Page 834 - Sports
Over 1,000 players register for IPL 2019 auction
Maintaining a trend, 1003 players, including 232 overseas cricketers, have signed up for the Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction set to take place in Jaipur on December 18, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Wednesday.
Steeplechaser Sudha Singh, nat'l wrestling coach promoted by Indian Railways
Two-time Asian Games medal-winning steeplechaser Sudha Singh and national wrestling coach Kuldeep Singh were Wednesday promoted by their employer -- the Indian Railways -- as part of a "liberalised" policy to encourage athletes and their mentors. The policy was first announced at the felicitation ceremony for this year's Commonwealth Games medal winners under which athletes and coaches were promised out-of-turn promotions for medals won at the Commonwealth and the Asian Games. The athletes became eligible for such elevation if they represented the country in at least two Olympic Games. "Amongst the first beneficiary of the policy is Sh. Kuldeep Singh, the Chief Coach of Indian Women Wrestling Team whose orders for promotion to the Gazetted post of Assistant Commercial Manager have been issued in Northern Railway," the Railways Sports Promotion Board said in a statement. Singh's wards in Indian wrestling include Olympic bronze-medallist Sakshi Malik and Asian Games gold-medallist ...
Hearing his 'Paine': Australia's junior cricketers watch national captain's media conference
Handling the spotlight and the probing questions from the fourth estate can be difficult for first-time international players and Cricket Australia prefers not to leave anything to chance. The result of it is getting the junior Australian cricketers attend the press conference of their senior team skipper Tim Paine. The basic idea was to give the youngsters a peek into how a senior player handles the media and the tough questions. After the ball-tampering scandal, Cricket Australia conducted a cultural review where the win-at-all-costs theory was largely criticised. There have been Australian captains in the past, who had shared frosty relations with the media. Giving youngsters an opportunity to watch the interaction between a senior player and a journalist will certainly give them an idea of what to expect when they make the grade. KL Rahul's Stump Vision: Most of the top Test players love a good knocking session before a Test match where they take hundreds of throw-downs and are ...
Karthik has no plans of quitting first class cricket, wants to claim Ranji title for TN
Dinesh Karthik has made it clear he has no plans of quitting first class cricket to focus on limited overs, saying he will continue to pursue his dream of claiming the Ranji Trophy title for Tamil Nadu. Last month, India middle-order batsman Ambati Rayudu had announced his retirement from first-class cricket to focus on ODIs and T20Is. Asked if he thinking in similar lines, Karthik said: "No, I haven't thought about it because I really enjoy playing for Tamil Nadu. I think one of the joys of the sport is playing for the state. "The minute I think that people see me as a burden playing for Tamil Nadu I will take a step back," he told reporters ahead of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group 'B' match between Tamil Nadu and Kerala beginning Thursday. "I will play for Tamil Nadu as long as possible only because the dream of winning that one title for me - the Ranji Trophy. Still not been able to achieve it, so I will keep trying as many years as I can play for Tamil Nadu." The dashing ...
Mary Kom to hire male sparring partners if needed
Difficulties in finding a suitable sparring partner among women has led six-time world boxing champion Mary Kom to think of hiring a tall male boxer to practice in the ring again after six years. The Olympic medallist Wednesday said she did not face any tough opponent in the 48kg category at the World Championships which she won recently. "It is difficult to get a (sparring) partner also. Here we dont have partners and they dont want to help. After the Worlds (Championships in Delhi), those who did not get the chance - they ran away. Only a few people are left," said Mary, who won a record sixth world title last month. "If my training is not there (going well), I will hire taller guys and then train with them. Last time, for 2012 (London Olympics), I did the same at Balewadi (in Pune)", Kom told reporters here. Mary, who won a bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics, was speaking after the launch of Stars of Tomorrow, an initiative by the Indian Federation of Sports ...
I-League: Bazie helps Real Kashmir move to fourth spot with 1-0 win
Debutants Real Kashmir FC continued their impressive showing in the I-League by registering a 1-0 victory over former champions Aizawl FC at the TRC Turf ground here on Wednesday.
Azhar and Shafiq hit hundreds as Pakistan build lead over Kiwis
Pakistan duo Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali both scored hundreds to build a lead of 38 runs over New Zealand on Wednesday and push their team's case for a series victory. Shafiq made a steady 104 and Azhar notched a solid 134 as the duo punished New Zealand during their relentless 201-run stand for the fourth wicket which helped Pakistan overhaul New Zealand's total of 274 on the third day of the final Test in Abu Dhabi. But both fell within 18 runs of each other, Azhar mistiming a sweep off debutant Will Somerville while Shafiq was trapped leg-before by Ajaz Patel with the score at 304. At the break, Babar Azam was unbeaten on 14 and skipper Sarfraz Ahmed was batting on one and Pakistan still have five wickets to further their lead and secure victory in a three-match series currently tied at 1-1. Azhar edged medium pacer Colin de Grandhomme through the slips for his ninth boundary to complete his first century since he notched one against West Indies in Dominica in May 2017 and his first .
Real Kashmir beat Aizawl FC 1-0, jump to 4th spot in I-League
Debutants Real Kashmir FC continued their impressive show this I-League season by registering a solitary goal victory over former champions Aizawl FC at the TRC Turf ground here on Wednesday. Ivorian midfielder Bazie Armand struck the match-winner in the 30th minute to help the home side register their third win and jump to fourth in the league standings with 10 points from six games. Aizawl FC remain in ninth place with five points from seven games. Both the coaches made one change to the playing eleven that featured in their respective previous games. New Ghanaian recruit Abednego Kofi Teteh got the first start in place of Zambian Aaron Katebe for Real Kashmir while Joe Zoherliana of Aizawl was replaced in deep defence by Nigerian Kareem Nurain who made a comeback after an injury lay-off. The home side made their intentions clear from the outset as Ivorian striker Krizo took a snapshot in the opening minutes but Gurpreet, the Aizawl keeper was equal to the task. Then Surchandra ...
Australia leave out Mitch Marsh for series opener
Victoria opener Marcus Harris will make his Test debut while Mitchell Marsh will make way for middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb in the first Test against India, Australia skipper Tim Paine said here on Wednesday.
Birthday wishes pour in for 'Gabbar' Dhawan
Birthday wishes poured in for India's opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan from across the cricketing fraternity as the left-hander turned 33 on Wednesday.From the International Cricket Council (ICC) to master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, a number of people took to Twitter to extend their good wishes to Dhawan on his special day."8,482 international runs and counting for India. The first Indian to score a century before lunch on the first day of a Test. The fastest century scored on Test debut, off just 85 balls v Australia at Mohali in 2013. Happy birthday, @SDhawan25," ICC wrote along with his picture in the blue jersey.Sharing a video of Dhawan's knocks against West Indies, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BBCI) wrote: "Here's wishing #TeamIndia opener and our very own 'Gabbar' @SDhawan25 a very happy birthday. Relive one of his fine knocks against West Indies #HappyBirthdayGabbar.""Many happy returns of the day, @SDhawan25! Wishing you a great year ahead. Keep the runs flowing. ..
Jaydev Shah to call it a day after game against Karnataka
Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Shah, son of former BCCI secretary Niranjan, is set to retire soon from all forms of cricket, the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) announced Wednesday. The 35-year-old batsman will hang up his boots after the Ranji Trophy game against Karnataka that begins here Thursday, a media release from SCA said. "Jaydev Shah announces his retirement from all formats of cricket. The Ranji Trophy match between Saurashtra and Karnataka, to be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium from December 6 onwards, shall be his last match," the release said. Shah has played 119 first class matches and scored 5,253 runs with ten hundreds to his name. He also led India A on the tour to Israel in 2008. Shah also captained Saurashtra team in 110 games, which is a domestic record. Under his captaincy, Saurashtra became runners up in the Ranji Trophy in 2012-13 and 2015-16 and also made it to the semi-finals twice. The team also won the Vijay Hazare One-Day .
Ton-up Azhar lifts Pakistan to 224-3 in third Test
Azhar Ali ended his century drought to put Pakistan close behind New Zealand's first-innings total in the third and final Test in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. The 33-year-old was unbeaten on 111 for his 15th hundred and first since May last year, guiding Pakistan to 224-3 at lunch on the third day, just 50 behind New Zealand's total of 274. At the break, Asad Shafiq was unbeaten on 55, helping Azhar add 139 for an unbroken fourth wicket stand as Pakistan seek a big lead to force a series-clinching win. The three-match series is tied at 1-1. Azhar edged medium pacer Colin de Grandhomme through the slips for his ninth boundary to complete his first century after 18 barren innings. Azhar, whose last hundred was against the West Indies in Dominica in May 2017, took 210 balls to reach the three-figure mark. He has so far stuck 10 boundaries while Shafiq has seven in his 22nd half-century. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson took the second new ball in the 81st over with Pakistan comfortably ...
Serena Williams confirms participation in Australian Open
American tennis ace Serena Williams who had won the Australian Open title in 2017 when she was eight weeks pregnant, has confirmed her participation in the 2019 edition of the prestigious tournament.The 37-year-old had skipped this year's Australian Open saying that she is not fully ready to return for the season-opening Grand Slam as she believes her preparations had fallen just short of what she needed to be competitive. It should be noted that if Williams managed to win the tournament, she would match Australian tennis player Margaret Court's all-time record tally of 24 Grand Slam titles.World number one Novak Djokovic and 20-time Grand slam champion Roger Federer have also confirmed their participation in the Grand Slam event.The organisers of the event have claimed that as many as 102 top women tennis players and 101 top men tennis players have confirmed that they will participate in the 2019 Australian Open.British tennis player Andy Murray has also confirmed his availability ...
Leganes eliminate Rayo in Copa del Rey
Leganes benefited from a bit of luck and from a fine performance by goalkeeper Andriy Lunin to beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 and advance to the Copa del Rey knockout stage.
Boca Juniors leave for Madrid
Boca Juniors bid farewell to their fans in Buenos Aires, as the team headed to Madrid for the Copa Libertadores final against River Plate.
Kohli makes light of hype surrounding him ahead of Oz tests
Making light of the obsession surrounding him ahead of the Australia Test series, India skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday said every batsman in the side has the ability to win games single handedly and the hoopla around him is something he cannot do anything about.
Manchester City defeat Watford 2-1
Defending champions Manchester City extended their lead atop the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over Watford, who came alive in the final minutes to make it a contest.
Boca Juniors' Bombonera stadium evacuated after bomb threat
A bomb threat that forced the evacuation of La Bombonera stadium -- the iconic home of Argentina's Boca Juniors -- was a false alarm, police said.
Karan Singh, Monika Athare top draws in Vasai-Virar Marathon
Army runner Karan Singh and Monika Athare of Maharashtra are the leading lights who have entered the 8th Indiabulls Home Loans Vasai-Virar Mayor's Marathon to be held on December 9. Defending champion Singh is a past top finisher among Indian runners in the 2016 Mumbai Marathon and starts as the favourite in the men's marathon. He would face a stiff challenge from Army mate Mohit Rathore, whom he had beaten on the home stretch in a sprint finish for the men's title last year, Sanjith T Luwang of Manipur, who has a personal best of 2:21:19 clocked when finishing third among Indians in the Mumbai Marathon in 2017, Ashish Kumar and Laljee Yadav. The men's marathon course record of 2:21:56 of Army man Elam Singh could be under threat in conditions cool enough for the racers to go full tilt. The men's champion is set to take home Rs 2.50 lakh, it was announced at a media conference on Wednesday. Athare, who donned the country's colours in the IAAF World Athletics ...
Cricket fraternity reacts to Gambhir's retirement
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir was showered with love, support and good wishes by the cricket fraternity after he announced retirement from all forms of cricket.Legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar tweeted, congratulating Gambhir for a "glorious career". The master blaster further acknowledged the role of the opening batsman in their 2011 World Cup glory."Congratulations @GautamGambhir on a glorious career. You were a special talent and had a Gambhir role in our win in the World Cup finals. Batting with you at Napier was extra special. Enjoy your second innings with family and friends!" Tendulkar wrote with a personal touch.Calling Gambhir "one of India's best", Indian spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin thanked him for being a source of inspiration to him. "One of Indias best has bid farewell to the game, @GautamGambhir you have been inspirational to me and many others over the years and now I am sure is the beginning of even better things from you. #gautithefighter ...