn heads at this month's Asian Cup football tournament. The former Soviet republic has made significant progress since joining the Asian Football Confederation in 1994 and the outsiders warned they will be no pushovers in their debut appearance at the continent's showpiece event. Kyrgyzstan's White Falcons face China on Monday in their opening game in the United Arab Emirates before meeting title favourites South Korea and the Philippines, but coach Aleksandr Krestinin struck a defiant tone. "We are not here just to make up the numbers," he told AFP. "We are serious, competitive participants and we will fight to get through to the last 16. It is a new experience for us, but the whole country is behind us." An impoverished, landlocked nation of around six million people, Kyrgyzstan is fiercely proud of its nomadic traditions, many of which are not for the faint-hearted. The mountainous ...

Ponting lashes out at Australia for showing 'no desperation'

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting Sunday slammed the current team for showing "no desperation" after Nathan Lyon decided against reviewing his lbw decision on day four of the fourth Test against India here. Lyon was adjudged LBW after being hit on the pad off a Kuldeep Yadav delivery. He asked non-striker Mitchell Starc if he should opt for a review, but the duo decided against it despite two reviews remaining in their innings and only two wickets left. At stumps on day four, Australia were bundled out for 300 in the first innings after which India enforced follow-on. The hosts then came out to bat in the second innings, trailing by 322 runs. India had piled up a mammoth 622 in their first innings. "That dismissal actually says a lot to me about the mindset of this Australian team at the moment. There's no desperation there whatsoever," Ponting said on Channel Seven, one of the host broadcasters. "Why wouldn't they have had a look at that? They've still got the two reviews up ...

Pujara is worthy of many privileges in Kohli's kingdom: Chappell

Normally not known to be generous with superlatives, the great Ian Chappell found Cheteshwar Pujara "worthy of many privileges" in Virat Kohli's "kingdom" for his tenacity and tons of runs. Pujara grafted his way to three centuries in the ongoing Test series against Australia, playing a key role in India's dominance. "Not only did Pujara single-handedly bring the Australian bowlers to their knees, he also paved the way for his team-mates to deliver the killer blows," Chappell wrote in a column for 'ESPNcricinfo'. While India are on the verge of completing a maiden Test series win in Australia, the former captain was not with praising Pujara. "Kohli may be the king of Indian cricket but Pujara has proven to be his loyal ally and worthy of many privileges in the kingdom. Many good things have happened for India in this series, not the least of them being victory, and most have emanated from the stubborn defiance of Pujara." The eldest of the famous Chappell brothers, he added, "In ...

South Africa beat Pakistan by nine wickets to clinch series

South Africa beat Pakistan by nine wickets on the fourth day of the second Test at Newlands on Sunday. Pakistan claimed a wicket and forced Hashim Amla to retire hurt before South Africa passed their meagre target after less than an hour's play at Newlands. Set 41 to win, South Africa reached 43 for the loss of one wicket from 9.5 overs. The result ensured a seventh successive home series win for South Africa, who won the first Test in Centurion by six wickets. The third and final Test starts in Johannesburg on Friday. Regular South African opening batsman Aiden Markram did not bat after suffering a severely bruised right thigh when he fell heavily on the boundary rope while fielding on Saturday. Theunis de Bruyn, opening in place of Markram, clipped Mohammad Abbas to the midwicket boundary but did not add to his score before being caught off his glove by wicketkeeper and captain Sarfraz Ahmed while attempting to pull a bouncer from Abbas. Mohammad Amir effectively conceded 10 runs in

Goerges beats teen sensation Andreescu to retain Auckland crown

Julia Goerges drew on her experience to retain the WTA Auckland Classic title Sunday as she came from a set down to end the stunning run of Canadian teen sensation Bianca Andreescu. There were tears from the 30-year-old German in an emotional celebration who took the match 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 with the final point coming when an Andreescu forehand went into the net. "This win means a lot to me because not everything was working well in the beginning," said the 30-year-old Goerges who needed all her experience and patience to recover from being down 4-5 in the second set after losing the first. "I used my experience today and really went for it in the important moments. My coach came at 5-4 and helped me find some solutions," she said. The ice-cool Andreescu had stunned the tennis world during the week having arrived in Auckland ranked 152nd and needing to play in the qualifying tournament to make the main draw. The 18-year-old then beat three top 50 players on her way to her first WTA final .

Daniell, Koolhof win Brisbane International doubles title

New Zealand's Marcus Daniell and the Netherlands' Wesley Koolhof on Sunday claimed their maiden doubles title at Brisbane International after they defeated United States' Rajeev Ram and Britain's Joe Salisbury 6-4, 7-6(8-6).