Page 848 - Sports

Ranji: Rajasthan take 3 points as game against UP ends in draw

Rajasthan's winning streak came to a halt as their Elite Group C game against hosts Uttar Pradesh ended in a draw here Saturday. But the visitors grabbed three points on the basis of first-innings lead while Uttar Pradesh had to settle for a single point. Rajasthan had come to the game with three successive wins. Despite the draw, Rajasthan are on the top of the points table with 21 points from four games while UP are in the second spot having 18 points from four games. The visitors resumed the final day at 136/4 at the Green Park Stadium here and added another 96 to their tally before being bowled out for 232 in their second essay. UP were set a 330-run target for an outright win. For Rajasthan, opener Amitkumar Gautam had a game to remember. After scoring 93 in the first essay, he continued his good form and top-scored with a patient 86 in the second, hitting 10 fours and 1 six in his 202-ball knock. For Uttar Pradesh, slow-left arm orthodox bowler Saurabh Kumar rattled

ISL: Chennaiyin on verge of losing title, midway into the league (Preview)

Reigning champions Chennaiyin FCs title-defence is on the verge of an extraordinary collapse halfway into the Indian Super League (ISL) season.

I-League: Chennai hold Mohun Bagan to continue unbeaten run

Chennai City FC continued their unbeaten run by holding Mohun Bagan to a 1-1 draw in an entertaining I-League clash at the Vivekananda Yuba Bhatari Krirangan here on Saturday.

Bhullar slips in third round of Australian PGA Championship

India's Gaganjeet Bhullar plummeted to a disappointing six-over 78 to drop from overnight Tied-eighth to Tied-48th in the third round of the Australian PGA Championship here. Bhullar had no birdies and had four bogeys and one double in his card. Marc Leishman (69) and Cameron Smith (67), the two highest-ranked players in the field, opened up a seven-shot gap on the rest with defending champion Smith possessing a three-shot buffer over his close friend and nearest rival. Smith is 14-under, while Leishman is 11-under for 54 holes. On a day where few challengers emerged from the pack, Smith compiled a bogey-free 5-under par round of 67, the equal best score of the third round, to take a stranglehold of the trophy still currently in his possession. Four shots behind Leishman were 2016 champion Harold Varner III (71) and ACT veteran Matthew Millar (67). Braden Becker (67), Matt Jager (73) and Ben Eccles (69) were one shot further back at tied fifth place.

Tamim in line for Bangladesh ODI return

Opening batsman Tamim Iqbal is set to make a comeback to the Bangladesh squad for the upcoming one-day international series against the West Indies, an official said Saturday. Tamim has not played since injuring his wrist during the Asia Cup opener against Sri Lanka in the UAE in September. He was expected to return to the side during the ongoing two-Test series against the West Indies but a rib injury in a recent training session delayed his comeback. "He has been cleared by the physio to play the ODIs. We are expecting him to play from the start of the series," said chief selector Minhajul Abedin. The three-match ODI series will be held from December 9-14 in Dhaka and Sylhet. Bangladeshi selectors on Saturday included Tamim in a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI squad for a warm-up match against the visitors in Dhaka on Thursday. Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Mortaza will lead the BCB team in the game. "We included Mashrafe and Tamim in the practice match squad as we felt they need ...

Villa to rejoin Iniesta at Vissel Kobe in Japan

Former Spain and Barcelona striker David Villa announced Saturday that he has signed with J-League's Vissel Kobe, joining his former teammate Andres Iniesta. Villa tweeted a video, showing his successful work with New York City FC, before receiving a phone call that took him to Japan. "Hola japon. Hola Vissel Kobe," he said in the clip, which showed him in the J-League club's crimson jersey. The 36-year-old forward is the latest high-profile acquisition by Vissel in the western Japanese port city of Kobe. The outfit -- owned by Japanese tech billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani -- acquired Iniesta earlier this year after signing former Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski in 2017. Villa, the all-time leading goalscorer in Spanish national team history, joined New York City in 2014 from Atletico Madrid following successful seasons with Barcelona and Valencia.

Friendship with Emery will survive derby outcome, says Pochettino

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is not going to let the north London derby clash on Sunday affect his friendship with Arsenal boss Unai Emery. The two old friends will meet for the first time in the Premier League with third-placed Spurs three points better off than the Gunners. Pochettino is especially touched by the memory of Emery, who at 47 is a year older then the Tottenham boss, recommending he replace him at Valencia when the latter left for Spartak Moscow in 2012. Pochettino declined the offer, preferring to remain at the less prestigious La Liga outfit Espanyol, and insists that their roles at the head of such big rivals will not affect their friendship. "The opposite I think," said Pochettino "Of course we are in different clubs and it is a derby we are going to play. "In the moment we are going to compete, we are going to try to find the way to beat each other but before and after the game (we are) always very good friends." Pochettino, who has garnered much ..

Kapur and Malik in Top-10 in Queens Cup

Shiv Kapur made the big moves on the third day, carding a superb five-under 65 to jump to Tied-eighth place and join fellow Indian Amardip Malik (71) in the top 10 at the Queen's Cup, here Saturday. The Indian duo is eight-under for the tournament, while Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines posted a four-under 66 to storm into outright lead after the penultimate round here. Tabuena is 16-under-par 194, while Jazz Janewattananond is 14-under at the event hosted by three-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai Jaidee. Among other Indians, M Dharma (71) is Tied-25th, Kshitij Naveed Kaul (71), Abhijit Chadha (72) and Rashid Khan (69) are T-45 and Honey Baisoya (72) is T-68. Kapur said, "I played pretty good considering the conditions today. I got off to a bit of slow start, made a couple of par saves to keep the round together today. Then I caught fire on hole seven, and birdied three holes in a row. "I felt comfortable on the back nine with the confidence coming off those three birdies but the

Belgium match will be pre-quarterfinal for India: Coach (Preview)

Having started their World Cup campaign on a promising note, Indian hockey team chief coach Harendra Singh on Saturday said that his boys will approach their second Pool C match against formidable Belgium on Sunday like a pre-quarterfinal.

Hertzberger scores hat-trick, Netherlands demolish hapless Malaysia 7-0

Jeroen Hertzberger scored a hat-trick to help last edition silver medallist Netherlands spank a hapless Malaysia 7-0 in a lopsided opening Pool D encounter at the ongoing men's hockey World Cup here on Saturday. Asian Games silver medallist Malaysia, coached by legendary Dutchman Roelant Oltmans, were expected to produce a fight but the world number 4 Netherlands turned out to be a much superior opponent. Besides Hertzberger (11th, 29th, 60th minutes), Mirco Pruijser (21st), Mink van der Weerden (35th), Robbert Kemperman and Thierry Brinkman (57th) were the other goal scorers for the three-time champions. The Dutch, who are eyeing a fourth World Cup title, turned out to be too hot for Malaysia to handle as they toyed with the opposition defence and scored goals at will on a miserable night for their Asian rival. The Netherlands created chances at will and if not for the veteran Malaysian goalkeeper Kumar Subramaniam's heroics, the margin of defeat could have been bigger for the Asian .

Chikka tied 3rd as Hardin joins Kityama at top

S Chikkarangappa couldn't replicate his solid show of the first two days but did enough to remain three shots off the leaders after a round of 71 on the penultimate day of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Saturday. The third round belonged to South African Justin Hardin, who hit a bogey free 8-under 64 to share the pole position with United States' Kurt Kityama, who shot 70 on the day. Chikkarangappa is currently tied third with Frenchman Matthieu Pavon and Japan's Masahiro Kawamura, with aggregate scores of 13 under 203. After a creditable 12 under in the first two days, Chikka failed to break the par during the first seven holes in the front nine. To make matters worse, he bogeyed on the 8th but restored parity with a birdie on the 9th for a par score at the halfway stage. Chikka started the back nine with a birdie on the 10th before he had bogeys on 14th and 16th, which led him to briefly slip to sixth place. However, the Indian redeemed himself in the final two holes with a ...

Vinesh, Sakshi end season with National titles

Vinesh Phogat capped a highly successful season by grabbing the 57kg national title while Sakshi Malik ended a terrible year by emerging champion in the 62kg at the Tata Motors Senior National Championship, here on Saturday. Vinesh has already stamped her class at international level by winning the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games titles and it was just about getting some match competition under her belt after missing the Worlds due to an elbow injury. On way to her sixth National title, Vinesh conceded just two points in five bouts. She had earlier won five Nationals in a row from 2012 to 2016 in different categories. Vinesh, who competed in the 50kg, had prepared herself for the higher weight category with intense sessions against heavier sparring partners on Friday evening. "I could compete as I wanted. I wanted some competitive matches before the next season. Also I felt no pain in the entire campaign, that's a big gain personally since I was competing in a higher category,"

Madan Lal bats for coach Powar, says Mithali should work on her game instead of mud-slinging

New Delhi [India], Dec1 (ANI): Reacting to the latest controversy and war of words between women's cricket team coach Ramesh Powar and cricketer Mithali Raj, former cricketer Madan Lal said that sometimes in sports, tough decisions have to be taken in the interest of the team and players should not take it personally. He added that Powar is not Mithali's enemy and the player should work on her game to adjust in the T20 set up instead of engaging in mud-slinging.Mithali, in a letter to the BCCI, had accused Powar and Committee of Administrators (CoA) member Diana Edulji of discrimination, while, in his defence, Powar accused Mithali of being selfish and putting herself first over the team. He also stated that Mithali had threatened to retire midway after being denied the opening slot.Powar's interim contract with Board of Council for Cricket in India (BCCI) ended on November 30. The same day BCCI advertised for the post of Indian women's coach raising fuelling speculations that the ...

Ex-Barcelona striker Villa signs with Japan's Vissel Kobe, joining Iniesta

Former Barcelona striker David Villa announced on Saturday that he had signed for top-tier Japanese club Vissel Kobe, joining his compatriot and ex-Barça midfielder Andres Iniesta.

Panchal hits ton as Guj thrash Mumbai by 9 wickets

Skipper Priyank Panchal stuck a blistering hundred as Gujarat stunned hosts Mumbai by nine wickets in their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy game here on Saturday. Courtesys Panchal's unbeaten 112 off 109 balls, Gujarat overhauled the 204-run target in just 41.5 overs and raced to victory despite conceding the first innings lead to the 41-time champions on the last day of the four-day game at the Wankhede Stadium. The 28-year-old Panchal and Kathan Patel (55 in 85 balls) laid the foundation for their come-from-behind win with a 128-run stand for the opening wicket. Panchal hammered 11 fours and 3 sixes in his match-winning knock. After Kathan Patel fell, Bhargav Merai (34 not out in 57 balls) and Panchal took the side home without much fuss. With this win, Gujarat became the first side to beat domestic giants Mumbai outright on four occasions. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have won on 3 occasions each. Earlier, Mumbai resumed the day at 157 for 7 but could add only 30 .

Match against Belgium is virtual pre-quarters for us: Harendra

A litmus test awaits India in their second pool match of the men's hockey World Cup Sunday and chief coach Harendra Singh said he considers the game against world no.3 Belgium as a virtual "pre-quarterfinal" for the home team. India are placed in Pool C alongside reigning Olympic silver medallist Belgium, South Africa and Canada and the table toppers will directly qualify for the last-eight round. With India notching up a 5-0 win over South Africa in their opener and Belgium beating Canada 2-1, the hosts just need a victory over the Red Lions to secure their place in the quarters and avoid the cross-overs. As per the format of the tournament, the table-toppers from the four pools will directly qualify for the quarterfinals while the second and third placed teams will play in the cross-overs for a place in the last-eight round. "I don't feel any pressure. If you enjoy that pressure you will succeed. What I feel is that for me tomorrow is our pre-quarterfinal match and if we want to ...

Chopra names India favourites to lift World Cup in England

Former India opener Aakash Chopra Saturday named two-time champions India as favourites to lift the ICC Cricket World Cup next year in England. The ex-Delhi batsman also felt that Ambati Rayudu has done whatever possible to seal the number four spot in the team, an opinion he shares with three-time ODI double centurion Rohit Sharma. "Well, India start as favourites irrespective of how far the World Cup is at this point of time and I see them at the podium holding the trophy, hopefully. They do have whatever it takes to win the trophy," said Chopra on sidelines of the ICC World Cup Trophy Tour with Nissan Kicks at a mall in suburban Malad here. "This is the team that has a lot of things going in its favour. The bowling is outstanding and you have got some of the finest batsmen. So a lot of things are in India's favour and hopefully England will be nice and accommodating for us as it has happened in the past the two Champion Trophies - finalists once, winners once. So ...

Lajong face Neroca at home in I-League Northeast derby

Shillong Lajong FC and Neroca FC take on each other in a crucial I-League derby here on Sunday, with both sides looking to improve on their struggling start in the championship with a win. Both Shillong Lajong and Neroca FC have won just one game so far this season and Sunday's game would be crucial for both of the them to improve their position in the I-League points table. Shillong Lajong are currently placed at the 10th place in the Hero I-League points table with four points to their kitty (1 win, 1 draw and 4 losses) from six games while Manipur's Neroca FC are at seventh with five points from five matches (1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses). Shillong Lajong have so far played some entertaining football, giving troubles to all their opponents but unfortunately, they haven't been able to find the back of the net more often. However, their attacking game has seen six different players scoring eight goals from their six games. Phrangki Buam and Naorem Singh have scored a couple of goals ..

I-League: Lajong, Neroca look to improve tally (Preview)

Struggling outfits Shillong Lajong and Neroca FC would look to improve their tally with a win when they lock horns here on Sunday.

Minerva score late to beat Arrows 1-0

Defending champions Minerva Punjab FC struck a late goal to beat Indian Arrows by a solitary goal in an I-League match at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium he on Saturday. Philip Njoku scored the all-important goal in the 76th minute to give the home side all the three points. The young Arrows side had better ball possession but their forwards were not able to create any clear opportunity in the first 45 minutes. Both the teams had two shots each on the opposition goal in the first half though Minerva had the closest chance but their Ghanian forward William Opoku failed to find the back of the Arrows net. After the break, Arrows' first clear chance came in the 49th minute when Rahul KP took a deft attempt at the goal but Arshdeep made a valiant save to deny the visitors the lead. Indian Arrows breached the Minerva defence a few times after that but were not successful in converting those chances. Nigerian Philip Njoku had a great chance to give Minerva Punjab the lead in the 59th minute. He ...