Page 882 - Sports
Rampaging Chennai City take on Neroca at home
Table-toppers Chennai City FC will look to continue their invincible run when they take on Manipur-based side Neroca FC in a Hero I-League encounter here on Saturday. Home team Chennai, coached by Singaporean Akbar Nawas, has been the most impressive side of the league so far, winning four out of their five games and drawing one. The hosts have impressed with their style of play with the awesome Spanish quartet of Pedro Manzi, Nestor Jesus, Sandro Rodriguez and Roberto Eslava, forming the bulwark around which Akbar has built his side. The contribution of the Spaniards is evident from the fact that striker Pedro and midfielders Nestor and Sandro have hit nine of the 13 goals scored by Chennai in the league, which is an astounding five goals ahead of second-best Gokulam FC. Coach Akbar will, however, be wary of the fact that his side has not made it to the clean sheet list so far and had it not been for Eslava's performance at the back, they could have conceded more than seven, among ...
Pacers put India in command before rain interrupts again
India put up a much improved effort with the ball, reducing Australia to 132 for seven in 19 overs before intermittent rain delayed the start of their chase in the second T20 here Friday. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-20) and Khaleel Ahmed (2-39) shared four wickets to rock the Australian top-order and reduce them to 41-4 at one stage. The weather interrupted thrice and the match was reduced to 19-overs a side and the DLS target for India to level the series is 137 runs. This was after India won the toss and opted to bowl. The visitors went in with an unchanged side while Australia made one change, bringing in Nathan Coulter-Nile for Billy Stanlake who picked up an ankle niggle during warm-up. Kumar then struck with his second delivery, dismissing Aaron Finch (0) caught behind. From there onwards, India exerted themselves on the field and there was never any let up. But there were hiccups. The swing bowler should have had at least a couple more wickets, but was twice unlucky in the third ...
India to chase 137 from 19 overs in rain-hit second T20I
India will chase a DLS adjusted target of 137 from 19 overs against Australia in the rain-hit second T20I here on Friday. Put into bat, Australia were 132-7 in 19 overs when rain interrupted play. With further play not possible, the match was reduced to a 19-over affair and India were set a target of 137 from 19 overs via DLS method. Brief Score: Australia: 132-7 in 19 overs (Ben McDermott 32; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/20).
2nd T20I: Rain stops play between India, Australia
Rain halted the second Twenty20 International between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Friday.
It is tougher to handle success than failure: V.V.S. Laxman
Celebrated former Indian cricketer Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman, whose biography is titled "281 and beyond", says that dealing with success is much tougher than failure and that is why it is important to have a strong support system in the form of coaches, friends and family to sustain a long sports career.
Kovind to become first Indian president to attend cricket match abroad
President Ram Nath Kovind will become the first Indian head of state to attend an international cricket match abroad when he visits the Melbourne Cricket Ground here for the T20 game between India and Australia on Friday. "While he will only watch a few minutes of play at the MCG, President Kovind will become the first President of India to see an international cricket match live abroad," Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a tweet. On Thursday while addressing a business summit in Sydney on the eve of the second India-Australia T20 match, Kovind said India and Australia shared a passion for cricket along with other things. "For many Indian cricket fans, Australia is their favourite team except when you are playing India but especially when you are competing for the Ashes," he said in the presence of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Rain stops play in second T20I
Rain interrupted play in the second T20I between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground here on Friday. Put into bat, Australia were 132 for 7 in 19 overs when heavens opened up. Ben McDermott (32) and Andrew Tye (12) were at the crease during the break. Brief Score: Australia: 132 for 7 in 19 overs (Ben McDermott 32; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/20).
Smith is disappointed with CA decision: Pat Cummins
Australian pacer Pat Cummins has stated that former skipper Steve Smith is "disappointed" over Cricket Australia's decision to not withhold the ban imposed on the players who were suspended over the ball-tampering scandal.The 25-year-old, however, added that he has got over the issue and is now focusing on playing cricket."I think he's pretty disappointed. I think he was hopeful of that getting lifted. But to be honest I think he's just over it - all the speculation and talk. He's just over it. He wants to play some cricket," Cricket.com.au quoted Cummins, as saying.Insisting that the right-hand batsman is really in a good place, Cummins added that he would love to play Test and everything else that is coming up."There's some good T20 comps around the world coming up that hopefully he'll go and play. I think he's sick of all the talk. He said he's in a really good place," he said."He's happy, he's playing - obviously he'd love to be playing the Tests and everything else coming up. ...
Argentine national team going nowhere with Scaloni as head coach: Maradona
Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has said his country's national team was going nowhere under the guidance of current caretaker head coach Lionel Scaloni.
Cuca says he may have to leave Brazil's Santos due to health problems
Manager Alexi "Cuca" Stival has said that he might have to leave Brazilian league club Santos at the end of this season due to health problems.
Tim Paine backs Finch for opening role in Adelaide Test
Australian captain Tim Paine has praised right-hand batsman Aaron Finch, along with Victoria player Marcus Harris, ahead of their first Test against India as the opening batsman.Terming Harris as an "excellent player", Paine said that the Victoria batsman has improved a lot and has an attacking form of the game."I think if Finchy plays for us ... I dare say it is going to be at the top of the order. If they're the two we go with, I'm totally comfortable with that," Cricket.com.au quoted Paine as saying."I've always thought Marcus Harris was an excellent player, even when he was playing for WA. I think his defence has improved a lot and he's had that really good attacking game and can score very quickly. So I think his game is pretty well suited to Test cricket," he added.Asserting that next round of Sheffield Shield matches will be helpful in tackling the conditions at Adelaide, the wicket-keeper batsman said that it is good to have a lot of playing options in the team."We've got ...
President Kovind not to attend India-Australia T20I in Melbourne
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind's much-anticipated visit to witness India-Australia T20 match live at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has been cancelled.The President was scheduled to drop in for a short while at the India-Australia T20 game at the MCG."While he will only watch a few minutes of play at the MCG #PresidentKovind will become the first President of India to see an international cricket match live abroad. Coincidentally Australia was the first country the Indian cricket team toured after Independence, in 1947-48," he had tweeted earlier.The men in blue will be locking horns with the host nation with the hope of registering a win in the match.Lately, President Kovind seemed to have cricket on his mind. In almost all his speeches since he landed in Australia, he has used the cricket metaphor quite liberally, drawing applause from the appreciative audience which included the Prime Minister of Australia.He warmly said that the Australian cricket team was a favourite with ..
Melbourne T20I: India opts to bowl first against Aussies
India won the toss and opted to bowl first against Australia in the second T20I of the ongoing three-match series here at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.Following the toss, Indian skipper Virat Kohli informed that the team will be going ahead in the match with the same squad as in the first T20 international.Australian captain Aaron Finch, on the other hand, admitted that they would have opted for bowl first in case they had won the toss. Talking about the team combination, the batsman confirmed that Nathan Coulter-Nile has replaced Billy Stanlake in the squad after the latter rolled his right ankle trying to take a catch on the boundary rope during the warm-up session.Having lost the opening encounter, the Indian side will be aiming to keep their winning hopes alive in the series by clinching the second game.Following are the Playing XI of India and Australia:India- Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, ...
ATK challenge awaits in-form Mumbai City in ISL
In-form Mumbai City FC will look to register its fourth consecutive this season when it takes on former champions ATK in an Indian Super League game here on Saturday. At present, Mumbai are on the third spot in the standings with four wins, one draw and two losses. On the other hand, the season has been a mixed bag one for two-time champions ATK, who are on the sixth position with three wins and as many losses and one draw. After their 0-5 hammering by FC Goa in an away match, Mumbai bounced back in style by registering three consecutive wins against Delhi Dynamos FC (2-0) at home, Chennaiyin FC (1-0) and North-East United FC (1-0), both away matches. The coveted ISL title has eluded Mumbai since the first season and head coach Jorge Costa and his men would be keen to stay among the top four teams. This season, Mumbai boasts of formidable players both in defense and attack. With defenders like Romanian Lucian Gohain, Congo's Arnold Issoko and Subhasish Bose, it will be a difficult ...
I never had personal issues with Alonso, says Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton, the current Formula One (F1) World Champion, has said that he never had personal issues with Spain's Fernando Alonso back in 2007 when they were McLaren teammates.
Barcelona begin its preparations for Atletico Madrid game
Barcelona has begun preparations, with all internationals back, for the team's next La Liga match against Atletico Madrid, with the top spot in the league table up for grabs.
2nd T20I: India opts to field vs Australia (Toss)
India skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to field against Australia in the second Twenty20 International of the three-match rubber at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Friday.
Maradona's Dorados just a step away from making Mexican first division
The Sinaloa Dorados, who are managed by Argentine football legend Diego Armando Maradona, beat Juarez 2-0, pulling off a key win in the first leg of the Mexican Second-Division semi-finals.
Jammu likely to host international cricket matches soon
Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a lot of initiatives in sports in recent time and now, in another major development, Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu is likely to host international cricket matches soon.The stadium, situated in the heart of the city, is being upgraded according to the International Cricket Council (ICC) norms to make it eligible to host global-level matches.Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council's Secretary Naseem Javaid Chowdhary, said that an ICC-compliant stadium is being constructed, which would have all the modern day facilities. When finished, the stadium will have a well-established pavilion, gymnasium, conference hall, open VIP area, media and player zones, and galleries according to the ICC standards."Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu, which is the main stadium, was primarily used for state and district level matches. It did not match the standards of international level cricket. This prompted us to upgrade the stadium and provide all the modern facilities as per ICC ...
Artistic Gymnastics World Cup: Dipa qualifies for Vault Final, Aruna suffers knee injury
Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar qualified for the Vault Finals but B Aruna Reddy suffered a knee injury to end her campaign in disappointment at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Cottbus, Germany. Dipa, who had an injury-marred campaign at the Asian Games, scored 14.100 to finish at the 6th place out of 16 gymnasts in the qualification. However, Aruna, who had won a bronze medal in the women's individual vault event at the Melbourne World Cup, hurt her knee during the first vault and was ruled out of the competition. "Aruna was going to perform a higher difficulty vault. In warm up, she was confident but unfortunately during the competition, her landing was little early and it hurt her knee. So she didnt perform the second vault. She is going for MRI today," said Riyaz Ahmed Bhati, Vice-President of Gymnastic Federation of India (GFI). Among Indian men gymnasts, Rakesh Patra scored 14.000 points on the Rings and finished at the 14th place out of 29 gymnasts, while Ashish couldn't ...