Page 951 - Sports
Barca include Messi in squad to face Inter Milan
Lionel Messi has been included in Barcelona's travelling squad to face Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday. Messi broke his arm during Barca's win over Sevilla on October 20, with the club predicting he would be out for three weeks. The striker has not yet been declared fit by Barcelona's medical team but he will travel with the squad to the San Siro. "Leo Messi travels to Milan without the medical all-clear," the club posted on their Twitter account on Sunday. Messi had trained the same day, along with other players not involved in Saturday's 3-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano. Barcelona have won all of their last four matches without Messi, including a 2-0 win over Inter at the Camp Nou last month. They sit three points ahead of the Italians at the top of Group B.
Immobile brace puts Lazio fourth in Serie A
Ciro Immobile scored two early goals as Lazio beat SPAL 4-1 to move fourth in Serie A and into the Champions League places on Sunday. Simone Inzaghi's side bounced back from a home defeat to Inter Milan to move ahead of AC Milan, who play in Udinese later Sunday. Immobile scored after 26 and 35 minute to bring his tally to eight league goals this season with Danilo Cataldi (59) and Marco Parolo (70) adding two more in the second half. Lazio with 21 points from 11 games are ten points behind leaders Juventus, who continued their unbeaten run with a 3-1 win over Cagliari on Saturday. Italian international Immobile volleyed in the first after 26 minutes off a Cataldi corner, past SPAL goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, brother of Lazio midfielder Sergej, who was also playing at the Stadio Olimpico. But the celebrations were short lived with Mirco Antenucci tapping in the equaliser for SPAL two minutes later. Vanja Milinkovic-Savic denied Immobile from close range and Sergej ...
Rooney to make England farewell against USA
Wayne Rooney is to come out of England retirement for a final one-off appearance against the United States in an international friendly at Wembley this month, the Football Association announced Sunday. Rooney, a record goalscorer for both Manchester United and England, has not played international football for nearly two years. But the 33-year-old, now based in the United States where he plays for Major League Soccer side DC United in Washington, will wear the Three Lions shirt one last time for the Wembley fixture on November 15. The match will be called The Wayne Rooney Foundation International in support of the striker's charity aiding disadvantaged children, with England manager Gareth Southgate naming the 33-year-old in his squad. "I am truly humbled and hugely excited to play for England at Wembley again," said Rooney in a statement issued by the FA that billed the game as his "final England appearance". "I would like to thank Gareth Southgate and The FA for inviting me back and
Azhar rings Eden bell ahead of India-WI first T20
Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin rang the bell just after the national anthems of both India and the West Indies were played, ahead of the first T20 international between the two sides at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday.
Lakshya Sen to lead India's challenge at World Junior Badminton Championships
Reigning Asian junior champion Lakshya Sen will spearhead India's campaign at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships at Markham, Canada starting Monday. The 14-day championships, starting with team action continues until November 10 and will be followed by individual events, beginning from November 11 to 18. The 23-member squad will look up to Lakshya, the world junior No. 4, to lead the mixed team's podium charge for the first-ever medal from the Worlds since it was included in the year 2000. China, who won the title in the last edition, have been seeded No. 1, followed by Indonesia at No. 2, while South Korea and Thailand share the third spot. India have been seeded No. 5 and are placed in group E alongside Algeria, Faroe Islands, Kenya and Sri Lanka. The group gives the Indian squad a great opportunity to make it to the quarterfinals. The Canada world event is the opportunity that most of the current junior crop, including Kiran George, Priyanshu Rajawat, Alap Mishra among ...
Kolkata T20I: India to bowl first against Windies
India won the toss and opted to bowl first in the opening T20I of the three-match series against West Indies here at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.After winning the toss, India's stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma, said, "We've played a lot of cricket here and seen that when you bat second and have a score in front of you, it becomes easier. And the dew factor will be massive as well. Dew has already started to set in, but I hope it won't affect things too much in the first innings. We've got to focus on the basics and it's about adapting as soon as we can. A lot of these guys have played T20 cricket, so they understand the demands of the game. Keeping all that in mind, I'm expecting a good performance here. We're playing against the world champions, so it will be interesting."West Indies skipper Carlos Brathwaite, on the other hand, said that he too would have opted to bowl first had he won the toss."We were here last night and the dew was ridiculous. But we are bowling second now so we have
India set for confident start at BWF World Juniors (Preview)
World Junior No.4 Lakshya Sen will be shouldering the responsibility for India at the Li Ning BWF World Junior Badminton Championships 2018, which begins here on Monday.
India win toss, opt to field vs Windies in first T20I
India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field against the West Indies in the first of the three T20 internationals at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday.
Ashleigh Barty lifts year-end WTA Elite Trophy
Australian tennis star Ashleigh Barty lifted the year-end Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Elite Trophy after sweeping aside Qiang Wang in straight sets here on Thursday.The 22-year-old edged past her Chinese opponent 6-3, 6-4 to clinch the biggest title of her career after her triumphs at the Nottingham Open earlier this year and at the 2017 Malaysian Open.Barty made a blistering start to take a 4-0 lead but Wang was quick enough to make a comeback by avoiding Barty at the backhand and won consecutive points to level the scoreline at 4-4.Just when Wang's game was clicking, Barty broke her opponent's momentum and regained her influence with steady smashes and ended the first set in her favour.Now as the game rode out a tighter second set, Wang made a flurry of errors that allowed Barty to put pressure on the scoreboard with some aggressive points and the Australian finished the game with her special backhand that spun just out of Wang's reach.With the win, Barty has leaped from ...
Chatara, Raza put Zimbabwe on top in first Bangladesh Test
Pace bowler Tendai Chatara and spinner Sikandar Raza claimed three wickets each to put Zimbabwe on top in the first Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet on Sunday. Chatara claimed 3-19 and Raza grabbed 3-35 as Zimbabwe bowled out the hosts for 143 runs after left-arm spinner Taijul Islam took 6-108 to end the visitors' first innings on 282 in the morning. Zimbabwe, who pocketed a 139-run first innings lead, were 0-1 at stumps on the second day at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Debutant Ariful Haque was the only Bangladesh batsman to offer some resistance, scoring an unbeaten 41 runs while wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim made 31. Mushfiqur helped Bangladesh recover briefly from 19-4 before he fell to Kyle Jarvis, who claimed 2-28 to play his part in the demolition act. Zimbabwe gained the upper hand early on when in-form opener Imrul Kayes dragged a Chatara delivery onto his stumps for five in the fourth over of the innings. The hosts then lost three wickets in nine ...
Manika, Sathiyan achieve career-best ranking
Top Indian paddlers Manika Batra and G Sathiyan achieved their career-best world rankings in the latest chart released by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on Sunday. Manika, who became the first Indian woman to win a singles gold at the Commonwealth Games, climbed two spots to become World No. 53. The 23-year-old Arjuna awardee clinched four medals -- two golds, a silver and a bronze -- at the Commonwealth Games and also secured a historic bronze in mixed doubles event, partnering with Sharath, at the Asian Games. She is the only Indian in the Top-100. Sathiyan also moved up one place to reach the World No 35 spot. He had won three medals in the Commonwealth Games and a bronze (men's team event) in the Asian Games. "Highest ever world ranking #WR35 yet again in the latest ITTF World ranking list for November 2018 !!" Sathiyan tweeted. Veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal, who clinched a historic team gold at the Commonwealth Games and a silver and bronze in men's doubles and
Eqbal, Bajwa billed as top two seeds in Pereira tennis
Ishaque Eqbal of West Bengal and Paramveer Singh Bajwa of Punjab have been seeded one and two in the J S Pereira Memorial AITA Ranking mens tennis tournament. The tournament, organised and hosted by the Bandra Gymkhana, is to be held at the gymkhanas floodlit tennis courts from Monday to November 10. Twenty four players have been directly seeded in the main draw and they will be joined by eight qualifiers to complete the 32-player draw, a media release said. The prize money at stake for the winner is Rs 26,000 and 30 AITA points while the runner-up will receive a prize of Rs 18,000 and 22 points. The second qualifying rounds were gone through on Sunday followed by the third and final round on Monday morning to spot the eight qualifiers. Results: Qualifying (2nd round): Praneet Kudale (MH) bt Rohan Gajree (HR) 9-4; Samson Aron Paul (AP) bt Sahil Goyal (MH) 9-4; Aayush Bhandari (TS) bt Siddhant Kumar (MH) 9-1; Hitesh Sharma (MH) bt Suyash Sharma (MP) 7-4(retd); Shastri ...
Indrajith shines as TN-MP match ends in draw
: Tamil Nadu captain Baba Indrajith hit an unbeaten century as the team finished at 236 for 4 on the final day of the rain-hit Ranji Trophy Elite Group 'B' match against Madhya Pradesh here Sunday. The hosts innings finished at 236 for 4 in 77.4 overs in reply to Madhya Pradeshs 393 as rain intervened again. The two teams finished with one point each as the first innings was incomplete. After the third day's play was washed out yesterday owing to incessant rains, Tamil Nadu resumed its first innings at zero for no loss and saw openers Abhinav Mukund and Murali Vijay negotiate the early spell by MP bowlers to take the score to 43 for no loss. Vijay, who appeared to be confident in his knock of 19, edged a delivery from Avesh Khan to wicketkeeper Ankit Dane. Mukund (28) fell nine runs later for 28, which contained four boundaries, caught superbly by Rajat Patidar of the bowling of spinner Ankit Sharma. Indrajith and his twin brother Baba Aparajith (who came in at No.3) ...
Mumbai get some batting practice along with three points vs Railways
Former skipper Aditya Tare scored his eighth first-class hundred on an inconsequential final day of their Ranji Trophy group A encounter against Railways here on Sunday. Having ensured three points by virtue of 104-run first innings lead by the end of the third day, Mumbai decided against sporting declaration reaching 321 for 5 when captains decided to call time. Tare (100 no, 187 balls) and all-rounder Shivam Dube (69 no, 99 balls) added 163 runs for the unbroken sixth wicket stand. Tare's innings had 11 fours and two sixes and Shivam smashed eight fours and a couple of sixes. The duo came together when Mumbai were 158 for 5 in their second innings but Tare-Dube didn't feel much pressure as the overall lead had already swelled to 262 runs by then. Left-arm spinner Harsh Tyagi (3/86 in 36 overs) was the most successful bowler for Railways. Siddhesh Lad (76, 168 balls) also continued in rich vein of form having scored 99 in the first innings. Lad will however rue the fact that he ...
India win toss and choose to bowl first
India won the toss and opted to bowl in the first T20 International against the West Indies here Sunday. All-rounder Krunal Pandya and left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed are making their senior India debut in the first of the three-match series, at the Eden Gardens. Yuzvendra Chahal missed out from the 12 named on match eve. Umesh Yadav has come in for the injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar. West Indies have three debutants in Oshane Thomas, Fabian Allen and Khari Pierre. Teams: India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, K L Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav. West Indies: Rovman Powell, Darren Bravo, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Kieron Pollard, Carlos Brathwaite, Keemo Paul, Fabian Allen, Khari Pierre, Oshane Thomas.
Group C : Rajasthan defeat J-K by 75 runs
Rajasthan defeated a gritty Jammu and Kashmir by 75 runs in their Elite Group C Ranji Trophy game here on Sunday. Rajasthan bowlers rose to the occasion even as a Jammu and Kashmir skipper Parvez Rasool (110 not out) played a defiant knock in the second outing, albeit which went in vain, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Chasing a daunting target of 395, Jammu and Kashmir, who began at overnight score of 34/0, were eventually bundled out for 319 in their second innings. For the hosts leg spinner Rahul Chahar (4-89) and Nathu Singh (4-83) took four wickets each in the second innings, as they earned six crucial points and have stated their campaign on a winning note. Chahar ended the game with nine wickets as he had taken a five-wicket haul in the first innings. In the day, Rasool raised the hopes of Jammu and Kashmir of a draw, but he wasdevoid of partners. At one stage a J-K could have sniffed out a draw, but the momentum shifted in Rajasthan's favour after J-K wicket ...
Ticket sale for Hockey Men's World Cup 2018 starts Monday
Hockey India (HI) on Sunday announced that the physical sale of tickets for the Men's Hockey World Cup 2018 to commence at Kalinga Stadium here from November 28 will start on Monday.
ISL: Southern rivals Kerala and Bengaluru square up in spicy battle
Kerala Blasters will come up against Bengaluru FC in one of the most highly anticipated matches of the Indian Super League (ISL) in front of their home crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Monday.
Chennai, the cradle of Indian chess, now home to family of chess masters
When it comes to chess, Chennai, the cradle of Indian chess, has several firsts including being home to India's first International Master (Manuel Aaron) and Grand Master (Vishwanathan Anand).
Southern rivals Kerala and Bengaluru square up in spicy battle
Kerala Blasters will come up against Bengaluru FC in one of the most highly anticipated matches of the Hero Indian Super League (HISL) in front of a sellout crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday. The two teams have one of the most passionate set of fans in the league and their constant banter is what makes this a spicy affair. Last season when Bengaluru FC came to Kochi on the eve of New Year, they thumped three goals in what was Rene Meulensteen's final game in-charge. This was the biggest home defeat for Kerala last year. "Bengaluru FC are one of the best teams in the league. This will be a make or break game for us. We go into every game to try and get the three points and tomorrow is no different. We are desperate for a win. We will be out there, trying to achieve that," said assistant coach Hermann Hreiarsson. The Kerala technical staff have identified their profligacy upfront as one of the important reasons why they are not able to convert draws into wins. Hreiarsson ..