Page 873 - Sports
Erratic Saina sinks, Satwik-Chirag also loses in Syed Modi International final
Former champion Saina Nehwal failed to produce her best, losing in straight games to young Han Yue of China in a one-sided women's singles summit clash at the Syed Modi International World Tour Super 300 here Sunday. Commonwealth Games silver medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also went down in straight games against second seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia to settle for the runners-up prize in the men's doubles competition. It was heartbreak for Saina, who couldn't put enough pressure on Han, a 2017 world junior championship silver medallist, losing 18-21 8-21 in a 34-minute final to settle for another runners-up finish and pocket a cheque of USD 5,700. Saina, who won a gold and a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, had ended second best at the Indonesia Masters in January and Denmark Open in October this year. In the men's doubles, Satwik and Chirag squandered a 18-14 lead in the second game to lose 11-21 20-22 to world .
India beat Australia by 6 wickets to level T20 series
India defeated Australia by six wickets in the final T20 International to share the spoils in the three-match series here Sunday. D'Arcy Short (33) was the top-scorer for Australia, while Krunal Pandya picked up four wickets for India. Chasing the target, skipper Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 61 while Shikhar Dhawan made 41. Australia won the first T20 International by four runs via D/L method before the second match was abandoned due to rain. Brief Score: Australia: 164 for 6 in 20 overs (D'Arcy Short 33; Krunal Pandya 4/36). India: 168 for 4 in 19.4 overs (Virat Kohli 61 not out, Shikhar Dhawan 41; Mitchell Starc 1/26).
Like Mithali, I too was dropped at my peak: Ganguly
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is not surprised at the women's cricket team's decision to drop senior most player Mithali Raj for its World T20 semifinal against England, saying he faced the same fate when he was at the peak of his career. Mithali, the ODI captain, had two back-to-back fifties against Pakistan and Ireland but was rested for the final league game against Australia due to a knee issue and also didn't feature in India's eight-wicket semifinal loss to England. "No! I also have also sat in the dug out after captaining India. When I saw Mithali Raj being dropped, I said 'Welcome to the group'," Ganguly said at the Tollygunge Club here. "Captains are asked to sit, so just do it. I have done it in Faisalabad. I didn't play an ODI game for 15 months when I was probably the best performer in one-day cricket. It happens in life. The best in the world are at times shown the door," the 46-year-old said recalling the 2006 second Test against Pakistan. Ganguly, however, said ...
Shubhankar finishes tied sixth, in reckoning for Asian Tour Order of Merit
India's Shubhankar Sharma Sunday followed up his European Tour Rookie of the Year award season with a top-10 finish at the HONMA Hong Kong Open, strengthening his chances of winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit. At the Hong Kong Golf Club course, the 22-year-old Sharma shot a three-under par 67 on the final day to improve to tied sixth place at nine-under par 271. England's Aaron Rai, who is of Indian origin, won his first tournament on the European Tour after battling compatriot Matthew Fitzpatrick down the final stretch. The 23-year-old closed with a one-under par 69 to finish on 17-under par 263, one shot better than Fitzpatrick (64). Sharma finished alongside 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia and consolidated his position on top of the Asian Tour's Habitat for Humanity Standing. Only three players now have a chance to catch up the Indian Korean Sanghyun Park, South African Justin Harding and American John Catlin but they will have to win at least two of the three remaining ...
France keeps Davis Cup title hopes alive with doubles win over Croatia
France cut Croatia's lead to 2-1 in the final of the Davis Cup, tennis' premier international team competition, with a four-set victory in doubles.
Valencia tops Rayo 3-0 for first La Liga home victory
Valencia CF has routed Rayo Vallecano 3-0 at Mestalla Stadium to finally record its first home win of the 2018-2019 La Liga season.
All eyes on Chhetri as Bengaluru face Delhi
Most of the eyes will be focused on Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri when he makes his 150th appearance for the club against bottom-placed Delhi Dynamos in the Indian Super League here Monday. Chhetri has been the mascot for Bengaluru FC and has been with the champion side since inception. He has been the face of Bengaluru's campaigns all along and, just like the last clash against FC Goa, proved he can make the difference between two teams. Monday's clash is between a team which occupies the second position against one placed at the bottom of the table. Delhi Dynamos are likely to find the going tough against a strong Bengaluru FC side. Bengaluru FC are the only team who are unbeaten so far, although they have only played six matches. They are coming into the tie on the back of an impressive 2-1 win over FC Goa where both teams were reduced to 10 men. As a result, the Blues will miss the services of midfielder Dimas Delgado and Xisco Hernandez is expected to take his place. Star ...
Why Nagal could not build on Bengaluru Open success
This week, last year Sumit Nagal savoured the week of his tennis life by winning his maiden Challenger singles title in Bengaluru and his ranking zoomed up from 321 to 225. The Jhajjar-born player, handpicked by Mahesh Bhupathi for support, hoped to build on the success but an experiment with his support staff, coupled with injuries, proved costly and the same week this season, his ranking is set to plummet to close to 500. Between November to November he played 24 tournaments and was knocked out in the first round in 16 of them, the most recent being the Pune Challenger, where he lost to top seed Radu Albot. When new rankings are issued on Monday, he is likely to be placed 485 after losing 100 points from his kitty. However, his Haryanvi blood -- which makes him aggressive and at times temperamental -- and hiring of the desired coaching staff means that Nagal is not losing sleep. "In tennis it is normal to have a year when you do not perform as you are expected to. It will just take .
Man City routs West Ham 4-0, remain in Premier League's top spot
Defending champion Manchester City thrashed host West Ham United 3-0 at London Stadium to stay undefeated in the Premier League and hold on to the first place.
3rd T20I: Australia post 164/6 vs India
A collective batting effort guided Australia to post a respectable 164/6 against India in the third and final Twenty20 International of the rubber at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) here on Sunday.
Pandya's four wickets peg back Australia
Krunal Pandya took a career-best four-wicket haul, helping India restrict Australia to 164 for six against India in the third and final T20 International here on Sunday. Pandya's orthodox left-arm spin came in handy during the middle overs after the hosts had sped to 68-0 in the ninth over. With figures of four for 36, he was a tad expensive again but got India the timely breakthroughs. Australia, who opted to bat, made one change to their line-up with Mitchell Starc coming in for Jason Behrendorff. India picked an unchanged eleven. Aaron Finch (28) and D'Arcy Short (33) then provided a cautious start to the innings, albeit they picked up momentum quickly as the Indian pacers struggled in conditions vastly different from Brisbane and Melbourne. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0-33) and Khaleel Ahmed (0-35) both proved expensive, while first-change Jasprit Bumrah (0-38) too didn't stem the flow of runs, as Australia raced to 49-0 at the end of powerplay overs. The Finch-Short partnership put ...
Ton-up Haris helps Pakistan progress to 274-4
Left-hander Haris Sohail cracked a fighting century to take Pakistan to 274-4 at lunch on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday. Sohail was unbeaten on 110 for his second Test hundred, and with him Babar Azam was 52 not out for his ninth half century as Pakistan added 67 runs after resuming at 207-4. Sohail batted with responsibility to anchor the innings after a confusion between him and Azhar Ali in a run out on Saturday, reaching his hundred with a sharp single off spinner Ish Sodhi. Sohail took 309 balls to reach the three-figure mark and has so far hit 11 boundaries. Azam ably supported Sohail with the two so far adding 100 for the unfinished fifth wicket stand, taking Pakistan towards a strong first innings total. Azam has five boundaries and a six to his credit. Pakistan trail the three-match series 1-0 after losing the first Test in Abu Dhabi by a narrow four-run margin. New Zealand's pace-cum-spin attack toiled hard on a lifeless Dubai ...
Dortmund extends Bundesliga lead with 2-1 win over Mainz
Borussia Dortmund extended its lead in the Bundesliga with a 2-1 victory over hosts Mainz 05 in the 12th round of the German league.
Lahiri, Bhullar help India record second top 10 finish at World Cup golf
India recorded their second top-10 finish in the ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf after Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar produced a second successive two-under 70 in the final round here on Sunday. Lahiri and Bhullar finished on 12-under par 276 to share the 10th spot after Sunday's foursomes round, while Belgium won the tournament for the first time with a total of 23-under 265. Belgium's Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry added a four-under par 68 in the final round to win by three shots at the Metropolitan Golf Club here. Hosts Australia produced a storming finish of seven-under par 65 to climb to tied second place alongside Mexico (66) at 20-under par. Tied third after the first two rounds, the Indian duo was disappointed with their weekend, which saw them unable to match or better the previous best effort by an Indian pair in the tournament Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa, who were tied ninth in 2005 in Portugal. After a round that saw them make five birdies in eight holes
Breakthrough year on ATP Tour an emotional roller-coaster ride: Jarry
Chile's rising tennis star Nicolas Jarry said his breakthrough year on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour, in which he won his first Grand Slam match, defeated two top-10 players and finished the season ranked No. 43, has been an emotional roller-coaster ride.
Australia to host newly renamed ICC T20 World Cup 2020
After registering their convincing fourth title against formidable England in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's World T20 finals, Australia on Sunday have been officially declared as the host of the newly renamed ICC T20 World Cup.The CEO of the ICC T20 World Cup Australia 2020 Local Organising Committee, Nick Hockley said: "Australia has an unparalleled reputation for hosting major international sporting events as well as passionate, knowledgeable and diverse fans who love T20 cricket."Women's T20 World Cup comprising of 10 teams playing 23 matches from February 21 - March 8, followed by the Men's T20 World Cup, involving 16 teams playing 45 matches from October 18 - November 15, will be played in Australia in 2020.Reflecting on the same, Hockley said: "Previously only twice has Australia hosted international cricket's showpiece events, with the Men's 50-over Cricket World Cup held in 1992 and 2015. So, 2020 represents a rare and special opportunity to welcome the ...
Arthur seeks help from sports psychologist to fix Pakistan's 'pressure' problem
Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur wants a sports psychologist to work with his players, hoping it would it will help them overcome pressure situations during a game. Surprisingly, Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed is unaware of how the sports psychologist will work with the team. "I have heard about it but I don't know how he will work with the team. I have never had the chance of working with a sports psychologist but If I do only then can I say how the experience is like. But yes our batsmen are failing to play long innings and crumble when asked to chase a target," he said. Sarfraz said that Pakistani batsmen need to get rid of their habit of throwing away wickets after getting set. Arthur, who has been with the Pakistan team since 2016, had said after Pakistan lost the first Test to New Zealand by just four runs, that crumbling under pressure is a big problem with the team for which a solution was required. The Pakistan coach said he had suggested using the services of a sports ...
ISL match between Bengaluru FC and Delhi Dynamos could be postponed: Official
Monday's ISL match between Bengaluru FC and Delhi Dynamos at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium could be postponed due to the demise of Kannada actor-turned-politician Ambareesh. "We will keep you posted if there are any changes in the schedule. The venue will be the same. The match could be postponed to a later date," a BFC official told PTI here. The actor died late Saturday evening at a city hospital. Delhi Dynamos will now practice at the Padukone-Dravid Centre of Sports Excellence as the body has been kept at the stadium for people to pay their last respects, the official said. Bengaluru are second on the points-table with 16 points from six games, behind FC Goa, who also have as many points after playing eight games. While Delhi are yet to win a game in eight attempts. The pre-match press conferences have also been cancelled. Karnataka government has declared a three-day state mourning.
Sarfraz can't continue to captain in all three formats: Zaheer Abbas
Pakistan great Zaheer Abbas has advised national team captain Sarfraz Ahmed to step down from the leadership role in at least one format of the game. "He can't continue to captain in all three formats. The pressure is too much for him. I think he should himself decide which format he should relinquish the captaincy," Zaheer said at a book launching ceremony here Saturday. Known as the "Asian Bradman" for his run-scoring feats, Zaheer was making his first public appearance after undergoing a heart procedure recently. "I don't think Sarfraz can manage being captain and performing in all three formats. Better for him if he decides to just focus on two formats his performance will also improve," the former skipper said. Zaheer also said that when he was President of the ICC, he had told the Pakistan Cricket Board officials that they wouldn't get anything by filing the compensation case against the BCCI in the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee. He also expressed anguish that due to ...
Indian film industry hails 'magnificent' Mary Kom
M.C. Mary Kom's latest victory, which has led her to become the first woman boxer to claim six World Championship gold medals, is a testimony to women power and an example of how age and motherhood have not stopped her from chasing her dreams, said Indian film fraternity members, hailing the "magnificent" athlete's feat.