Page 730 - Sports

Balasubramaniam upsets Vietnamese Nguyen at chess tournament

Indian boy Balasubramaniam H (ELO rating 2270) shocked Vietnamese IM Nguyen Van Huy (ELO 2438) in a fourth round match of the EKA IIFWL Investment Managers 4th Mumbai International GM Chess Tournament on Thursday. The 15-year-old Balasubramaniam, ranked 52nd, showed great character and temperament as he produced another outstanding performance to put it across the 33-year-old Nguyen, ranked 23rd, on the eighth board and to record his third win and remain unbeaten at the end of four rounds. The Tamil Nadu boy's other two wins came against Bangladesh's Koshor Shazzad and Russian GM Lugovskoy Maxim, while he played out a draw with Bangladesh GM Rahman Ziaurin the second round. The youngster's efforts so far have earned him a performance rating of 2606 which is an increase of 72 rating points. Overnight leaders, IM Visakh N R (2491) and GM Sandipan Chanda (2555), both from India, split the point as their match finished in a draw on the top board. Vietnamese GM Tran Tuan ...

I-League matches to be broadcast on Hotstar and Jio TV

Bowing to intense pressure from aggrieved clubs, the All India Football Federation and its commercial partners have decided to show all the I-League matches, which will not be televised, on online platforms Hotstar and Jio TV. The online broadcast will be underway from Friday, starting with Neroca FC facing Shillong Lajong in the afternoon in Imphal. "Having worked this out with our commercial partners Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), we have come to the conclusion that the matches which will not be broadcast, will be available online," All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das said. "These matches will be shown with commentary, highlights and replays." This comes days after Minerva Punjab owner Ranjit Bajaj Sunday threatened to move court under the aegis of I-League (Private) Clubs Association if the All India Football Federation (AIFF) did not sort out the telecast row. The association formed by defending champions Minerva Punjab, Chennai City FC, .

Sri Lanka fined for slow over-rate against Kiwis

Sri Lanka cricket team have been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate in their 45-run loss against New Zealand in the first One-Day International of the ongoing three-match series in Mount Maunganui on Thursday.The fine was imposed after Lasith Malinga-led side was ruled to be one over short of their target when time allowances were taken into consideration.In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Players Support Personnel, which relates to minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.As such, Malinga has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee, while his players have received 10 per cent fines. If Sri Lanka commits another minor over-rate breach in an ODI within 12 months of this offence with Malinga as captain, it will be deemed a second offence by Malinga and he will face a suspension.Malinga pleaded guilty to the

Mercedes pays tribute to F1 legend Schumacher on his 50th birthday

Mercedes on Thursday paid tribute to former Formula One driver Michael Schumacher on his 50th birthday, honouring his legendary records and the exceptional contribution he has made during his racing career.

Disappointed for not getting century, says Mayank

Rookie opener Mayank Agarwal, who played a brilliant innings of 77 on the opening day of the fourth Test against Australia on Thursday, said he is disappointed for not reaching his maiden international century despite a good start.

Mayank Agarwal heaps praises on Pujara

Indian opener Mayank Agarwal has lauded right-hand batsman Cheteshwar Pujara for his skills in the Test cricket while admitting that batting with him on Day One of their ongoing fourth and final Test against Australia helped him a lot.The duo built a 116-run partnership to stabilise the Indian innings after the initial jolt that they received in the form of opening batsman KL Rahul.Speaking at a post-match press conference, Agarwal said, "It is just great to watch him (Pujara) bat from another end. He understands his strength and sticks to that. He is very tight with his defence, as well. As far as our partnership on the field is concerned, he keeps talking the things we need to look out for. With his experience, he keeps telling me that you know this is what they (opposition) are looking to do. We keep communicating a lot while batting. It helps a lot."When asked about India's performance on Day One, the right-hand batsman said that they are quite happy with their position, adding ...

Serena Williams wins 3rd singles match at Hopman Cup

Serena Williams stepped up her Australian Open preparations with a straight-sets victory over Britain's Katie Boulter on Thursday to complete an unbeaten Hopman Cup campaign in singles. Williams cooled off after a strong start but prevailed with a 6-1, 7-6 (2) victory in 78 minutes to level the tie between the United States and Britain in Group B. Britain, however, won the tie when Boulter and playing partner Cameron Norrie had a comeback 3-4 (2), 4-3 (4), 4-1 victory over Williams and Frances Tiafoe in the mixed doubles. The 37-year-old Williams' hopes for a record third Hopman Cup title ended when the United States were eliminated after losses to Greece and Roger Federer-led Switzerland. Defending champions Switzerland has a good chance to make the final ahead of its clash later Thursday against Greece, which remain a mathematical chance. Hosts Australia and tournament favorites Germany will battle for a place in the decider in Group A action on Friday. Williams slowly built ...

South Africa's fast bowlers strike early

South Africa's fast bowlers ripped through Pakistan's top-order batting on the first day of the second Test at Newlands on Thursday. Pakistan were 75 for five at lunch after being sent in on a hard, green-tinged pitch. South Africa's decision to pick an all-pace attack paid early dividends with all four fast bowlers picking up wickets. Duanne Olivier followed up a match-winning performance in the first Test in Centurion by taking two for 19, while Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada took a wicket each. Shan Masood, batting at number three, watched four of his teammates lose their wickets and was 17 not out off 48 balls at lunch. Steyn struck first when Fakhar Zaman fended a bouncer to gully to be out for one in the fifth over. Imam-ul-Haq was leg before to the returning Philander for eight before Azhar Ali fell to a short ball, fending a lifting delivery from Olivier to first slip after scoring two. Asad Shafiq led a brief rally, hitting four fours in an innings of 20, ...

Osaka says US Open win has given her belief

Japanese star Naomi Osaka said her US Open victory in September had given her the self-belief to be able to come from behind and win tight matches. Osaka was speaking after recovering from losing the first set of her Brisbane International quarter-final to Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova on Thursday. The world number five overhauled Sevastova to win 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 and reach the semi-finals of the season-opening tournament. "I feel like right now I'm really confident in myself, and I feel like the off-season training that I've been doing is really paying off," she said. "And I'm not sure if I would have had the same feeling six months ago. Six months ago I hadn't won the US Open." Osaka's stunning victory over Serena Williams at New York's Flushing Meadows in September sent her profile into the stratosphere, although her breakthrough win was partially overshadowed by Williams' furious tirade against the umpire. Osaka dropped her opening service game in Brisbane on Thursday, and that was ..

Guptill, Neesham show six appeal as New Zealand beat Sri Lanka

Jimmy Neesham made a dream return to international cricket Thursday, crushing Sri Lanka with bat and ball as New Zealand won the opening one-day international by 45 runs in Tauranga. Neesham, recalled after 18 months in the wilderness as New Zealand look to trial all-rounder options before the World Cup, flayed the Sri Lankan bowling with an unbeaten 47 off just 13 deliveries. He then took three for 38 to share the spotlight with man-of-the-match Martin Guptill who set the New Zealand innings alight with 138 off 139 deliveries. On a placid wicket favouring the batsman and on a ground with short boundaries, Kusal Perera also reached three figures with 102 for Sri Lanka while Niroshan Dickwella added 76. But in reply to New Zealand's 371 for seven, Sri Lanka were all out for 326 with six balls remaining. Free-scoring Sri Lankan openers Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka had been on track to chase down the target when they reached 119 off 17 overs. But when Neesham came into the attack ..

Sharath Kamal eyeing a historic 9th national title

Veteran Sharath Kamal will be chasing a record-breaking ninth title when the 80th National Table Tennis Championships begin at the Nehru Indoor Stadium here on Friday. Sharath, who reached a career-high ranking of 30 last month, is just a step away from surpassing Kamlesh Mehta's eight titles. If he does that, Sharath would not only create history but could remain there as the lone Indian for a long time to come. The only challenge for him is his team mate G Sathiyan, who has been in a terrific form with a proven record and is just a spot behind Sharath at No. 31 in the ITTF rankings. It is about the maturity he needs to bring about on table against the senior pro will be the clincher in a crunch final. However, one can certainly expect a classy final if they reach there. Manika Batra will be the favourite to lift the women's trophy. Ever since her performances at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games last year, her stocks has risen and she also bagged the Breakthrough Star' award by

Osaka in Brisbane International semis

Japan's Naomi Osaka on Thursday defeated Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.

Chennai Spartans unveils its logo, player jersey

: Chennai Spartans, one of six teams in the Pro Volleyball League, unveiled its logo and player jersey at a function here Thursday, ahead of the inaugural event in Kochi and here from February 2 to 22. The other teams in the league are Ahmedabad Defenders, Calicut Heroes, U Mumba Volley, Hyderabad Black Hawks and Kochi Blue Spikers. M H Kumara, a FIVB Level-3 coach, would be the head coach of the franchise and M Ramesh, a former national coach, would be the team's assistant coach. "I am confident that Chennai Spartans will take this sport to the next level, in line with global standards," said Rajasekaran Sivaprakasam Chennai Spartans Chairperson. The event also witnessed the introduction of team players, as well as the launch of the franchises website. Sivaprakasam, Chairman of Kals Group, unveiled the team logo, while Vasudevan Sivaprakasam and Ramavtar Singh Jakhar, President and General Secretary respectively of the Volleyball Federation of India, launched the ...

AITA brings back Zeeshan in selection committee, removes Vishal Uppal

The national tennis federation Thursday made a U-turn, bringing back Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali in the senior selection committee after realising that none of the other members had a direct connect with the players on the Tour. At its recent Executive Committee in Gurugram, the AITA had removed Zeeshan along with head of the panel SP Misra and replaced them with former player Vishal Uppal and Ankita Bhambri. Rohit Rajpal, who was already in the panel, was named as the new chief while Nandan Bal and Balram Singh were retained. "Zeeshan is someone who is always in touch with the players, so we thought we need to bring him back," Rajpal told PTI confirming the development. "From among all the current members in the committee, only he can provide the latest input on the players since he remains in touch with them as Davis Cup coach." Asked if Uppal was taken into confidence before removing him from the panel, Rajpal said he was informed about the decision and he did not make any fuss ...

We have to be smart in our approach, says Gurpreet Sandhu

India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu feels the key to India's success in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup will be in approaching the games smartly, one at a time. The continental tournament is set to begin from January 5 in the UAE. India have been clubbed in Group A alongside Thailand, Bahrain and hosts UAE. They play their first match on Sunday against Thailand, followed by games against UAE and Bahrain on January 10 and 14, respectively. "No team will come into the Asian Cup without doing their homework. I am sure the other three teams will hold us in high regards as well. All of our three opponents are big challenges to face," Gupreet was quoted as saying by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) website. "We have to be smart in our approach. We have to take it one game at a time, look to get the best possible result in the first game, and then approach the second match accordingly," he added. Ranked 15th in Asia, India played against three quality sides -- China, Oman and Jordan --

Sydney Test: Pujara ton strengthens India to 303/4 at Day 1 stumps

Indian top-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara played a blistering centurion knock of 130* runs to put India in a commanding position on Day One of the ongoing fourth and final Test against Australia here at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.Opting to bat first, India managed a total of 303 runs at a loss of four wickets by the end of Day One of the fourth Test.India did not make the best of the starts on Day one as they lost their first wicket in the form of their opening batsman KL Rahul (9) in the second over of the match. Rahul edged an outgoing delivery of Australian pacer Josh Hazelwood which was caught easily by Shaun Marsh at the second slip.After the initial jolt Indian innings was stabilised by Mayank Agarwal and Pujara. Together, they stitched a partnership of 116 runs to put India on the driving seat and made their opponents toil hard on the field.Australia got the much-needed breakthrough in the 37th over of the match when their spin bowler Nathan Lyon gets better off ...

Focus is on World Cups to secure Olympic quota: Anish Bhanwala

Commonwealth Games gold medallist shooter Anish Bhanwala is meticulously planning his path to the 2020 Olympics and says the first step in the "process" will be to secure a quota for Tokyo Games in the upcoming World Cup. The 16-year-old Indian shot a CWG Games record score of 30 to claim the top prize in the men's 25m rapid fire pistol event last year. The victory made Anish, then 15, the country's youngest-ever gold medallist at the quadrennial event. The Haryana-born shooter has bagged several International titles including the Common Wealth Shooting Championship 2017 (Brisbane), ISSF World Cup 2018 (Guadalajara) and ISSF Junior World Cup 2018 (Sydney). In 2017, the teenager made heads turn when he won the 25m standard pistol gold with a world record score of 579 at the ISSF Junior World Championships. "My target is to do well in the World Cups this year, where quotas for the Olympics will be on offer. The main one is the World Cup in Delhi in February, it's in my home ground," ...

Hockey India names 33 core probables for Women's National Camp

Ahead of the season opener for the Indian Women's Hockey Team, Hockey India on Thursday named the 33-member core probable list for the National Camp to begin at the Sports Authority of India, Bengaluru Campus on January 4, 2019. The players will report to Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne for the camp that concludes on January 23, 2019.Apart from the senior players who have retained their place in the core group, Hockey India has also named young players Salima Tete and Lalremsiami who were part of the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires last year where they won a historic Silver Medal.Among Goalkeepers Savita, Rajani Etimarpu and Sonal Minj have received a call-up while defenders Deep Grace Ekka, Sunita Lakra, Sushila Chanu Phukhrambam, Gurjit Kaur, Rashmita Minz, Suman Devi Thoudam, Mahima Choudhary, Nisha and Salima Tete have been included in the list.Midfielders Nikki Pradhan, Monika, Lilima Minz, Namita Toppo, Neha Goyal, Udita, Jyoti, Anuja Singh, Shyama Tidgam, Sonika, Karishma Yadav .

Murray out of Brisbane International

Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray was ruled out of the Brisbane International by losing in straight sets 7-5, 6-2 to Russia's Daniil Medvedev.

Gremio close to loan deal for Udinese striker Vizeu

Gremio are close to securing Udinese striker Felipe Vizeu on a 12-month loan agreement, according to reports.