Page 842 - Sports
India's No.1 Test ranking on line in series against Australia
The Indian cricket team's No.1 Test ranking will be at stake in the four-match series against Australia but the side can hold on to the position if it manages to draw even just one game. Australia are currently ranked fifth on the table. "A 4-0 series win for Australia will move them into No.1 position in Test rankings; India need to draw one Test to retain top spot," the ICC said in a statement. There is no change to the top-20 batting list, which is headed by Indian captain Virat Kohli. Banned Australian batsman Steve Smith and Kane Williamson of New Zealand are second and third, respectively. In the rankings for bowlers, Ravindra Jadeja is the best-placed Indian at fifth, while R Ashwin was also unchanged at seventh. The four-Test series starts in Adelaide on Thursday. India are on 116 points, while Australia are on 102 points in the ICC rankings. "This difference of 14 points means India are expected to win the series comfortably and their failure to do so will result in the Asian
David Villa celebrates 37th birthday as Vissel Kobe player
Spanish striker David Villa turned 37 on Monday, a few days after he officially joined Japanese soccer club Vissel Kobe, to play alongside former Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta, who joined the club in July.
Kohli can still be rattled, don't let him be a bully: Ponting to Australia
Virat Kohli can be "rattled" and Australia should try to get under his skin rather than sitting back and be bullied by the Indian captain, said former skipper Ricky Ponting. India will take on Australia in the four-Test series beginning here Thursday and former Australia batsman Dean Jones has advised against provoking Kohli. The India skipper has mellowed down since the previous tour Down Under but when asked if he will be baiting Australia on the field, Ponting said: "Well, he might. I don't necessarily believe that he is someone you shouldn't try to get under his skin. I have seen him rattled. "Mitchell Johnson definitely rattled him a few times with some good hostile bowling and some good hostile body language around him. So, I would not sit back and let anyone bully," Ponting told cricket.com.au. "The way we go about playing cricket, especially at home, it is about good strong body language. That is the way Australians have always played their best." Ponting, under whom Australia
Southampton sack Mark Hughes with team in relegation zone
Mark Hughes has been sacked as the manager of Southampton FC, the club announced on Monday.
Switzerland-based CIES ties up with Pillai Group for sports
The International Centre for Sports Studies, a Switzerland-based educational body which is connected with world football governing body FIFA, on Monday signed an MoU with a Maharashtra-based group of educational institutions, offering an executive programme in sports management. The deal was signed by CIES President Pierre Cornu and Mahatma Education Society's Pillai Group of institutions' chairman Dr K M Vasudevan Pillai in the presence of Maharashtra Minister of Sports and Education Vinod Tawde. With the exponential growth of sports, CIES and FIFA had established the FIFA-CIES University Network in 2004 "to give the broadest possible vision of management in modern sports". The tie-up between the Maharashtra-based institution and the Switzerland-based University is the 16th such instance globally and the first in South Asia, it was announced at a media conference. "We are proud that our alumni include nationally and international known athletes who have participated in
I-League: East Bengal desperate to get back to winning ways vs Minerva (Preview)
Smarting from back-to-back defeats against Chennai City FC and Aizawl FC, under-fire East Bengal would be desperate to get back to winning ways when they take on defending champions Minerva Punjab FC in an I-League encounter here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Tuesday.
Hockey fans to meet players at Fan Village in Odisha
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, hockey fans will get a chance to meet and interact with their favourite players participating in the Hockey Men's World Cup at Kalinga Stadium here.
Pujara credits IPL for producing good pacers
Indian top order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has credited the Indian Premier League (IPL) for producing "one of the best fast bowling attacks" in the country.Speaking ahead of their first Test of the upcoming four-match series against Australia, the 30-year-old batsman said that injury to their pacers is also not a big concern for the team as they have now got the sufficient bench strength."In the last few years, we have produced some quality fast bowlers. Even when it comes to the bench strength, if a couple of our fast bowlers are injured, we still have some backup. This is probably one of the best fast bowling attacks we have in many years," Pujara said in a media interaction"I am not saying that we didn't have a good bowling attack in the past. I don't know the reason but it could be IPL, which helped to produce good fast bowlers," he added.Praising spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin, who had scalped two wickets in their warm-up match against the Cricket Australia XI, the right-hand ...
German football legend Matthäus to visit India
Germany's football World Cup winning captain Lothar Matthäus is set to visit the country as part of the Bundesliga Legends Tour, the organisers said in a statement on Monday.
WWE to hold first-ever talent tryout in India
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on Monday announced that it will visit India in search of the next generation of WWE Superstars by holding the first-ever talent tryout here in March 2019.
Yasir closes on record as New Zealand struggle in final Test
Yasir Shah dismissed three New Zealand batsmen to come within two wickets of becoming the fastest man to 200 wickets in Test cricket on day one of the third and final Test in Abu Dhabi on Monday. The leg-spinner trapped opener Jeet Raval on 45, bowled Ross Taylor for nought with his next ball and then Henry Nicholls for one before New Zealand reached 73-4 at lunch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. At the break Kane Williamson was unbeaten on 21 and with him Bradley-John Watling was not out on nought as they try to repair the damage after winning a crucial toss on a grass-less pitch. Yasir now has 198 wickets in his 33rd Test, just two shy of Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett's world record 200 wickets in 36 Tests achieved in 1936. There is all to play for as the series is level at 1-1, after New Zealand won the first Test by four runs in Abu Dhabi and Pakistan bounced back with an innings and 16 runs victory in Dubai. New Zealand were cruising along nicely when Yasir started his ...
Naomi Osaka confirms participation in Sydney International
US Open champion Naomi Osaka has confirmed her participation in the upcoming Sydney International tournament beginning January 6.The 20-year-old will be joining the likes of Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber and world number one Simona Halep in a week-long tournament. Osaka said that she is looking forward to play in front of the Sydney crowd for the very first time."I've seen photos of Sydney, it looks like an amazing city to visit and I've heard great things about the tournament from other players who have played there. I'm looking forward to playing in front of the Sydney fans for the first time, and hopefully getting plenty of court time in at Sydney Olympic Park in the lead-in to the Australian Open," official website of Sydney International quoted Osaka, as saying.Tournament director Lawrence Robertson also welcomed the participation of the Japanese player saying that she is one of the most exciting players to play in the event."Naomi is the talk of the tennis world after ...
West Indies payback delights Bangladesh skipper Shakib
Bangladesh Test skipper Shakib Al Hasan is pleased his team were able to get payback for the humiliation they suffered at the hands of the West Indies earlier this year. Bangladesh completed a 2-0 sweep of the West Indies inside three days in Dhaka on Sunday, recording their first ever victory by an innings in the second Test. The Caribbean side recorded a few other unwanted records during the match, becoming the first side to be asked to follow-on by Bangladesh after a first innings total of 111 in Dhaka -- the lowest Test score ever recorded against Bangladesh. It was exactly the response Shakib said he had expected from his team after losing two Tests in the West Indies in July -- by an innings and 219 runs, and by 166 runs. Bangladesh were bowled out for 43 in the first innings in Antigua's series opener, their lowest in any Test. "I think everyone who was in West Indies did not expect that kind of performance," Shakib told reporters after second Test win on Sunday. "This is why ..
Maradona's Mexican club fall short in second-division final
Diego Maradona's new club, Dorados, fell just short of winning the Mexican second-division final and a shot at promotion on Sunday, abruptly ending the Cinderella story of the Argentine legend's latest foray into coaching. Dorados, from the western state of Sinaloa, lost their second-leg final to Atletico San Luis, who pulled off a 4-2 victory in extra time at home to win the title series 4-3 on aggregate. Maradona raised eyebrows when it was announced in September he was taking the managing job at struggling Dorados, who were then in 13th place in their 15-team league. Skeptics questioned what interest the 1986 World Cup champion from Argentina, who has publicly battled drug addiction and alcoholism, could have in moving to a place better known for drug cartels than football. But he answered his critics with an emphatic series of wins, improbably coaching the team to the championship and within spitting distance of promotion to the first division. Maradona, 58, had to watch the match
Karna, Nikhil clinch Coffee Day India Rally title
Karna Kadur and his co-driver Nikhil Vittal Pai of Arka Motorsports scored their third consecutive overall win in the Coffee Day India Rally, the fourth round of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship, here on Monday.
Bolsonaro attends Palmeiras football match to celebrate Liga title
Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro watched the football match between Palmeiras and Vitoria in the Brazilian Championship at the Allianz Parque stadium here.
Chapecoense, Vasco secure Brazil Serie A survival
A second-half goal from Leandro Pereira handed Chapecoense a 1-0 home victory over Sao Paulo and guaranteed the club's survival in Brazil's top division.
ISL 2018-19: ATK register thrilling 3-2 win over Chennaiyin FC
ATK secured a 3-2 win over Chennaiyin FC in a thrilling encounter of the ongoing fifth edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai on Sunday. The match witnessed end-to-end action throughout the ninety minutes and both teams engineered plenty of chances to score.The three points against Chennai helped ATK rise to the fifth spot in the ISL table with 15 points from 10 matches. They are level on points with fourth-placed Jamshedpur, who are placed higher due to a superior goal difference.For defending champions Chennaiyin, their poor start to the season continued. The two-time ISL winners are currently eighth in the standings, with just five points from 10 outings.The match got off to an entertaining start with both teams creating early chances at both ends of the pitch. Chennaiyin missed a big chance on the seventh minute after Raphael Augusto found Andrea Orlandi with a cross from the left. The Chennaiyin no. 10 had time and space to shoot, ..
ISL 2018-19: Struggling Delhi look for elusive first win against Mumbai
Nine matches into the season, Delhi Dynamos FC are still on the lookout for their first victory of the ongoing fifth edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) and they will be hoping to finally notch up that elusive win when they host Mumbai City FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Monday.Delhi are currently rooted to the bottom of the ISL table with just four points and face an uphill task against a Mumbai side, which has gone unbeaten in their last four matches. The Islanders, too, will be looking for a win in order to strengthen their claim for a top-four spot.The Dynamos have struggled this season and are enduring their worst start to an ISL campaign ever. Despite their performance levels improving in the last few outings, Josep Gombau's men have failed to convert them into wins. The team has had issues across the board. The forward line has been misfiring, the midfield has looked mediocre and the defence has been guilty of letting in too many soft goals, especially late ...
Torino rallies back to beat 10-man Genoa 2-0 in Serie A
Torino rallied back to a 2-1 win over 10-man Genoa in Serie A at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino here.