Page 887 - Sports
There's nothing wrong with my game: Ramkumar
Ramkumar Ramanathan on Thursday defended his strategy of applying the serve and volley style on all surfaces this season but conceded he needs to cut down on the number of tournaments to remain fresh for big moments in close matches. Ramkumar started the year at number 148 in the world and managed to remain in top-150 despite not going deep in most of the tournaments. He is at number 130 this week. The KPIT Challenger is his 35th tournament this season apart from competing in two Davis Cup ties and at the Asian Games in Jakarta. Often experts loathed the way Ramkumar persisted with serve and volley even when he was getting passed easily. "When I was playing in US last year, I was doing a lot of practice on serve and volley and I was using it in matches. I was building on that. I felt better on court. The more I played serve and volley on big points, I started to feel confident. It's not bad for me. I am tall, I cover the court well, so why not?, Ramkumar told PTI when asked about his
Khawaja open to reshuffle in batting order for India Tests
Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has stated that he is ready to play at any batting position in the Test team ahead of their first match against India on December 6.The 31-year-old opener, who was recently been named in the 14-member Australian squad for the first two Tests against India, expressed confidence in giving the opening batsman role to Victoria batter Marcus Harris."I'm happy to bat wherever. I've said that to Painey. He (Harris) is obviously an opener. I expect him to open," Cricket.com.au quoted Khawaja, as saying.The left-hand batsman, who was out of action since undergoing a surgery on a torn meniscus which he had sustained during their Test series against Pakistan, said that he is feeling good at training and is hoping for things to remain good in future as well."I'm fine right now," he said. "It's just about playing some cricket now. It's feeling alright at training. I've done as much as I can at training so hopefully, fingers crossed, it keeps going well," Khawaja .
Lobos midfielder Gonzalez reflects on tournament, looks at 2019
Spaniard Abraham Gonzalez, a midfielder for the Mexican league's Lobos BUAP, reflected on his club's performance a week before the end of the Apertura tournament and discussed the need to improve its position in the standings in the next competition.
PSG's Neymar, Mbappe out of action owing to injuries
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forwards Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe are to be out of action due to injuries.
Injury in friendly versus Cameroon was minor: Neymar
Brazilian superstar forward Neymar Jr. has said on social media that the groin injury he suffered in the first few minutes of a friendly against Cameroon was not serious.
2nd T20 International: Desperate India may look to rejig team composition
Stung by a narrow loss in the opening encounter, India will like to reassess their playing combination while aiming for a swift turn-around when they take on Australia in the second T20I in Melbourne on Friday. The hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, which comprise three back-to-back matches in a short span of five days. Having won seven consecutive bilateral T20 series, Kohli and his men will certainly want to make it eight in a row and for that they may be forced to rejig both their batting and bowling combinations. Bidding for an eighth victory on the bounce now doesn't seem as straightforward a proposition as it looked earlier with the hosts ready to come all guns blazing after their all-round show in the first game. The Indian batting line-up could see some rejigging in light of KL Rahul's patchy form. Since scoring 101 not out in the first T20I against England at Manchester, Rahul hasn't been able to cross the 30-run mark in next six matches. The team management has
Uncapped Marcus Harris makes way to Australian squad for India Tests
In-form Victoria batsman Marcus Harris made his way to the 14-member Australian squad for the first two Tests of the upcoming four-match series against India, which will start on December 6.Harris' inclusion did not come as a surprise as the 26-year-old has scored 437 runs with an impressive average of 87.50 in the Sheffield Shield tournament, this season. This also includes an innings of unbeaten 250 runs against New South Wales, last month.Reflecting on Harris' selection, chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said that the player "forced his way into the squad" following his impressive performance in the domestic season. He further stated that Harris has got the abilities that are required to be successful in Test cricket."Marcus Harris has forced his way into the squad after an impressive start to the Sheffield Shield campaign for Victoria, and in recent times has performed in high-pressure matches, including Sheffield Shield finals," Cricket.com.au quoted Hohns, as saying."Not only ..
Mominul hits fifty in strong Bangladesh start
Mominul Haque swung Bangladesh into gear Thursday with a solid half-century on the opening day of the first Test against the West Indies in Chittagong. Mominul hit an unbeaten 55 as the home side reached 105-2 at lunch after skipper Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and elected to bat first at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Pace bowler Kemar Roach struck in the first over of the morning, dismissing opening batsman Soumya Sarkar on a duck as the two-Test series got under way. But Imrul and Mominul steadied the innings with their 104-run stand for the second wicket. Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican broke the stand on the stroke of lunch when he had Imrul caught by Sunil Ambris at forward short-leg for 44. Warrican was unlucky not to get Imrul early when the left-hander was reprieved by a no-ball on 16. Imrul picked out deep square leg fielder Shannon Gabriel in the bowler's very first over, but a television replay indicted that Warrican had overstepped. He was also put down by Roston ...
PCB trying to convince Cricket Australia for two-match ODI series in Pakistan
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is trying to persuade Cricket Australia to play two match ODI series next year in Pakistan before the World Cup in England. PCB chairman Ehsan Mani said that the five-match series is scheduled to be held in UAE sometime in late March and early April and PCB was trying to persuade the Australians to play two games in Pakistan. A PCB official said that the series could be rescheduled as the Australians are keen to play it as close to the World Cup as possible. The World Cup is slated to start from late May in England. The source said that Pakistan also had a five-match ODI series in England just before the World Cup. "Since we will be hosting the Australians, we have told them try to play two matches in Pakistan. The process is on but nothing is final as yet." Australia has not played in Pakistan since 1998. Australia's top batsmen, Steve Smith and David Warner will also complete their 12-month bans at the end of March and should be playing against ...
Cilic looking for Davis Cup redemption in Lille
Marin Cilic heads into this weekend's Davis Cup final against reigning champions France in Lille bidding to put his woes against Argentina two years ago to bed by leading Croatia to victory. The former US Open champion led Juan Martin del Potro by two sets in the 2016 final in Zagreb with the hosts only needing one more win for the title, but slipped to an agonising defeat as Argentina roared back to lift the trophy. But now he has the chance to claim a first Davis Cup in the final year before the controversial new format is implemented by the ITF. Croatia will be slight favourites despite having to face France on clay at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with world number 12 Borna Coric supporting the seventh-ranked Cilic. "Two years ago, we were in the lead on the last day and very close to winning it," remembered Cilic. "We have a new opportunity. It's a big challenge and a great motivation." France's leading man is Lucas Pouille, who has slipped out of the top 10 to 32nd in the rankings ...
Better late than never? Woods, Mickelson prepare for 'The Match'
A must-see collision between two of golf's greatest rivals or a cynical multi-million-dollar cash-grab? Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will go head-to-head in Las Vegas on Friday with opinion divided over the merits of a contest that will see the winner pocket USD 9 million. For many observers, the winner-take-all pay-per-view meeting of the 19-time major winners is at least a decade past its sell-by date. Mickelson, 48, and Woods, 42, were once fierce opponents, regularly sparring for the sport's biggest prizes. Even if the rivalry was uneven -- Woods spent 683 weeks as world number one; Mickelson never managed to occupy the top spot -- the popular narrative endured. But since their heyday in the late 1990s and early 2000s, however, both Woods and Mickelson have been in steady decline. While they both recorded victories on the PGA Tour in 2018, it has been five years since Mickelson won a major, while Woods hasn't hoisted a major since 2008. And the unmistakable frostiness that once .
African great Drogba retires from football
Ivory Coast and Chelsea great Didier Drogba announced his retirement on Wednesday after a 20-year career. The 40-year-old scored 164 goals in 381 appearances for Chelsea, winning four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the 2012 Champions League, while he is also Ivory Coast's all-time record goalscorer with 65. Drogba most recently played for Phoenix Rising in the United Soccer League. "I wanna thank all the players, managers, teams and fans that I have met and made this journey one of a kind," he wrote in a statement on Twitter. "If anyone tells you your dreams are too big, just say thank you and work harder and smarter to turn them into a reality." Drogba played club football in six different countries in total, with the majority of his success coming in France and England. He won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2006-07 and 2009-10, netting 104 times in the English top flight in total, and also scored a dramatic late equaliser when Chelsea beat Bayern Munich on penalties in ..
Spain, Germany, N.Korea enter Women's U17 WC quarters
Spain beat Canada, Germany beat the US and North Korea Cameroon 2-1 to advance to the quarterfinals of the U-17 Women's soccer World Cup underway in Uruguay.
Broad, Bairstow to play third Test against Sri Lanka
England men's team on Wednesday called pacer Stuart Broad and wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow to feature in their team's third-Test match against Sri Lanka.At the expense of pacers Jimmy Anderson and Sam Curran, Broad will get his first airing of the tour, while Bairstow, who injured his ankle during a football exercise in a pre-series training session, will get an opportunity to prove his credentials at number three with all-rounder Ben Stokes.Confirming that he will be rested, Anderson said: "I understand the reasoning behind it with the series already won. With the winter we've got ahead, it makes sense for Stuart to get some cricket. He's not played for a while and it's going to be a tough tour of the West Indies," according to the International Cricket Council (ICC)."It's a good opportunity for him (Broad) and the team (England). You have to look at the situation as well. It is hard work for seamers here (Colombo) and it's not like I've been able to have a huge input on the .
AIBA C'ship: Mary Kom, Lovlina Borgohain to lead India on Day 1 of semifinals
Indian boxers Mary Kom and Lovlina Borgohain will be in the fray as they will compete in their respective weight categories in the semi-finals of the ongoing 10th International Boxing Association (AIBA) Women's World Boxing Championships on Thursday here at the KD Jhadav Hall.As all eyes will be on the 35-year-old, Mary will enter the ring for her last four berth bout against Kim Hyang Mi of North Korea in the 48 kg category.The Manipuri veteran, who had beaten Kim in her last meeting in the Asian Championships, said that all bouts in the world championships are tough, but what weighs things in favour is experience."I am confident. I also know when to drop guard and when to attack. I have worked with the coaches and have a plan in place to counter her," Mary described her semifinal bout after a strenuous practice session earlier today.Equally important will be Lovlina's performance as India will hope for the young pugilist to progress into the next round.The welter category (69 kg) ...
World T20: Alyssa Healy returns for training ahead of semi-finals
Australia wicket-keeper batter Alyssa Healy, who suffered a mild concussion after colliding with pacer Megan Schutt during her side's final group fixture against India, has returned for training ahead of Australia's semi-final clash against West Indies.Reflecting on her fitness, senior Australia player Rachael Haynes said: "I believe she's (Healy) on track. In terms of the games coming up, your guess is as good as mine," according to the International Cricket Council (ICC)."Obviously she's (Healy) got a couple of hurdles she's got to jump over but I've got full confidence in our medical staff. We've got some of the best people in the country here with us helping her out. Obviously, it's going to be how she progresses through that," Haynes added.The incident took place in the penultimate over of India's innings as right-hand batter Arundhati Reddy swung the bat high up on Schutt's delivery.Both Schutt and Healy made a dash for the ball, with Schutt getting there first. However, Healy, .
Things have not gone our way but we know we are a good side: Stoinis
Australia have endured heavy defeats of late but the lean run did not diminish the team's belief that it remains a good side, said star of the first T20 Marcus Stoinis. Stoinis came up with an all-round performance in the four-run win over India, scoring 33 off 19 balls before defending 13 runs in the final over of the match. "We have got good memories in the team. We dominated T20s last year. We were in good form not so long ago. Obviously, things have not gone our way but we know we are still a good side," said Stoinis. In the absence of the suspended Steve Smith and David Warner, Australia recently lost to South Africa and England in the limited overs format. Hosts England had blanked Australia 5-0 in the ODI series before the team from Down Under lost the ODIs and one-off T20 at home to South Africa. Talking about his batting effort, Stoinis said: "It was good fun. They showed faith in me at number five. We were focussed on a building a partnership and we got that." On the bowling
TFA, Tata Trusts collaborate with Atletico de Madrid to develop Indian football
Tata Football Academy (TFA) and the Tata Trusts on Wednesday announced their collaboration with La Liga giants -- Atletico de Madrid (ATM), to enhance and strengthen its existing programmes for promoting Indian football.
Ranji Trophy: Shami exceeds BCCI brief, bowls more than 15 overs
Australia-bound India pacer Mohammed Shami on Wednesday courted controversy by bowling more than his stipulated 15 overs in Bengal's Group B Ranji Trophy tie against Kerala at the Eden Gardens here.
ISL: Jamshedpur tastes first defeat of season vs Pune
FC Pune City ended their winless streak in the ongoing edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) with a hard-fought 2-1 win against Jamshedpur FC at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Wednesday.