Page 744 - Sports
Rajasthan bundle out Goa for 244
Rajasthan bowlers led by young leg spinner Rahul Chahar put up a spirited show as they bowled out Goa for 244 on the opening day of their Elite Group C Ranji Trophy game here on Sunday. Chahar (4-86) was the pick of the bowlers and was ably supported by T M Haq (2-39) and Nathu Singh (1-40). Opting to bat at the Goa Cricket Association Academy, the hosts lost their openers Sagun Kamat (9) and Sumiran Amonkar (6) cheaply. Then one down Amogh Desai (44) and Amit Verma (32) tried to steady the ship with their 42-run stand. But as the two were poised for a big score, Verma fell after being caught by Chetan Bist off Nathu Singh. For Goa, other batsmen including Snehal Kauthankar (48), Suyash Prabhudessai (23), Darshan Misal (29) got starts but they failed to convert them to big scores as Rajasthan struck at regular intervals. No 10 Amulya Pandrekar remained unbeaten on 36 off 66 balls to ensure that Goa neared the 250-run mark. At close of play, Rajasthan were 20 for no loss ,
I am still searching for my old game: Myneni
"I am still looking for my game in this jungle," said Saketh Myneni who qualified into the singles main draw of the Tata Open Maharashtra after nearly throwing away the advantage against Egor Gerasimov of Belarus, here Sunday. Myneni is now fourth Indian in the draw and will open his campaign against French fifth seed Benoit Paire, who is coming into the season after enduring a mediocre 2018. Myneni was leading 4-1, with two breaks in his kitty, but was soon trailing 4-5 in the decisive third set against the Belarusian, ranked 163. However, he pulled it off in the tie-breaker, winning 6-4 6-7(4) 7-6(4). He let out a scream when Gerasimov hit one wide on the second match point. "That was like giving it back to the so many fans who were cheering for me. I was not emotional. It depends, I did not want to disappoint the fans," said Myneni, who generally doesn't show his emotions on court. Ask him about the third set and he quips, "It was up and down, it's part of my life." Myneni has been
Nischal, Siddharth put Karnakata in command against Chhattisgarh
Opener Dega Nischal and Krishnamurthy Siddharth hit twin centuries to put Karnataka in the driver's seat, piling up 273 for four against Chhattisgarh on the opening day of a Group A Ranji Trophy match at Alur Sunday. Nischal, who has been in top form and highest run-getter for Karnataka this season, was batting on 107 and giving him company was Shreyas Gopal on eight at the draw of stumps. Siddharth made 105 runs of 189 balls, before he was trapped leg before by Pankaj Rao. He had belted eleven boundaries and two sixes in his blistering innings. In contrast, Nischal played a patient knock, facing 241 balls for his unbeaten 107 which was laced with seven boundaries. For Chhattisgarh, pacer Pankaj Rao was the star bowler as he picked up all the four wickets that fell on the first day. Sent into bat, Karnataka lost two quick wickets with opener Devdutt Paddikal dismissed for naught and Liyan Khan making only nine. Paddikkal lost his wicket after was caught by Harpreet Singh, while Khan ..
Real Madrid resumes training after Christmas vacations
Real Madrid on Sunday resumed group practice with a double session at the club's sports city in Valdebebas, after returning from the Christmas break.
Ban on paddler Soumyajit Ghosh lifted
Former national champion and international paddler Soumyajit Ghosh can now return to the mainstream of national and international table tennis after the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) decided to revoke his suspension, handed out in March this year.
Sidhu's maiden fifty rescues Delhi
Youngster Jonty Sidhu slammed a gritty 85, his maiden half-century, to help Delhi recover from a jittery start and post a modest 240 against Bengal in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match at Eden Gardens here on Sunday. Opting to bat, Delhi wilted under some fiery bowling by pacer Ashok Dinda, who claimed the top three en route to four for 62, to reduce the visitors to 73 for five in the first session. But the lanky left-hander Sidhu, playing only his second first-class match, batted with tremendous resolve as he rebuilt the innings with Shivam Sharma (42). As the wicket eased out in the second session, Bengal struggled to break the partnership and the duo added 96 runs for the sixth wicket before skipper Manoj Tiwary gave the breakthrough in a freak dismissal before tea. Everything was going at ease for Delhi before Sharma was tempted by a widish full toss and miss hit at cover region where Pradipta Pramanik took a low diving catch to his right. Bengal bounced back in the final ...
Jaffer slams century as Vidarbha take honours against Mumbai
Veteran Wasim Jaffer slammed a century to propel hosts Vidarbha to an imposing 389 for 4 againstMumbai on the opening day of their Elite Ranji Trophy Group A game here Sunday. It was business as usual for 40-year-old Jaffer as he made 178 in 196 balls against his former team at the VIdarbha Cricket Association Stadium. The right-handed batsman completed his 56th first-class century in the process. Jaffer and one down Atharva Taide (95 in 128 balls) justified Vidarbha skipper Faiz Fazal's decision to bat first as they took Mumbai bowlers to task. After in-form Fazal (1) had a rare failure, Jaffer and Taide steadied the Vidarbha ship by conjuring a massive 199-run stand for the second wicket. Mumbai used as many as eight bowlers in the day but barring Dhurmil Matkar (3-92) all others had an off day. Mumbai's hopes were pinned on pace duo of Shardul Thakur (1-68) and Tushar Deshpande (0-57), who were returning to cricket after injuries, but they could not deliver. Jaffer ...
Under-fire O'Keeffe pens open apology letter to Indian fans and players
Under-fire Australia cricketer-turned-commentator Kerry O'Keeffe Sunday penned an open letter to Indian fans and players, apologising for his controversial comments made during the just-concluded Boxing Day Test here. Responding to the flak he received for his racist jokes on Indian players made on air during the course of the Boxing Day Test between India and Australia, O'Keeffe said his jokes were interpreted wrongly and he never had the intention to "disrespect" Indian cricket. O'Keeffe said he was "devastated" by the reaction to his on-air comments that are being labelled distasteful and even racist by a section of Indian fans and the media. "I have been devastated by the reaction to my on-air comments on Fox Cricket during the recently completed Third Test between Australia and India. I am coming to terms with how negatively those words have been interpreted," he wrote in his open letter. "That interpretation is not who I am. It is not what I represent. My style as a commentator
I-League: Churchill edge past Indian Arrows
After two losses on the trot, Churchill Brothers picked up a 1-0 win in their clash against the Indian Arrows in an I-League match at the Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday.
Zverev, Kerber defeat Ferrer, Muguruza at Hopman Cup
Germany's Angelique Kerber and Alexander Zverev were both victorious at their singles matches at the Hopman Cup in Perth on Sunday, giving Germany a 2-0 victory over Spain.
TTFI lifts Ghosh's ban, free to play in next month's Nationals
Former national champion Soumyajit Ghosh is free to return to the game after the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) Sunday decided to revoke his suspension, handed out in March this year following allegations of rape against him by an ex-girlfriend. "The members of Executive Board of TTFI which met here during the ongoing 11Sports 80th Junior and Youth National Championships considered his representation and rescinded the ban with immediate effect, allowing him to participate in all national and international tournaments," the TTFI said in a statement. The withdrawal of suspension means Ghosh is eligible to participate in the Senior Nationals at Cuttack from January 4 to 9, 2019. In March, Ghosh was accused of rape by an 18-year-old, that led to the two-time Olympian and India's youngest ever national champion hitting "rock bottom". The allegations prompted the TTFI to provisionally suspend him, which meant the paddler was left out of India's Commonwealth Games squad in Gold ...
Plaza's first-half strike guides Churchill Brothers to 1-0 win over Indian Arrows
Willis Plaza scored the solitary goal as Churchill Brothers returned to winning ways after two successive defeats with a hard-fought 1-0 triumph over Indian Arrows in an I-League fixture at the Kalinga Stadium here Sunday. Plaza's first-half strike was enough to hand the Goan side three points while the Arrows suffered their first loss in three games. It was Churchill Brothers who started the first half on a stronger note, with the league's top scorer Plaza testing the gloves of Prabhsukhan Gill in the 4th minute. Receiving the ball at the edge of the box, the Trinidadian shimmied to his left and fired in a powerful effort but the Arrows goalie produced a fantastic diving save. Floyd Pinto's side, that came into the match off the back of four points in two games and two clean sheets, then created the next chance of the match. Boris Singh, playing as a winger, drove past his marker and fizzed in a cross, which was thwarted by Rowlinson Rodrigues. The match turned into a tactical tussle
Four Indians earn Asian Tour cards
Four Indian golfers, including young Aadil Bedi, earned a full card for the next season of Asian Tour after the completion of the fifth and final round of Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage here Sunday. Bedi took his first major step in pro golf, rounding off the week with a bogey-free eight-under 63 in the fifth round to jump from Tied-36th to Tied-ninth and earn a full card for the Asian Tour in 2019. The 17-year-old shot rounds of 67, 72, 68, 69 and 63 at 16-under to emerge as the best Indian in the field. After the second cut applied at the end of 72 holes, the top 70 and ties fought for the 35 and ties to get priority for the coming year. Another Indian showing great grit and form was Aman Raj, who shot five-under 66 to move from overnight T-27 to T-13. Chiragh Kumar, a former winner on Asian Tour, and Abhijit Chadha shot 71 each to finish right on the line at Tied-35th to also earn a full card. Austen Truslow of the United States topped the class when he signed off his ...
Half-centuries by Himalay Agarwal, Akshat prop up Hyderabad vs Andhra
Half-centuries by Himalay Agarwal (59) and captain Akshat Reddy (57) helped Hyderabad reach 226 for seven in 81.4 overs on day one of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group 'B' match here Sunday. Electing to bat after winning the toss, Hyderabad saw opener N Tilak Varma (5) being sent back by K V Sasikanth. Akshat, who joined opener Tanmay Agrwal, added 61 runs in quick time as they steadied the ship. Left-arm medium pacer Y Prithvi Raj struck the second blow for Andhra, clean bowling Tanmay for 44. Akshat was then involved in an useful 72-run stand with B P Sandeep (33) during which they mixed caution and aggression. However, the home team struck a double blow, getting Sandeep and Akshat at 145 with Girinath Reddy and Sasikanth getting into the act. One run later, T Ravi Teja (1) was caught by Ashwin Hebbar off Prithvi Raj and Hyderabad had slipped to 146 for five. Himalay (59, 103 balls, 7X4, 2X6) held firm to take Hyderabad past 200, though it lost another wicket when KSK Chaitnay (6) was ...
We are playing against world's best pace, says Paine
After suffering a 137-run defeat against India in the third cricket Test here on Sunday, Australia skipper Tim Paine praised the Indian pacers saying the current team has the best pace attack in the world.
3rd Test: India beat Australia by 137 runs, lead series 2-1
India defeated Australia by 137 runs in the third cricket Test to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.
Kohli defends India's domestic cricket standards
Taking a dig at uncharitable comments by former Australian players, Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Sunday credited the country's domestic structure for his team's victories during the ongoing tour of Australia.
No shortage of funds for athletes under TOPS: SAI
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) Director General Neelam Kapoor has said that there is no shortage of funds for athletes who are under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).The scheme, which is in force since September 2018, is a flagship programme of Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore-led Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) to provide assistance to the country's top athletes in their preparations for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo."The government is funding Rs 100 crore approximately for 2020 Olympics and there will be no shortage of funds for athletes who are under TOPS. This is the first step the SAI has ever taken to identify the talent and take care of their requirements. We want to give the best to our athletes," DG SAI told reporters here on Saturday.TOPS Secretariat works under the SAI Director General Neelam Kapoor and assists the Mission Olympics Cell. It has already moved to identify India's top Olympic probable for Tokyo 2020 in Athletics (10), Shooting (16), Table ..
Winger Halicharan Narzary sets target to score goals in Asian Cup
Indian winger Halicharan Narzary has set his sights to score goals in the AFC Asian Cup beginning January 5 if he gets a chance to don the national jersey in the continental football showpiece event. The 24-year-old Assamese has represented the country more than 20 times but has scored just one goal. "As long as the goals come, it does not matter who scores. Obviously, I have not scored that many goals in the India shirt. That motivates me to work harder, and improve my scoring abilities," Narzary said. "It's up to me to work hard, improve myself, and prove to the coach that I deserved to be in that list of 23. Now that he has selected me, I aim to score a couple of goals in the tournament. Of course, qualifying for the round of 16 is of paramount importance," he added. India have been clubbed with Thailand, Bahrain and hosts United Arab Emirates in Group A. They open their campaign against Thailand here on January 6 before facing UAE (January 10) and Bahrain (January 14). Asked which
WC in mind, Bumrah may be sparingly used during Australia, NZ ODIs as well as IPL
Jasprit Bumrah's form and fitness will be one of India's primary concern during the World Cup in England and the Gujarat pacer may get some well deserved rest for a few games during the twin ODI series against Australia and New Zealand. Bumrah, who played a stellar role with match haul of nine for 86 in India's 137-run win against Australia at the MCG, has played nine away Test matches this year with 48 wickets in this current calender year. Bumrah has bowled 379.4 overs in nine Tests while Mohammed Shami has bowled a few overs more (383.5 overs) but he has played 12 Test matches. Ishant Sharma during this phase has bowled 335 overs while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has bowled the maximum overs (386 overs). Among these bowlers, both Ashwin and Ishant do not figure as far as India's World Cup preparation is concerned as the core team of 20 is already set. The core 20 comprises the 16 selected for Australia and New Zealand ODIs along with Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey ...