Page 733 - Sports

South Africa is best, says Rabada when compared with India

Kagiso Rabada, who finished as number one on the 2018 ICC Test bowlers rankings, on Wednesday said when South Africa play against India, his side is the best.Given how well Indian quicks had done in South Africa and England in 2018 and against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rabada was quoted by ICC as saying: "People will have their opinion.""But obviously, when we play we believe we are the best. The Indians are a good attack; everyone here experienced it when they came down to South Africa. But when we play against them, we will believe we are the best - you have to," he added.Rabada also said that his hunger to improve has not diminished. "There are obviously a few goals I would like to achieve and the team as well. Just to improve on what I feel I could have done better last year. There are always things you want to improve on. You never really arrive, ever.""I am always looking for places to improve on. But at the same time, I have learnt to acknowledge my strengths and

Simranjit, Sonia enter quarters of National boxing

World Championships medallists Sonia Lather and Simranjit Kaur beat their respective rivals with consummate ease to storm into the quarterfinals of the third women's National Boxing Championships here on Wednesday. It also turned out to be a fruitful day in office for Commonwealth Games bronze medal winners Pinki Jangra and Manisha Moun as both entered the last eight round. Twenty-year-old Pinki of Haryana defeated Delhi's Pratibha in 51kg class when the referee was forced to stop the contest in the third round. World Championship bronze medallist Simranjit too joined Pinki in the quarters as the Punjab pugilist defeated Himachal's Sandhya 5:0 without having to exert herself much in 64kg category. Then Manisha, in bantam class (54kg) accounted for another Delhi girl Riya Tokas with a 5:0 verdict. Asian Championship medal winner Sonia did no waste time as she started punching her way into the next round with a 5:0 decision over Saloni Singh of Maharashtra. Nikhat Zareen of Telangana ...

Sachin's childhood coach Achrekar passes away

Veteran cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar, who trained Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar and his friend Vinod Kambli, among others, passed away following a heart attack here on Wednesday, family sources said.

Indian pace attack's performance unbelievable: Kapil

Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev Wednesday hailed the current Indian pace attack's performance in the Test series in Australia and termed it "unbelievable." "Beautiful, fantastic... in the last 15 months no other team has done so well in pace bowling. The Indian team has done so well, I don't have to say anything, they have done so well... it is unbelievable," he said, replying to a question on the performance of the present Indian pace attack. Asked about Virat Kohli's on-field aggression which has drawn flak from some quarters, on the sidelines of a function here, the captain of the 1983 World Cup winning team, said it didn't matter as long as he and the team were performing. "Was (MS) Dhoni being so quiet was good for the game or bad for the game? Every leader comes out with his own thinking, it is up to you to take it. As long as he is performing on the field, you cannot expect two people to be the same. "Why should we even compare or judge somebody. Judge his performance on the ...

Ramakant Achrekar built foundation that I stand on: Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday said that his childhood Coach Ramakant Achrekar had built the foundation on which the master blaster stands on."Cricket in heaven will be enriched with the presence of Achrekar Sir. Like many of his students, I learnt my ABCD of cricket under Sir's guidance. His contribution to my life cannot be captured in words. He built the foundation that I stand on," Tendulkar said in a statement.Achrekar died in Mumbai on Wednesday. He was 87."Last month, I met Sir along with some of his students and spent some time together. We shared a laugh as we remembered the old times. Achrekar Sir taught us the virtues of playing straight and living straight. Thank you for making us a part of your life and enriching us with your coaching manual. Well played Sir and May you coach more wherever you are," the statement added.The cricketing fraternity was left in shock soon after learning the news of Achrekar's demise.Taking it to Twitter, BCCI, the national governing body for ...

Cricket fraternity mourns Achrekar's demise

The Indian cricket fraternity on Wednesday mourned the demise of Ramakant Achrekar, the celebrated cricket coach credited for discovering legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Achrekar, who had been battling old age-related ailments for the past few days, died in Mumbai Wednesday. He was 87. Batting great VVS Laxman termed Achrekar as someone who gave Indian cricket its "jewel". "My heartfelt condolences on the passing away of #RamakantAchrekar Sir, who was instrumental in giving a jewel to Indian cricket," Laxman wrote on his Twitter handle. Expressing its condolences, the BCCI noted Achrekar's contribution to Indian cricket. "The BCCI expresses its deepest sympathy on the passing of Dronacharya award-winning guru Shri Ramakant Achrekar," the BCCI tweeted. "Not only did he produce great cricketers, but also trained them to be fine human beings. His contribution to Indian Cricket has been immense." Former India pacer RP Singh also paid his homage to Achrekar. "Sad to know that Ramakant ...

WADA must act now on Russia missing deadline: NADO

The World Anti-Doping Agency should act now over Russia's failure to meet a December 31 deadline to hand over data from its anti-doping laboratory in Moscow, the National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADO) said on Wednesday. WADA, whose underfire president Craig Reedie declared himself "bitterly disappointed" by Russia missing the deadline, have scheduled a Compliance and Review Committee (CRC) meeting in a fortnight's time, but NADO said in their statement it must be brought forward and dealt with immediately. "NADO leaders now call on WADA to acknowledge the gravity of this missed deadline and call for an immediate review and recommendation from the CRC," it said in a statement which was supported by the National Anti-Doping organisations of 16 countries including France, the United States and Australia. "After more than three years of review, indecision and compromise in response to the worst doping scandal in the history of sport, the time has come to demonstrate that no individual .

Medvedev reaches Brisbane International quarters at Murray's expense

Daniil Medvedev of Russia on Wednesday ended Briton Andy Murray's bid for a third Brisbane International title after defeating him 7-5, 6-2 at the tournament's second round.

Ferrer beats Ebden to level Spain against Australia at Hopman Cup

Spain drew 1-1 with Australia at their Hopman Cup Group A tie here after David Ferrer won 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 over Matt Ebden on Wednesday.

Villarreal, Real Madrid set Spanish Liga ball rolling in 2019

Real Madrid get the ball rolling in the Spanish Liga Santander on Thursday when they travel to the east of Spain to play struggling Villarreal.

Aguero optimistic ahead of Man City-Liverpool game

Manchester City forward Sergio 'Kun' Aguero is confident his side can get themselves back into the Premier League title race when they take on league leaders Liverpool at the Ethiad Stadium on Thursday night.

Tendulkar's childhood Coach Ramakant Achrekar passes away at 87

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar's childhood coach Ramakant Achrekar passed away at the age of 87 here on Wednesday.The Dronacharya awardee, who has blessed the Indian cricket with the likes of Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli, used to train cricketers at Shivaji Park in Dadar.BCCI, the national governing body for cricket in India, paid its tributes to Achrekar."The BCCI expresses its deepest sympathy on the passing of Dronacharya award-winning guru Shri Ramakant Achrekar. Not only did he produce great cricketers, but also trained them to be fine human beings. His contribution to Indian Cricket has been immense," tweeted BCCI.Regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Tendulkar holds the record of being the highest run scorer of all time in the international cricket, having notched up 18,426 runs in ODI and 15,921 runs in Test matches.Last year on Guru Purnima, the master blaster along with Atul Ranade went to meet and pay their respects to their guru, Achrekar."Today, ...

Thigh strain forces Nadal out of Brisbane tournament

Rafael Nadal on Wednesday withdrew from the season-opening Brisbane International after an MRI revealed a slight strain of his left thigh. Nadal, who had a first round bye, was scheduled to play his second round match against Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Thursday. However, after conferring with his doctors he decided to withdraw to ensure he would be fit to play the Australian Open later this month. Nadal, the current world number two, has not played a main tour event since a knee problem forced him to retire during his US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro in September. The 32-year-old had surgery on his ankle in November to remove a loose intra-articular body and only resumed training three weeks ago. He played the opening round at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi last week, where he lost to South African Kevin Anderson. "I feel good, but after a long period of time without competing, I felt the leg tightening a little bit in Abu Dhabi in the first match," he ...

Well played sir, may you coach more wherever you are: Tendulkar pays tribute to Achrekar

"Cricket in heaven will be enriched with the presence of (Ramakant) Achrekar sir," said iconic former batsman Sachin Tendulkar as he paid an emotional tribute to his childhood coach who passed away Wednesday. Achrekar, 87, died in Mumbai due to old age-related ailments. "Like many of his students, I learnt my ABCD of cricket under Sir's guidance," said the Dronacharya awardee's most famous ward, in a statement. "His contribution to my life cannot be captured in words. He built the foundation that I stand on," he added. Tendulkar, unarguably the greatest batsman in modern cricket, was coached by Achrekar at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai's Dadar as a child. The iconic cricketer, who is now retired, has been quite vocal about the coach's contribution in shaping him. As a player, Achrekar competed in just one first-class match but was instrumental in moulding Tendulkar as a child, often driving him to stadiums on his scooter. "Last month, I met Sir along with some of his students and spent ..

Chardy in Brisbane International quarterfinals

French tennis player Jeremy Chardy on Wednesday defeated Nick Kyrgios of Australia 6-7(5-7), 6-2, 6-3 to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.

Llorente, Asensio miss Madrid final training session

Real Madrid midfielders Marcos Llorente and Marco Asensio as well as forward Mariano missed Madrid's final training session ahead of its first game of 2019 against Villarreal, a postponed La Liga game due to Madrid's participation in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup.

Madrid coach declines to reveal details about winter transfer window strategy

Real Madrid coach Santiago Solari on Wednesday declined to reveal any details related to the Spanish giants' strategy during the winter transfer window, amid speculation about the future of some of the club's players.

'Enforcer' Olivier confirmed for second Test

South African captain Faf du Plessis said on Wednesday that fast bowler Duanne Olivier would be used in an "enforcer" role as part of a pace barrage in the second Test against Pakistan starting at Newlands on Thursday. Du Plessis said he wanted to keep the pressure on the Pakistan batsmen after Olivier took 11 wickets in South Africa's six-wicket win in the first Test in Centurion. There had been speculation that Olivier might have to sit out at Newlands because of the return to fitness of Vernon Philander. But Du Plessis said he would definitely play. "He brings variety to our attack," said Du Plessis, adding that Olivier provided a contrast to the skill and control of South Africa's other fast bowlers, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander. "Duanne is more of an enforcer who puts you on the back foot and can be a bit challenging for batters, especially when they come from the sub-continent where the ball doesn't bounce as high," said Du Plessis. "He's a fit guy and he can .

Chelsea agrees transfer deal for US star Christian Pulisic

Chelsea has secured a transfer deal for United States international Christian Pulisic that is worth around 64 million euros ($73 million), the London club announced on Wednesday.

Rajasthan beat Goa by 10 wickets in Group C

Rajasthan defeated Goa by 10 wickets in a Ranji Trophy Group C match to consolidate its position at the top of their pool here on Wednesday. Starting at the overnight score of 199 for five, Goa folded out for 295 in their second innings with Amit Verma (118) completing his century, thereby setting Rajasthan a target of 27 runs for an outright win. Openers Amit Kumar Gautam (11) and Chetan Bist (15) completed the formality for Rajasthan with ease, reaching the target in just five overs. Earlier, Rajasthan had declared their first innings at 513 for eight in response to Goa's 244 all out. Rajasthan pocketed seven points from the outright win and is now atop Group C with 44 points from eight games, which includes six wins and two draws.