Page 872 - Sports

Sameer defends title at Syed Modi International

A gritty Sameer Verma pulled off a thrilling three-game victory over China's Lu Guangzu in the men's singles finals to retain the title at the Syed Modi International World Tour Super 300 here Sunday. The 24-year-old from Madhya Pradesh showed immaculate defence and a never-say-die attitude to eke out a 16-21 21-19 21-14 win in the finals against 22-year-old Lu, who has won the Australian Open and Canada Open this year. This was Sameer's third title win, following victories at Swiss Open and Hyderabad Open. The victory will also help him to surpass Japan's Kenta Nishimoto at No.8 in the HSBC Race to Guangzhou Rankings and qualify for the year-ending BWF World Tour Finals to be held in December. Sameer played patiently, constructing the rallies with his repertoire of strokes to dominate early in the opening game. He led 6-2 initially, before extending it to 8-4. An error in judgement at the backline followed by Lu's three smashes - - two at his backhand and one at his forehand -- saw ..

Yasin Merchant races to second win

Former two-time Asian champion and National champ Yasin Merchant of Khar Gymkhana recorded his second win in Group-E of the snooker competition of the BSAM Maharashtra State Senior Snooker & Billiards Selection (leg-2) Championship. Yasin showed good form and potted steadily to breeze past Abhishek Bajaj of Bombay Gymkhana 3-0 with the frame scores reading 75-10, 68-49 and 62-58 in favour of the Khar Gym player. He had earlier defeated Raajeev Sharma of Malabar Hill Club by an identical 3-0 margin. Yasin has a match against Manav Panchal and is almost assured of making it to the pre-quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Mukand Bharadia of Cricket Club of India recovered after losing the first frame to overcome Sagar Desai of NSCI 3-1 (43-56, 77-22, 65-6, 53-170) in a Group-C match. Results - Group-A:Sanjay Gamre (BG) beat Sanjiv Shah (JVPG) 3-2 (62-8, 52-60, 48-34, 28-63, 60-18); Group-B:Sumehr Mago (KG) beat Nikhil Ottam (CCI) 3-1 (57-54, 47-37, 44-61, 56-38); Group-C:Mukand .

Neymar and Mbappe could be fit to face Liverpool

Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel said his two star forwards in Neymar and Kylian Mbappe could be fit to face Liverpool in the Champions League. The pair were injured on international duty and missed PSG's 1-0 league victory over Toulouse but Tuchel said Saturday that he is hopeful they can both feature in what could prove to be a must-win tie for the French club against the Reds on Wednesday. "They're getting better every day, we have time before now and Wednesday. It's good for us. I think they'll be able to play," the German told television programme Telefoot on TF1. PSG are on five points four rounds and mid-week wins for Jurgen Klopp's side and second-placed Napoli would knock the French champions out at the group stage for the first since they made their return to Europe's elite competition in 2012.

I-League: Real Kashmir registers maiden win at home, beat Indian Arrows 2-0

A super strike from Surchandra Singh and a well-judged header from Bazie Armand ensured Real Kashmir FC's maiden victory at home, defeating the young Indian Arrows 2-0 here on Sunday.

Barca's Rafinha set for long absence after rupturing cruciate ligament

Barcelona midfielder Rafinha has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and will require surgery, the club announced on Sunday. Rafinha played on until the end of Barca's 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid on Saturday, despite appearing to feel discomfort shortly after coming off the bench in the 46th minute. Sergi Roberto had been the player replaced, with Barcelona also confirming on Sunday he has a hamstring injury and is expected to be out for three to four weeks. Barcelona did not offer a timescale for Rafinha's recovery but anterior cruciate ligament injuries often take several months to heal. A club statement said: "Rafinha has a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee. In the next few days we will proceed with surgical treatment." Sergi is likely to miss Barca's remaining Champions League group games against PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham, as well as La Liga fixtures at home to Villarreal and away to Espanyol. On Sergi, the club added: "Sergi Roberto will be out ..

Sane salutes 'unbelievable' Sterling

Leroy Sane hailed Raheem Sterling as "unbelievable" on Saturday after the England winger inspired Manchester City to a 4-0 rout of West Ham. Sterling was unstoppable at the London Stadium as Premier League leaders City racked up their eighth successive win in all competitions. He set up the opening goal for David Silva and tapped in the second himself with a cool finish from Sane's cross. Germany international Sane netted after being set up by another Sterling assist as City raced into a 3-0 lead before half-time. It was a ruthless display from the champions and all the more impressive coming off the back of a two-week international break. Sane, who scored his second in stoppage time, admitted Sterling was the key to the latest swaggering show from Pep Guardiola's side. "We are all happy that we won here, especially away and after an international break," Sane told CityTV. "Before my first goal we did a lot of passes. Raheem had an eye for me in the middle. "Raheem is unbelievable. A .

Sri Lanka struggle in battle for mammoth total to beat England

Sri Lanka limped to 53-4 on Sunday as they battled to reach 327 to win the third and final Test against England and avoid a series whitewash. Moeen Ali opened the bowling for England and took openers Danushka Gunathilaka for 6 and Dimuth Karunaratne for 23 on the spin paradise pitch in Colombo. Jack Leach claimed Dhananjaya de Silva, who failed to score, while Ben Stokes took a brilliant catch off fast bowler Stuart Broad to end Angelo Mathews' innings after nine balls which produced five runs. Earlier England made 230 in their second innings after at one stage looking shaky on 39-4. Jos Buttler top-scored with 64, while Stokes hit 42 and Ben Foakes 36 not out to leave Sri Lanka facing a mountain to climb with two days left to play. Dilruwan Perera took Keaton Jennings lbw with the first ball of the day to shake England, and took five wickets in all. But after the top order scare, spinner Lakshan Sandakan made two basic blunders that set the tone for the tourists' recovery. The ...

Huesca plays 2-2 draw vs Levante

Levante came away with a positive result (2-2) and prolonged Huesca's streak of 12 straight matches without a win in La Liga.

PSG tops Toulouse 1-0 in Ligue 1 ahead of Champions clash vs. Liverpool

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Edinson Cavani led his side to a 1-0 victory over Toulouse in the French league, a game before PSG hosts Liverpool in a much-anticipated UEFA Champions League group-stage contest.

Teams from Germany, Ireland arrive in Odisha for Hockey World Cup

Ahead of the upcoming men's Hockey World Cup, teams representing Germany and Ireland arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport on Sunday.Though they had a disappointing outing at the Odisha Men's Hockey World League Final in 2017 in Bhubaneswar where they lost the Bronze medal match to India, the German team is vying for the top spot at the prestigious event.Reflecting on the competitiveness of the game, German skipper Florian Fuchs said, "It feels good to be back here. We have played a couple of times here and the fans are fantastic. The energy is good, we can't wait to get onto the pitch. We came here to achieve something and we have the capability and the team for that. It will be quite a tough tournament considering the games are stretched to the last minute and about eight teams are evenly placed."Germany are grouped with Pakistan, Malaysia, and the Netherlands in Pool D, and will begin their campaign against Pakistan on December 1.Meanwhile, grouped in Pool B with ...

Drawn series fair reflection of how we played: Kohli

The 1-1 stalemate is a "fair reflection" of how India and Australia performed in the three-match T20 International series, visiting captain Virat Kohli said Sunday. India won the third T20 international by six wickets to end the series at 1-1 after the second game was washed out. Australia had won the first match. "A level series is a fair reflection of how the teams have played," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony. The skipper lauded the performance of his bowlers, who restricted Australia to 164 for six after the home team was 68 for one in 8.3 overs, and his batsmen alike. "Overall, skill wise, we were better on the day than Australia. With the ball, we were more professional today. I thought it was a 180 wicket." "When our openers get into the zone they're difficult to stop. Things become pretty easy when those two guys (Rohit and Shikhar) do the job for us," Kohli said. Australian T20 captain Aaron Finch said: "India batted extremely well in the power play. It's ..

Sydney T20I: Virat Kohli, Krunal Pandya help visitors level series

India on Sunday won the third and final Twenty20 International (T20I) by six wickets with two balls to spare to level the three-match series here at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).In the thrilling final, Krunal Pandya registered the best figures ever by a spinner in the T20I format as he scalped four Australian wickets and conceded 36 runs in his four-over spell.Chasing the 165-run target set by Australia, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, started sprightly for India before Mitchell Starc dismissed Dhawan (41) in the sixth over. Next in line, Sharma (23) was sent back to the pavilion by Adam Zampa.Indian skipper Virat Kohli (61 not out), who scored his 19th T20I fifty, entered the fray in the seventh over and despite seeing KL Rahul (14) and Rishabh Pant (0) departing from the other end in quick succession, led the visitors across the line along with Dinesh Karthik (22 not out).After opting to bat first, Australia skipper Aaron Finch along with D'Arcy Short gave a solid start adding ..

Germany, Ireland arrive for men's hockey World Cup

Heavyweights Germany Sunday arrived in the city for the upcoming men's hockey World Cup, with hopes of repeating their 2014 triumph in the Final of the FIH Champions Trophy. Though the team had a disappointing outing last year at the men's Hockey World League Final in the city, where they lost the bronze medal match to India, the German team is vying for the top spot at the prestigious event to begin on November 28. Speaking on the team's arrival, captain Florian Fuchs said, "It feels good to be back here. We have played a couple of times here and the fans are fantastic. The energy is good. Though right now we are tired after the flight, we can't wait to get onto the pitch." Fuchs added that the tournament will be tough and one can't predict favourites. "We came here to achieve something and we have the capability and the team for that. It will be quite a tough tournament considering the games are stretched to the last minute and about eight teams are evenly placed," said ...

3rd T20I: Kohli's knock hands India 6-wicket win vs Australia, levels series 1-1

Skipper Virat Kohli (61 not out) scored a sparkling half-century to guide India to a six-wicket victory over Australia and level the three-match rubber 1-1 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) here on Sunday.

Jamshedpur FC's Gourav Mukhi handed six-month suspension by AIFF

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) disciplinary committee on Sunday handed Jamshedpur FC's Gourav Mukhi a six-month suspension with immediate effect for discrepancy in his registered age. The committee found Mukhi guilty on the basis of the evidence presented by him, his admissions and the statements of the manager of under-16 AIFF academy in 2015. Mukhi made headlines when the Indian Super League claimed that he, at 16, was the youngest ever to score in the tournament's history. He had scored in Jamshedpur's 2-2 draw with Bengaluru FC. In addition, the AIFF disciplinary committee also observed that the existing registration of Mukhi, both in the Central Registration System (CRS) as well as the Competition Management System (CMS) shall stand cancelled and revoked with immediate effect, with liberty upon the player/ his appropriate club, to submit original valid appropriate documents for fresh registration under CRS and CMS. The player was caught for age-fraud in 2015 during a ...

Real Kashmir secure 2-0 win over Indian Arrows for maiden win at home

A super strike from Surchandra Singh and a well-judged header from Bazie Armand saw Real Kashmir pull off a superb 2-0 win over Indian Arrows for their maiden victory at home on Sunday. Armand was rightfully adjudged the Hero of the Match for scoring a goal and playing a noticeable game in the midfield for the hosts. With this win, Real Kashmir have now jumped up five spots to be placed at the 4th position with 7 points from 5 games. The game began with I-League debutants Real Kashmir playing in Yellow while visitors Indian Arrows playing in orange. The home side fondly known as the 'Snow Leopards' started the game on an attacking note, making an attempt as early as the first minute but were unable to find the back of the net. The Arrows made a few attempts from both sides but couldn't convert one. On the other hand, Real Kashmir, who have been winless at home so far, seemed in a hurry to score as they played long balls more often, taking advantage of their heights as against the ...

Kohli, Krunal fire India to series levelling win

Virat Kohli fired the opening salvo on the Australia tour with a match-winning 61, helping India win the third T20 International by six wickets and draw the three-match series 1-1 here Sunday. Kohli's sublime 41-ball knock and his 60-run unbeaten stand with Dinesh Karthik (22 not out off 18) gave India the much needed series levelling win ahead of the all important Test series beginning December 6 at Adelaide. The captain's perfectly executed chase in 19.4 overs came after Shikhar Dhawan (41 off 22 balls) and Rohit Sharma (23 off 16 balls) provided a flying start to the innings. Earlier, Krunal Pandya took career-best figures of 4-36 as Australia were restricted to 164-6 in 20 overs. Australia won the opening T20 by four runs while the second game was a washout, putting additional pressure on India who came here at the back of winning six T20 series in a row. Chasing 165, Dhawan and Sharma put on 50 runs off just 28 balls. Both batsmen took the aerial route with aplomb and hit seven ..

Ganguly not surprised by Mithali's exclusion

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Sunday said he was not surprised by India women's cricket team's decision to drop senior pro Mithali Raj for their World T20 World Cup semifinal loss to England.

3rd T20I: India beat Australia by 6 wickets, level series 1-1

Skipper Virat Kohli's unbeaten 61-run match-winning knock helped India draw the three-match rubber 1-1 as the visitors hammered Australia by six wickets in the third and final Twenty20 International at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) here on Sunday.

Haris, Azam frustrate New Zealand in second Test

Haris Sohail hit his best Test score and Babar Azam was one away from a first century as Pakistan reached 356-4 at tea on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday. Sohail was unbeaten on 143 while Azam was 99 not out as the duo thwarted New Zealand's bowling during their unbroken 182-run stand on a grassless Dubai stadium pitch. Sohail improved on his previous best of 110 scored against Australia at the same venue last month while Azam passed his previous best of 90, also, against New Zealand, in 2016. The Pakistani batsmen added 82 between lunch and tea, scoring faster than in any of the pervious sessions. Sohail has so far hit 13 boundaries in a marathon 411-ball stay. He took 309 balls to reach three figures and then waved his bat toward the dressing room, apparently pointing to his team-mate Azhar Ali who was run out after a mix-up with Sohail on Saturday. Azam has ably supported Sohail, having so far smashed a six and ten boundaries. Pakistan ...