Page 747 - Sports

Current Indian bowling attack can take 20 wickets in every Test: Dravid

Former captain Rahul Dravid Saturday hailed the current Indian bowling attack and said its ability to take 20 wickets in a Test has given a huge fillip to the team. "It is fantastic to see the kind of bowling we've been doing. We've consistently been taking 20 wickets, and we look like taking 20 wickets in every Test," he said here. "When you start a Test knowing your bowling attack can take 20 wickets, it gives you a huge fillip. At the moment, we've got four or five guys (fast bowlers). The bench strength in the fast bowling department is pretty good," he added. Dravid, the coach of India 'A' and under-19 teams, lauded the Cheteshwar Pujara for his brilliant form in the ongoing series against Australia. "He has been brilliant in the series. If we go on to win tomorrow (Sunday). He, then, would've played two match-winning innings in two Test matches that India has won. I think it's terrific, the way he has come back after not being picked for the first Test match in England," he said

I-League: Manzi propels Chennai to top of table

Pedro Manzi smashed his second hat-trick of the season as Chennai City FC thrashed Shillong Lajong FC 6-1 to restore their lead at the top of the I-League table here on Saturday.

Ronaldo double seals new record for voracious Juventus

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as voracious Italian champions Juventus finished 2018 on a high with a 2-1 win over Sampdoria to set a new record of 53 points before the winter break. Ronaldo curled in the opener after just two minutes in Turin adding a second from the penalty spot after 66 minutes, putting the Portuguese top of Serie A's scoring charts on 14 goals. Evergreen Sampdoria striker Fabio Quagliarella pulled the Genoa outfit level with a penalty after 33 minutes, with the visitors having a late Riccardo Saponara goal ruled offside after consultation with the video assistant referee. VAR proved decisive in the game with Sampdoria coach Marco Giampaolo, dismissing Ronaldo's penalty as "a gift," adding "that Saponara goal should never have been cancelled". "Juventus are strong, they consume everything. They are a cannibal," said Giampaolo. "For me, morally, the game was 2-2." Juventus open up a 12-point lead at the top of Serie A ahead of Napoli who can reduce the gap when they

Tharoor tables bill for online gaming

Thiruvananthapuram MP and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has introduced a Private Members Bill, titled the Sports (Online Gaming and Prevention of Fraud) Bill in the lower house of parliament.

Pedro Manzi hat-trick overwhelms Shillong Lajong as Chennai City return to top spot

Spanish striker Pedro Manzi struck his second hat-trick of the season to help Chennai City FC outplay Shillong Lajong 6-1 and return to the top of the I-League standings here Saturday. In a free-flowing and entertaining match, it was yet again an all-Spanish scorers list for the home side with Nestor Jesus netting a brace (12th and 69th minute) and defender Roberto Eslava (38th) getting his second of the season, before Manzi's triple strike (49th, 78th and 80th). Lajong's only goal was scored by captain Samuel Lalmuanpuia from a stunner of a free-kick (53th). With this win, Chennai move to the top of the table with 21 points from 10 first round games played. Neroca of Manipur are now second with 18 points from the same number of games. Lajong remain at the bottom of the table, suffering their eighth loss from 10 games. They have just four points. The first half saw Chennai go two goals up with Nestor opening the scoring on the 12th minute from a smartly-crafted free-kick into the box .

PBL: Ahmedabad aim to continue unbeaten streak, Bengaluru eye first win (Preview)

Ahmedabad Smash Masters had a good start to this season of the Premier Badminton League (PBL), winning all their three fixtures, and will aim to continue the momentum when they take on the Chennai Smashers here on Sunday.

I-League: Churchill aim to revive campaign against Arrows (Preview)

Former champions Churchill Brothers will look to return to winning ways when they take on All India Football Federation's developmental side Indian Arrows in the first ever I-League game at the multi-purpose Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday.

Pune register first ever PBL win

Despite some surprises in their line-up, Pune 7 Aces started their home leg with a 4-3 win over two-time runners-up Mumbai Rockets in a riveting Premier Badminton League (PBL) tie that went down to the wire at the Shree Chhatrapati Shivaji Sports Complex here on Saturday.

Jadeja can lead India's spin attack, says bowling coach

Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun is of the view that left-arm orthodox bowler Ravindra Jadeja is capable of leading India's spin bowling attack.The coach said that the way the bowler has matured over the years, one could easily say that he is fit to lead the team's spin attack. The comment came in the backdrop of Jadeja's impressive performance on Day Four of India's ongoing third Test against Australia where he picked up three wickets with an economy rate of 2.56.Speaking at a Post-match press conference, Arun said: "Jadeja has matured a lot over the years. What he has done in the last one or two years, he has gained a lot of confidence. The way he performed in the lone Test that he played against England, we can be quite confident that Jadeja can lead the Indian spinning attack".Crediting the Indian domestic cricket circuit for a remarkable improvement in the bowlers, the coach said that unfavourable pitch condition for fast bowlers back home helped the pacers to evolve different ...

Ivanov-Shetty, Kjaersfeldt guide Pune 7 Aces to their first ever win at PBL 4

Pune 7 Aces started their home leg with a 4-3 win over two-time runners-up Mumbai Rockets in a riveting tie that went down to the wire at the Premier Badminton League Season 4 here Saturday. Flaunting pink for the cause of Breast Cancer Awareness, the Pune charge was led by Russia's Vladimir Ivanov and Denmark's Line Kjaersfeldt -- each of whom brought home a couple of wins to help the Season 4 debutants get their first ever victory. Kjaersfeldt and the pair of Ivanov and Chirag Shetty made it a grand start for the home side by winning the women's singles and men's doubles rubbers respectively. However, Mumbai showed some stunning resilience to fight back through their two men's singles exponents -- Anders Antonsen and Sameer Verma -- sending the tie into a deciding fifth match. With little to separate the two teams, it all depended on who would hold their nerves under pressure. Ivanov and Kjaersfeldt did an admirable job for Pune in the final rubber, beating Mumbai's ...

Indian Arrows face Churchill Brothers in I-League 'home' match in Bhubaneswar

A victory in their previous match boosting their confidence, Indian Arrows would look for a win against Churchill Brothers in their first I-League match at the multipurpose Kalinga Stadium here Sunday. The young Arrows side coached by Floyd Pinto has adopted Odisha as their home this season. They were playing their home games of this season's campaign at Cuttack's Barabati Stadium till now. Sunday's match will be the Arrow's first match at the multipurpose Kalinga Stadium which also hosts track and field events. The match will be crucial for Churchill also, given they have not done well in the last couple of matches after being quite impressive initially. While Churchill go into the game on the back of two consecutive defeats, the Arrows -- the AIFF's developmental side -- have picked up four points in their last two matches and will be looking to sustain the momentum. "We are not happy with our performance. We have lost two matches but we hope to win tomorrow. Indian Arrows is a ...

A sporting investment

Globally, corporate surpluses spur excellence in sports

Assam's Riyan Parag is all set to make his mark in IPL 2019

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a catalyst of change for many in shaping their cricketing career. Young cricketer Riyan Parag of Assam, who was bought by Rajasthan Royals for his base price, is one of the promising cricketers included in the 2019 IPL season.Narag is now all geared up to make most of this opportunity and give his best shot. "Since childhood, I used to play cricket. Earlier, we used to stay in the NF railways quarters where we used to have a field and I used to play cricket using plastic balls along with my friends. I started taking coaching from Nawab Ali sir. Gradually, I started playing in the district as well as state level and then U-19. Now that I am selected for IPL 2019, I will try to make the best out of the opportunities given to me. I will try to give the best shot. Ever since my childhood, my father has remained my coach. Till date he has been my coach," Parag said.Narag's mother Mithu Baruah revealed that her son was interested in cricket right ...

Saurabh shines in National Shooting Trials

Asian Games gold medallist Saurabh Chaudhary was in sublime form, winning the first men's 10m air pistol trial (T1) with a final round score of 248.2 at the ongoing National shooting Trials here on Saturday. Saurabh's score was a massive 4.6 points above the present world record score of 243.6, set by Ukranian Oleh Omelchuk in Munich earlier this year. The 16-year-old from Utar Pradesh also won the Junior men's event, shooting 245.5 in the final, which is equal to the present junior world record score that he holds. Saurabh, who had won a gold at the Youth Olympic Games, also qualified for the eight-man final with a qualification score of 578, which made him seven best. Achal Pratap Singh topped the table with a score of 582 at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range. The likes of Jitu Rai shot 579 to qualify fourth but eventually finished eighth in the final. Anmol Jain of Haryana came second to Saurabh in the men's final with a score of 242.3, while statemate Nikhil Chandila came second .

Mane did not even know he had backpain, says coach Shirur

Maharashtra's Shahu Mane grabbed the headlines for winning a silver medal at the Youth Olympics 2018, but the young shooter never knew that his back pain was an issue, coach Suma Shirur recalled Saturday. "He got into the squad because of pure talent. But he had major back issues and he had to go through rehab. So with him, I have worked very differently," Suma, the high-performance specialist coach of the Indian Junior Rifle Shooting team, said here. She was speaking after announcing details of the 10th Lakshya Cup, a shooting tournament to be held at Karnala on December 31. "It was more of rehab, also little bit of technique and little-bit equipment. With Shahu, I have not been able to go full throttle, the way I would have liked because of his physical issues, but nevertheless, as he had won the Youth Olympic quota already, my job was to prepare him at these Games," she added. Earlier this year, Mane, from Kolhapur, won India's first medal at the Youth Olympic Games .

Aizawl beat Gokulam Kerala 3-0 in I-League

Former champions Aizawl FC huffed and puffed before beating Gokulam Kerala FC 3-2 in a high-scoring I-League match here on Saturday. Ansumana Kormah opened the scoring on the 51st minute, before Mapuia and Rochhar Zela added two more on the 63rd and 70th minutes. Gokulam mounted a late fightback deep into the added time, when Joel Sunday scored twice in the last two minutes of injury time, one from open play, and the other from the penalty spot. However, it was too little too late for the visitors in the end. Aizawl FC head coach Gift Raikhan made five changes to his starting XI from the previous match against Indian Arrows. Lalhriatrenga, Vanlalduata, Paul Ramfangzaua, Lalramhmunmawia and Lalrinfela Fanaia made way for Rochharzela and Govin Singh and the new trio of Lalrinchhana, Lalrosanga, Vanlalthanga. Gokulam head coach Bino George also made attacking changes as Pritam Singh, Mudde Musa, Jayaraj and Suhair replaced Mirza, J Balakrishnan, Christian Sabah and Joel Sunday from their

PKL-6: Title favourites U Mumba face UP Yoddhas in play-off (Preview)

With the completion of Pro Kabaddi League's (PKL) group stage, an interesting clash is on the cards as title favourites U Mumba will lock horns with a rejuvenated UP Yoddhas in the first eliminator of the ongoing season 6 at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Sunday.

Smaller towns hold better prospects for budding golfers: Jeev

Contrary to the perception that the game of golf can grow only in major cities, star golfer Jeev Milkha Singh said here on Saturday that small towns and cities give a better chance to budding golfers.

Bumrah's unconventional bowling action makes him lethal: Bharat Arun

India's bowling coach Bharat Arun on Saturday said Jasprit Bumrah's unconventional bowling action makes him one of the most difficult bowlers.

Australian batsmen should learn from Virat, feels batting coach Hick

Batting coach Graeme Hick on Saturday said Australia need to learn from India skipper Virat Kohli on how to bat long in Test matches after their abject surrender in both innings left them on the brink of defeat in the third Test here.