Page 815 - Sports

We will not be satisfied with just one Test win, says Kohli

Adelaide done and dusted, Indian captain Virat Kohli Monday warned Australia that there will be no let up in intensity and the visitors will go for the kill in the remaining three Tests. India won the opening Test of a series in Australia for the first time in 70 years with a 31-run victory. "We can't be happy with just one Test match. We will not be satisfied with just one Test. Yes we are happy about this victory but this is something we need to build on. We literally have nothing to lose," Kohli said. India had come close to winning the opening match at the Adelaide Oval in 2014 before losing by 48 runs. "Four years back, it was 48 runs on the other side. This one is way better - 31 on our side. It is a great feeling - never taken lead in a series in Australia, that for us is a huge boost," Kohli said after India notched up their sixth Test win on Australian soil. "It has given us the right momentum to play in a big series like this. We have had to work hard for five days. The ...

Messi stars as Barcelona beat Espanyol

Leo Messi was at his mercurial best, scoring with two free kicks and setting up Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele for further goals as FC Barcelona extended their lead at the top of La Liga with a 4-0 win away to local rivals Espanyol.

Gallardo to remain River Plate coach

Marcelo Gallardo will remain the coach of River Plate next year after leading his team to the Copa Libertadores title here, the club's sporting director Enzo Francescoli said.

Real Betis blanks combative Rayo Vallecano 2-0

Real Betis defeated Rayo Vallecano 2-0 on goals by Argentina's Giovani Lo Celso -- on a penalty kick --- and by Brazil's Sidnei da Silva after a competitive and intense match.

Borussia Monchengladbach beat Stuttgart, consolidate 2nd place

Borussia Monchengladbach defeated Stuttgart 3-0 and consolidated their second place in the Bundesliga, only surpassed by the leader, Borussia Dortmund, and staying ahead of Bayern Munich at the end of the fourteenth matchday.

Is drag-flick a dying art in field hockey?

Considered as the cornerstone of field hockey for so long, drag-flicks are fast becoming a "dying art" because of technological advancement of the game and experts feel it is time to infuse a new life to the scoring technique before it diminishes further. Danger is lurking over the art even though it is still not on life support. With the usage of modern technology which includes video analysis, improved coaching methods and upgraded protective gears for first-rushers, scoring with a drag-flick is becoming more and more difficult now-a-days. A statistical assessment of the matches till the pool stages of the ongoing men's World Cup here will give a fair idea about the diminishing effect of penalty corner conversions. A total 167 penalty corners were earned by the 16 participating teams in the 24 matches played so far at the end of the pool stages of the World Cup. But the conversion rate provides a threatening picture. Out of the 167 chances, only 40 resulted in goals, which put the ..

India halt 10-year barren run in Australia with 31-run win

India gave wings to their quest for a maiden series win in Australia with a 31-run victory in the opening Test, their first in the country since 2008, with Rishabh Pant equalling a world record along the way here Monday. Chasing 323, the hosts were bowled out for 291 in 119.5 overs shortly before tea on day five with Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami taking three wickets each for a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. Pant finished with 11 catches, and equalled the record for most dismissals in a Test by a wicketkeeper, sharing it with England's Jack Russell and South Africa's AB de Villiers. This was the first time India won the opening Test of a series in Australia in 70 years. Things went too close for comfort for India as Nathan Lyon (38 not out) and Josh Hazlewood (13) put on 42 runs for the last wicket and frustrated the Indian bowling. The sparse crowd at Adelaide Oval cheered every single as the duo edged closer and the odd boundary didn't help ...

Badminton's Lee to seek cancer all-clear before resuming training

Malaysian badminton great Lee Chong Wei is to seek the all-clear from his doctors in Taiwan after his treatment for nose cancer, and probably won't be back on the courts until next month, reports said Monday. Despite earlier comments from Malaysia's badminton chief that Lee's return to the training courts was imminent, the 36-year-old said he still needed the green light from his specialists. The three-time Olympic silver-medallist has spent nearly five months on the sidelines after being diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer and undergoing proton therapy and chemotherapy in Taiwan. "I need to go for my follow-up check-up with doctors in Taiwan later this month, and see what they say then," Lee was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper, adding that January looked like the earliest he could come back. "I've been constantly keeping in touch with them and they have reminded me to take it easy and not to rush it because this is not an injury. It takes time." The former long-time world ..

Sporting Lisbon beat Aves, climb to 2nd in Primeira Liga

Sporting Lisbon beat Desportivo das Aves 4-1 to secure second place in the race for the leader, just two points behind Porto, the current leader.

Mainz held to 1-1 tie against Hannover in Bundesliga

Mainz played to a 1-1 home draw with Hannover in Bundesliga action at the Opel Arena here.

Real Madrid tops Huesca 1-0 in La Liga action

Real Madrid played at less than its best but still managed to earn a 1-0 win over recently promoted Huesca, whose winless streak has now extended to 14 matches.

Second Edition of France India Sports Business Held in New Delhi

/ -- The second edition of the Sport Symposium on 'France India Sports Business', organised by the French Trade and Investment Commission, Business France and Yes Bank as 'Knowledge Partner' took place on Monday 26th November, 2018 at the Embassy of France in New Delhi. H.E. Mr. Philippe Vinogradoff, Ambassador for Sport, of the French Ministry of Sports was present all along this event with a delegation of eight visiting French companies from Sport sectors - some of which partnered in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia who came to share know how and technology with the key players of India's sports sector. "India has strong potential as it is a very young country. As of now, 10 to 13 French companies are present in India in this sector and I am sure that in the years to come, more French companies will choose India to develop their Business in this country," said H.E Philippe Vinogradoff, Ambassador for Sport India, as a strong young demographic nation, has made sports a strong ...

Boca midfielder Gago suffers new injury setback

Boca Juniors and Argentina international midfielder Fernando Gago will undergo tests this week to determine the severity of his latest injury, club officials said on Monday.

You can't miss this tongue-in-cheek comment by Ravi Shastri

Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri on Monday expressed his anxiety with a tongue-in-cheek comment during a television interview, which exhibited all the traits that are uniquely Shastri.When asked about the emotions he went through during the final day of the Test match against Australia, which India won by 31 runs, Shastri in Hindi refereed to the resilience of his testicular fortitude, but added that this particular resilience was indeed tested."I just said in Hindi just a little while ago bilkul chhorenge nahi, lekin thodi der ke liye vaha par g*** muh me tha," Shastri said.To this, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar reacted, "Well that's alright."Shastri's comment garnered mixed reaction from Twitter users, one tweet read, "Ravi Shastri has surpassed himself."Another user included the head coach's comments in the top highlights of the Test match, "Highlights of the first #AUSvIND test : 1. @cheteshwar1 Pujara's 123 runs 2. @imVkohli dance moves 3. @RishabPant777 ...

River Plate defeat Boca Juniors to clinch Copa Libertadores title

River Plate, scoring two goals in overtime after battling Boca Juniors to a 1-1 tie in regulation time, took home the Copa Libertadores trophy in a nailbiting second-leg match here where a besieged Boca found itself down two men late in play.

America crush Pumas, set to play Cruz Azul for Liga MX Apertura title

Club America thrashed Pumas UNAM 6-1 to progress to the final of the Apertura tournament of Mexico's Liga MX, in which they will play Cruz Azul next week.

CoA chief, BCCI acting prez congratulate Team India

The Committee of Administrators chief Vinod Rai and BCCI acting president C K Khanna Monday congratulated the Indian team for winning the first Test against Australia in Adelaide. "Heartiest congratulations to the team. Virat and his boys have brought about a comprehensive victory. Excellent team effort and hopefully the boys would carry on the winning momentum," Rai said on the win. "This win is as special as the one in Adelaide in 2003-04 and Perth in 2007-08." Rai also congratulated young wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who is now the joint world record holder with 11 catches. "It's a splendid achievement and congratulations to Rishabh," the CoA chief added. Acting president Khanna said that this victory is a start of something very special for the coming days. "Considering that India have won the first Test of a series in Australia for the first time in 70 years, it makes it more special. We couldn't be more proud of Virat and his team's achievement. I am sure we will win this series ..

Our lower middle order could have done better: Kohli

Pointing his gun at the misfiring Indian lower middle order after the hard-fought 31-run win over Australia in the opening Test here, skipper Virat Kohli on Monday urged the batters to rise to the occasion in the second Test at Perth starting from Friday.

Adelaide Test: India win by 31 runs, lead series 1-0

India thrashed Australia by 31 runs to clinch the opening Test of the four-match series here at the Adelaide Oval on Monday.Ishant Sharma struck the first wicket in the morning session to bounce out Travis Head (14) for a simple catch at gully for Ajinkya Rahane. In spite of Head's departure, Shaun Marsh continued ticking the scoreboard and notched up his 10th Test fifty from 146 balls. Soon after, Jasprit Bumrah produced a cracker of a delivery, which sent Marsh (60) back to the pavilion.With the onus now on Australian skipper Tim Paine, he along with Pat Cummins kept defying the Indian bowling unit and maintained the fort for Australia with their unbeaten 40 runs and five runs respectively.At lunch break, Australia scored 186 with the loss of six wickets and needed 137 runs more, while India were just four wickets away from their first ever win in an opening match of a Test series in Australia.As the match resumed, a short delivery from Bumrah dismissed Paine, who attempted the pull

India overcome spirited Australian fight to go 1-0 up

India on Monday earned a hard-fought 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series after beating Australia by 31 runs in the opening cricket Test at the Adelaide Oval here.