Page 987 - Sports
ISL: Jamshedpur FC squander chances against 10-man NorthEast
NorthEast United climbed back to the top of the Indian Super League after an 1-1 draw against Jamshedpur FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic stadium here on Thursday.
FIFA chief heading for trouble over pet projects
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is set to ignite new opposition Friday over his ambition to introduce two money-spinning pet projects -- a revamped global club cup and a bold new international championship. Infantino's Saudi-backed plans, which have already been harshly criticised, are on the agenda of Friday's meeting of FIFA's ruling council. It is unclear whether the council's 37 members will vote on the projects, giving world football's governing body authorisation to implement them. But opponents are already sharpening the knives, deploring the proposed introduction of new competitions in an overcrowded football calendar while also targetting Infantino himself, accused of seeking to win votes ahead of his re-election bid in June next year. The World Leagues Forum, which groups professional football leagues, has expressed its strong opposition to the proposed Club World Cup format and the Global Nations League in the past. This week the influential body addressed a letter to ...
Svitolina, Pliskova storm into WTA Finals semis
A gutsy Elina Svitolina willed herself to the semi-finals after overcoming Caroline Wozniacki in a gruelling three-set match, knocking the defending champion out of the WTA Finals in Singapore. The unbeaten Ukrainian outlasted Wozniacki 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 35 minutes to finish top of White Group. Karolina Pliskova also qualified after the Czech defeated compatriot Petra Kvitova in straight sets earlier in the night. Having won her opening two matches, Svitolina needed just one set to clinch her semi-finals spot, while Wozniacki required a straight sets victory. After the Australian Open champion claimed the much-needed first set, it all came down to a pulsating 12th game of the second. Svitolina wasted four set points but an errant forehand from Wozniacki on her fifth triggered elation from the Ukrainian. "We were both under pressure," Svitolina told reporters after the match. "I had to fight for every ball, and I think today I was really pushed mentally." Wozniacki said ...
Jamshedpur settle for 1-1 draw against 10-man NorthEast
NorthEast United climbed back to the top of the Hero Indian Super League after an eventful 1-1 draw against Jamshedpur FC at the India Gandhi Athletic stadium here on Thursday. Bartholomew Obgeche (20th minute) gave the hosts early lead before Farukh Chaudhary cancelled out his strike in the 49th minute. It was the Highlanders who created the first real opening in the game after Federico Gallego surged down the right flank. The Uruguayan squared the ball back for Ogbeche from the by-line but the Nigerian's rushed shot was some way off target. The Nigerian would not be denied his goal minutes later after an error from Mario Arques. The Jamshedpur midfielder was dispossessed off the ball in his own box by Gallego before Ogbeche showed a brilliant first touch and then toe-poked the ball past a hapless Subrata Paul. The visitors almost hit back immediately after Calvo's intended cross from the left-flank deceived Pawan Kumar before bouncing off the crossbar. At the other end, Ogbeche ...
India's FIFA ranking unfazed, retain 97th spot
Despite eking out a stalemate from China PR on October 13, the Indian men's football ranking is unfazed, as it continues to be placed at the 97th spot in the latest rankings released by Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).India's next international encounter is slated to be held on November 17 against Jordan, who have slumped two spots to 112 after their 2-1 defeat against World Cup runners-up Croatia in October.At the moment, Stephen Constantine and Co are gearing up for the 2019 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup that will be held in United Arab Emirates (UAE) in January. India has got a tricky Group A alongside UAE, Bahrain, and Thailand.In India's group, UAE have seen the biggest drop of four places. They are ranked 81 while Bahrain (113) and Thailand (112) are down by a spot each.Meanwhile, Belgium have retained the pole position ahead of World Cup champions France. Brazil is placed third, followed by Croatia. England also climbed up a place to ...
Deodhar Trophy: Shubman Gill powers Rahane-led India 'C' to final
On the back of a belligerent unbeaten century by swashbuckling Punjab batsman Shubman Gill, Ajinkya Rahane-led India C obliterated Dinesh Karthik-captained India 'A' by six wickets in the semifinal of the Deodhar Trophy, played at the Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium, in Delhi on Thursday.Suryakumar Yadav, who slammed a 36-ball 56, stayed at the crease with Shubman to see that there were no hiccups while chasing 294 after India A had posted the highest score of the tournament - 293 in the first innings.Looking to mount the offensive, Rahane (14 off 25) opened with Abhinav Mukund but did not give his team the desired start. He punched one towards the bowler Dhawal Kulkarni who grabbed it on the follow through. Mukund (37 off 40 balls), next partnered with U-19 World Cup man of the series, Shubman and upped the ante hitting Kulkarni for back-to-back boundaries in the very next over.His brut hitting only cost him wicket sooner as he punched one directly onto the stumps on a Shams Mulani ...
Thailand's Suradit leads after first round of Panasonic Open golf tourney
Promising Thai golfer Suradit Yongcharoenchai fired 6-under 66 to lead after the first round of the Panasonic Open India 2018 at the Delhi Golf Club here on Thursday.
Shutlers Saina, Srikanth in quarters of Denmark OPen
Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth entered the quarter-finals, defeating their respective opponents in the Denmark Open here on Thursday.
India determined to retain Asian Champions Trophy title: Harmanpreet
Indias ace penalty corner specialist Harmanpreet Singh said the team is focused on retaining the Asian Champions Trophy title, currently underway at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex here.
Iyer to lead Mumbai in Ranji match against Railways
Shreyas Iyer has been named as the skipper of the Mumbai Ranji team that will take on Railways in New Delhi from November 1. Senior pacer Dhawan Kulkarni has been named as deputy skipper in the 15 member squad announced by the Mumbai Cricket Association Thursday evening. A source in the know how said that young Prithvi Shaw, wasn't considered for selection, as he was still recovering from an elbow injury which he sustained during a Deodhar Trophy match. Other regulars Akhil Herwadkar, Siddhesh Lad, Aditya Tare have been made it to the Squad. Squad: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Dhawal Kulkarni (Vice Captain) ,Siddhesh Lad Jay Bista, Surya Kumar Yadav, Kumar Yadav, Ashay Sardesai, Aditya Tare,Eknath Kerkar, Shivam Dube, Akash Parkar, Karsh Kothari, Shams Mulani, Akhil Herwadkar, Tushar Deshpande and Royston Dias. A selector told PTI that Shaw wasn't considered for selection at the moment because he is unfit, but if he passes fitness test before the game, he could be in.
Kothari makes World Championship semis
Sourav Kothari ousted local challenger Martin Goodwill with clinical brilliance to storm into the semifinals of the WBL World Billiards Championship here Thursday. He won 933-551 and in the process notched up a big break of 378 points. Apart from this, he had breaks of 210, 98, 53 and 52. Kothari remains as the only Indian in fray for the coveted World title. He will meet the former World champion David Causier of England in the semifinals. The other semifinals will be played between Rob Hall of England and Peter Gilchrist of Singapore. Earlier in the competition, Kothari defeated Paul McGowan of Scotland 653-163 in the round of 32 and comfortably got past Ryan Mears of England 532-375 in the pre-quarters with fine runs of 110,169 and 97.
Consistency is key to stay on top: Minerva Punjab FC
Defending champions Minerva Punjab's technical director Paul Munster feels that consistency is the key to stay on top and his team would like to approach each game as it comes in the I-League beginning on Friday. "It is a long season and we have to be consistent. You have to take one game at a time... The whole focus is first game at home," Munster told reporters here on Thursday. Eleven clubs from 10 states will vie for top honours in the league which will continue for over six months. This season there is a fair amount of buzz due to Real Kashmir's debut in the top division. Asked about team's expectations this season, Munster said, "there are high expectations from everyone. The expectation is to win the league again." He said, be it Indian or foreign players, everyone is hungry for success. "They have high expectations from themselves, not just within the league but also going through higher clubs...," he said. Team's head coach Sachin Badadhe said they are a balanced ...
CM lays foundation stone for indoor practice facility
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma Thursday laid the foundation stone for construction of a Rs 5 crore indoor practice facility for cricket and a gymnasium here. Former India captain Sourav Ganguli and BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhury were also present at the foundation stone laying function. The project is estimated to cost Rs 5.35 crore and will be funded by the BCCI. Speaking at the event, Sangma assured the Meghalaya Cricket Association and cricket lovers that the state government has identified land for coming up with a state-of-the-art international standard stadium and develop sports facilities. "We will keep a space for cricket in the games village (to be built for National Games 2022) but we need the support of the BCCI," the chief minister said. He said that National Games 2022 is important as the state will celebrate 50th year of statehood while the country will also be celebrating 75 years of Independence. "It is a challenge to push sports ...
Saina, Srikanth enter quarterfinals of French Open
Defending champion Kidambi Srikanth and India ace Saina Nehwal made their way to the quarterfinals of the USD 750,000 French Open BWF World Tour Super 750 here Thursday. Srikanth showed great determination to outwit Korea's world no 25 Lee Dong Keun 12-21 21-16 21-18 in a second-round clash that clocked an hour and 13 minutes. The Indian had lost twice to the 27-year-old Korean in the past two meetings. Saina, who had reached the finals at Denmark Open last week, continued her good run by outwitting former World champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan 10-21 21-14 21-17 in another exciting contest. The Indian had beaten Okuhara last week as well. However, both Srikanth and Saina will have a tough task at hand as they face world champion Kento Momota of Japan and world no 1 ranked Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei respectively tomorrow. World No 6 Srikanth will have to bring all his experience to the fore as Momota has outclassed the Indian four times this season. Momota enjoys a 9-3 lead over ...
Jadhav surprised at "exclusion" for Windies ODI, chief selector Prasad cites "fitness history"
A 'fit-again' Kedar Jadhav on Thursday said there was no communication over his exclusion from the Indian team for the remaining three ODIs against the West Indies, prompting chief selector MSK Prasad to say that the batsman was not picked because of his injury prone past. Jadhav was drafted into the India A side midway into the Deodhar Trophy as the selectors wanted to assess his fitness before taking a call on his comeback. In the presence of three national selectors, Jadhav made his case with an unbeaten 41 off 25 as well as sent down five overs but the ODI team announced during the course of the Deodhar game didn't figure the Maharashtra player. "I did not know this," said Jadhav when asked if there was any communication over his selection for the remaining three games against the West Indies. "Let's see. You are the first one to tell me this. I need to see why they have not picked me. I don't know what the plan is now that I am not there in the team. Probably, I will be playing
Centre to build sports stadium for differently-abled in Meghalaya
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot on Thursday announced the construction of an international standard sports stadium for the differently-abled in Meghalaya's capital city.
'Romelu Lukaku has worst touch'
The goalless run of Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has grabbed the eyeballs of fans and critics alike, with former United star Lee Sharpe accusing the Belgian international of having the worst touch ever.Lukaku has had a dismal season with his goal drought extending to eight games after the defeat against Juventus yesterday.Lukaku's contribution to the team play has been questioned on a regular basis.Expressing his heart on what the 25-year-old is delivering at present, Sharpe said that Lukakau--who guided Belgium to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup--has been short of rest."I've never seen a centre-forward with such a bad touch. If your centre-forward can't hold the ball up, it makes it a very hard game. He's saying he's played a lot of football at the World Cup and since and that he's feeling it. I think the best thing would be to give him a rest. Send him off on holiday for a couple of weeks," goal.com quoted Lee.United, who bought the forward for £75 million, ...
WTA Finals: Pliskova clinches first semi-final spot
Czech tennis star Karolina Pliskova on Thursday clinched the first spot in the semi-finals of the ongoing 2018 Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Finals after sweeping aside Petra Kvitova in straight sets in Singapore on Friday.Pliskova defeated her compatriot and fourth-seed Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-4 in the final round-robin match.Reflecting on her win, the 26-year-old stated that getting into the semi-finals after conquering Kvitova feels special to her."It means a lot, and for sure, to get it to go to semifinals after beating [Kvitova], it's just special. I know, I'm pretty good playing three-setters this year, so I just believed I can win this match by having the first set done. I felt pretty confident actually out there," the WTA quoted Pliskova, as saying.The world number eight further stated that she was constructive even when she lost to world number seven Elina Svitolina, adding that she is optimistic about her shots."I was pretty positive even after the match that I lost against .
Abhijeet crushes Gujrathi to jump in joint lead
Grandmaster and former world junior champion Abhijeet Gupta crashed through the solid defenses of higher-rated compatriot Vidit Gujrathi in the fifth round of Isle of Man International Chess tournament here. Having drawn with Boris Gelfand of Israel in the third round and beating Le Quang Liem of Vietnam in the fourth, Gupta continued his good form, outplaying Gujrathi. Playing the white side of a topical Ragozin defense, Gupta outwitted Gujrathi, a consistent top fifty player in the world these days. Getting a balanced position out of the opening, Gujrathi fumbled in defense and lost a pawn while going for mass exchanges and the resulting endgame was child's play for the 29-year-old Gupta. With 4.5 points out of a possible five in the toughest open of the world, Gupta shares the lead with Arkadij Naiditsch of Azerbaijan, Jeffery Xiong of United States and Wang Hao of China. Six players follow the leader, a half point behind including world elite members Sergey Karjakin of Russia and .
Rising star Shubman Gill says he is ready to play for India
Rising star Shubman Gill says he is ready follow his U-19 captain Prithvi Shaw into the Indian team but is patiently waiting for his big break. With not many places up for grabs in the Indian team across formats, the stylish batsman from Punjab might have to wait a little longer than expected. The 19-year-old is not losing sleep over it and is busy piling up the runs in whatever format he plays. He scored runs for KKR in the IPL, has performed for India A and has shown supreme form in the ongoing Deodhar Trophy. In the presence of India and domestic veterans, Gill made the only hundred of the tournament in a high-pressure chase to take India C to the final on Saturday. His friend and U-19 skipper Shaw had already set a high benchmark but the highly talented Gill is up for the challenge. "I am ready. I did not get the opportunity against the West Indies but I might get one in the next series. I am just happy scoring runs," a supremely confident Gill told PTI when asked about the time ..