Page 835 - Sports
India aim to start Test campaign on positive note (Preview)
Aiming to win their maiden Test series in Australia, India want to start the campaign on a positive note, when they face the hosts in the opening match of the four match series here on Thursday.
Kipchoge, Ibarguen named IAAF Athletes of the Year
Kenyan marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge and Colombian long jumper Caterine Ibarguen were named International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Male and Female Athlete of the Year at the federation's end of year award ceremony here.
Struggling Mumbai to take on Maharashtra in state Derby
A struggling Mumbai will take on arch-rivals Maharashtra in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A game beginning here on Thursday. Mumbai go into the must-win game with their qualifying chances for the quarter-final knock out hanging by a thread. The 41-time domestic champions are yet to register their first win this season, after drawing two games (versus Railways and Karnataka) and suffering a nine-wicket loss to Gujarat after taking the first innings lead. Mumbai have suffered a huge setback with their skipper and key pacer Dhawal Kulkarni being ruled out of the crucial game after sustaining an ankle niggle. Their batting has let them down and the line-up that includes experienced campaigners Surya Kumar Yadav and Aditya Tare will need to step up and deliver. With opener Akhil Herwadkar dropped due to poor form, uncapped U23 player Bhupen Lalwani is expected to open with Jay Bista who too has misfired so far. A lot will also depend on how crisis man Siddhesh Lad, who has ...
Malaysian badminton legend Lee Chong Wei to return to training in two weeks
Malaysian badminton legend Lee Chong Wei is expected to begin training in December, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) said on Wednesday.
India are smelling blood, says Langer
With Australia in turmoil, India are "smelling blood" but Virat Kohli's men would also be under great pressure to perform during the four-Test series starting here Thursday, coach Justin Langer said Wednesday. "You sense they're smelling blood. Just like the great Australian cricket team of 2001 felt and we just fell short (of winning in India) and we were able to (win in) 2004," Langer told Australian radio channel SEN's Whateley. "You sense these moments. I'm sensing India feel that." India have never won a Test series in Australia and their recent oversees record has also been poor with 1-2 loss to South Africa in February and 1-4 defeat to England in September. However, Langer said Kohli and Co. are a good team and the hosts will show respect to the visitors. "They're a good team and they've got a couple of great players and we will show them great respect," he said. "They haven't had great success in Australia in the past, as Australia haven't had in India. They'll also be under .
Kohli promises "line won't be crossed" but don't want contest to be mundane
Virat Kohli is confident that "lines won't be crossed" by either India or Australia as far as on-field behaviour is concerned but at the same time doesn't want players to just show up without emotion. "I don't see stuff happening, which has happened in the past where both teams have crossed the line. But still it's a competitive sport at the end of the day and it's international cricket. We don't expect guys to just come, bowl and walk back," Kohli's statement made it clear that he would like the contest to have its share of spice. The Indian skipper hinted that there could be a bit of verbal banter without violating the 'Code of Conduct' which had happened in some of the earlier series. "Obviously, there are going to be times when you have to put the batsmen under pressure. Not necessarily crossing the line, but just get into their heads which you expect from any side in the world, not just Australia. It's going to be there, but it's not going to happen at the level, which has ...
Injured Shaw to likely return for Boxing day Test: Shastri
Young opener Prithvi Shaw is recovering quickly from his ankle injury and might return at the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, said India coach Ravi Shastri Wednesday. The 19-year-old from Mumbai was ruled out of the opening Test after hurting his left ankle while trying to take a catch at the deep mid-wicket boundary during India's practice match against Cricket Australia XI at the Sydney Cricket Ground last week. "It was heartbreaking to see him go down the way he did but the good thing is he is recovering well. He has started walking, may be if we can get him running by the weekend, that will really be a good sign," Shastri told Australian radio channel SEN's Whateley. "With youth by his side, he might recover quickly, we will take a call as we go close to Perth," he added. India will begin the four-Test series against Australia with the first match here Thursday and Shastri said he expects the hosts to come hard at Virat Kohli and his men. "No team at home is a weak team, every team .
Jon Ridgeon to serve as new IAAF chief executive officer
Jon Ridgeon, who twice represented Britain in the Olympics, is to take up his new role as IAAF chief executive officer in March 2019, according the IAAF website.
Ind vs Aus: Kohli advocates for wiping out 'tentative starts' in Tests
Acknowledging the slow starting in the recent tours to England and South Africa, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has asked the team not to look for "tentative start" while taking on Australia in their first Test of the four-match series beginning December 6.Indian skipper Virat Kohli, while admitting that they have been slow starters during their recent tours to England and South Africa, asked the team to not look for "tentative start" while taking on Australia in their first Test of the four-match series beginning December 6.The 30-year-old also emphasised on the need to put their "A-game" right from the first Test so that a foundation could be laid for the rest of the series.Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Kohli said: "We are not looking to start tentatively. We all want to express ourselves and go out there and be positive. We want to bring our A-game in the first game and capitalise as the series goes on."Detailing about the team's focus on the game, Kohli said: "We don't .
Virat Kohli: On Aussie obsession and love affair with Adelaide
Just like any megastar, Virat Kohli is well aware about the level of obsession that surrounds him and currently it is the Australian media which is enamoured by every move that Indian captain makes. The Aussie media's general query about Indian team had been more or less restricted on how to stop Kohli, a constant question put to anyone and everyone. So much so that on the eve of the first Test, Indian captain was asked about this "obsession" about him and Kohli's answer was a giveaway that he couldn't care less. "This (obsession) is something that I don't believe in, at all. Whatever batsmen we have, all of them have so much ability that every one of them can single-handedly turn any game. This is something I believe in 120 per cent, and even they have faith in themselves. On the outside what people think, we cannot control. I cannot tell people to not to talk about it or write about it," Kohli said. When the topic of obsession turned into a discussion about his love affair with ...
Rovman Powell to lead Windies for Bangladesh ODIs
West Indies all-rounder Rovman Powell will be leading the national side in the absence of injured Jason Holder for their upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh.The development was revealed when West Indies announced a 15-member squad for the Bangladesh ODI series. The return of left-hand batsman Darren Bravo, T20I captain Carlos Braithwaite and spin bowler Roston Chase to the team were some of the major highlights of the announced squad.West Indies chairman of selectors Courtney Browne asserted that the return of Bravo to the ODI team would add value to the batting order."In the absence of captain Jason Holder, the panel believes the team can still be competitive, especially with the return of Darren Bravo. Darren's experience will add value to the batting, which in turn will place selection pressure for spots in the squad," ESPNcricinfo quoted Browne, as saying.While left-arm seamer Obed McCoy and off-spinner Ashley Nurse did not get a place in the ODI team, batsman ...
EU still waiting for new Italian budget plans, says Oettinger
BERLIN (Reuters) - European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger urged Italy on Wednesday to quickly submit a new budget with a lower deficit goal than previous plans which he described as being dangerous for Italy and the euro zone.
Gaining respect of country as important as winning for Oz skipper Paine
Gaining the respect of his country is as big a priority as taming India for Australian skipper Tim Paine, who Wednesday said that winning matches and winning hearts are not mutually exclusive tasks for him. Setting the tone for the four-match Test series that gets underway on Thursday, Paine said the Australian team, still recovering from the furore of the ball-tampering scandal, has identified the areas that needed some changes. "Both (winning matches and hearts). That's what we are here for, we play Test cricket to win, there is no doubt about that and clearly we've realised we needed to do some work in some areas. Gaining the respect of our country is as high a priority as is winning," said the wicketkeeper-batsman in the pre-match press conference here on Wednesday. "I just had an interview with Ricky Ponting and we went through the names of Australian Test captains over the years so it is a little bit daunting to be in a bracket with some of those guys. "At the same time I'm ...
Sunil Chhetri's call for filling stadium most 'retweeted tweet' of 2018
Thousands rushed to watch India's match against Kenya at the Intercontinental Cup 2018 after skipper Sunil Chhetri made an appeal on Twitter asking fans to fill the stadium. India won the match and his tweet has now been recognised as the most "retweeted tweet" of the year from India.
Election campaign won't distract me during Windies ODIs: Mashrafe Mortaza
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who is all set to contest the 11th parliamentary election of the country, has assured that the election campaign would not be a source of distraction for him during their upcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies beginning December 9.Talking about his decision to join the politics, the 35-year-old said that after the end of his playing career, he is seeing a wonderful opportunity to serve the people of Bangladesh."My mindset is completely focused on training and the ODI series that's coming up. I will only concentrate on that [the election campaign] after December 14," ESPNcricinfo quoted Mortaza, as saying."If I play till the World Cup, I have about seven or eight months remaining in my playing career. I don't know what I am going to do in the following four-and-a-half years. The Prime Minister has given me an opportunity to serve the people," he added.When asked about his retirement plans, Mortaza revealed that his personal goal is to ..
Ind vs Aus: Peter Handscomb in, Mitchell Marsh out for Adelaide Test
Australia have recalled right-hand batsman Peter Handscomb in the playing eleven, while dropping batting all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, for their first Test match against India beginning December 6 at the Adelaide Oval.Explaining Marsh's omission, Australian skipper Tim Paine said that he still needs to work a lot more at the Test level. "We know he's good enough to be a great all-rounder at Test level but hasn't quite put it together at Test level yet. As this series wears on and you get to places where the wicket is a bit flatter and conditions a bit warmer and bowlers a little more tired, he might have more of a role to play," Cricket.com.au quoted Paine, as saying."We'll send him back to Shield, get some more cricket under his belt knowing at some stage we're probably going to need him," he added.Putting an end to all the speculations related to who will be opening the Australian innings along with Aaron Finch, Paine revealed that left-hand batsman Marcus Harris will their another ...
Given state of Pakistan hockey even I would've played cricket: Hasan Sardar
Once a force in world hockey, Pakistan is struggling for survival now and its Olympic gold-winning former captain Hasan Sardar says even he would have been driven to play cricket given the current state of the sport in the country. Sardar, who was a member of Pakistan's 1982 World Cup and 1984 Olympic gold medal winning Pakistan sides, feels the rise of cricket and "unprofessional" attitude of the national federation (PHF) has led to hockey's slow demise in the neighbouring country. "There is no hockey culture in the country (Pakistan) now. People are into cricket more, people follow cricket more. I think that if I was a kid now with talent in hockey, I would prefer playing cricket than hockey. People are charmed by cricket," Sardar told PTI in an interview. One of the most lethal centre-forwards of his generation, Sardar, who is here as the manager of the team participating in the ongoing World Cup, said Pakistan hockey has failed to produce any heroes in recent times. "Now kids ...
Serena, Nadal and Murray all confirmed for Australian Open
Serena Williams will make her return to the Australian Open for the first time since winning in 2017 when eight-weeks pregnant, it was confirmed Wednesday, with virtually all the world's top 100 players due at Melbourne Park. That includes injury-prone Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. Williams returned from giving birth to her first child to reach the 2018 Wimbledon and US Open finals, but suffered upset losses in both to leave her stuck on 23 major wins. Australian Open organisers said she was among the entries for the opening Grand Slam of the year as she attempts to equal Margaret Court's record of 24. Her appearance will mark her first major since her controversial rant at an umpire during the US Open final loss to Naomi Osaka, which overshadowed the Japanese star's biggest ever win. In the aftermath, Roger Federer said Williams "went too far". "Serena Williams, currently ranked 16, will make her highly anticipated return to Melbourne for the first time since winning in 2017 when ...
Stokes faces England cricket hearing despite court acquittal
Ben Stokes will Wednesday head to an internal English cricket hearing into a brawl outside a nightclub last year that cost him his Ashes place with a glowing reference from England coach Trevor Bayliss. Star all-rounder Stokes was acquitted of a criminal charge of affray at a trial in August following the incident in Bristol, southwest England, in September 2017. But he has still been charged with bringing the game into disrepute by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Both Stokes and England teammate Alex Hales, who was with him during the altercation but did not face a criminal charge, are due to appear before a cricket discipline commission (CDC) hearing starting on Wednesday. The CDC, which is expected to announce its decisions on Friday, is responsible for all aspects of discipline covered by the ECB's rules, regulations and directives. After the fracas in Bristol, Stokes was stripped of his position as vice-captain of an England Test side skippered by close friend Joe Root and ..
Wilder wants Fury rematch 'ASAP'
Deontay Wilder on Tuesday called for an immediate rematch with Tyson Fury, dismissing claims from his British rival he would attempt to avoid a return bout after their epic heavyweight duel in Los Angeles. Wilder retained his World Boxing Council heavyweight crown on Saturday after a thrilling 12-round battle ended in a split decision draw at the Staples Center. Fury, who many observers believe did enough to win despite being knocked down twice during the fight, said on Monday he feared Wilder would seek to duck a rematch "at all costs." However the 33-year-old Wilder on Tuesday rejected that claim in the strongest possible terms, saying a rematch with Fury was his priority rather than a unification bout with WBA, IBF and WBO champion Anthony Joshua. "I'm ready to do it again," Wilder told reporters on a conference call. "My main goal is Tyson Fury. I'm looking forward to giving him the rematch as soon as possible. "This is the biggest fight still in the heavyweight division, this is .