Category: SPORTS

 Keeping the fast-evolving COVID-19 situation in mind, Indian men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh says his side will need to be “mentally prepared” for the several obstacles it might face on its way to the Tokyo Olympics. Pushed back by a year due to the pandemic, the quadrennial sporting extravaganza is slated to be held in July-August. “The biggest learning from last year was to not let external factors affect our goal. There could be many uncertainties but we need to only worry about what’s within our control and that…

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Indian hockey will hit the restart button and begin the Olympic preparations when the women’s team travels to Argentina next week for its first tour in nearly a year after the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted all competitions around the world. A core group of 25 players and seven support staff will leave from New Delhi on January 3. The Indian women’s team will compete in eight matches against hosts Argentina, starting from January 17. “We have a little over 200 days before we arrive in Tokyo for the Olympic Games…

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The Indian cricket fraternity, led by Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, on Tuesday hailed the national team for the resilience and character it showed to redeem itself after the Adelaide debacle and win the second Test in Melbourne. India, led by Ajinkya Rahane, levelled the four-match Test series 1-1 after defeating Australia by 8 wickets in the second match at the MCG. Rahane led from the front with a match-winning 112 in India’s first innings. To win a Test match without Virat, Rohit, Ishant & Shami is a terrific achievement.…

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An absolute peach from Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin’s wizardry earned India a wicket each before Australia reached 65 for two on the third day of the second Test here on Monday. Riding captain Ajinkya Rahane’s classy hundred and Ravindra Jadeja’s 15th half-century in Test cricket, India notched up 326, gaining a substantial first-innings lead of 131 runs. Seeking to wipe off the deficit, Australia began their second innings on a disastrous note as Joe Burns (4) not only got out for a poor score, but also wasted a review…

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Unfazed by the worsening COVID-19 situation in England where she is training right now, world champion shuttler P V Sindhu on Tuesday told PTI that she remains hopeful of travelling to Thailand for tournaments in January despite countries increasingly banning flights from the UK. Sindhu, who has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, has been training in London for the last two months and is scheduled to play her first tournament since the break in Thailand. She will have to be in Bangkok by January 3 to compete in the two…

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Australian batting star Steve Smith has no time to think about how India might plot revenge in the second Test here this weekend but he does have a word of advice for the visitors jolted by the first game’s battering — “Let it go and move on”. The Australian troika of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood produced one of the finest fast bowling performances in recent times to dismiss India for their lowest Test score of 36 in the opening day-night Test here. Australia won by eight wickets…

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Pakistan captain Shadab Khan won the toss and elected to bat Friday in the first of three Twenty20 cricket internationals against New Zealand at Eden Park. Shadhab is leading Pakistan for the first time in the absence of Babar Azam, who has been forced out of the tour after sustaining a broken thumb in training. New Zealand is being led for the first time by Mitchell Santner. The allrounder was due to captain the team in the third T20 international against the West Indies on Nov. 30 but the match…

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The legendary Sunil Gavaskar feels the Indian team management should prefer an aggressive Rishabh Pant over a technically sound Wriddhiman Saha for the wicket-keeper’s role in the four-match Test series against Australia, starting Thursday. Gavaskar, the fastest to reach 10,000 Test runs, said that with a blistering 73-ball 103-run knock in the second warm-up game under his belt, Pant will give India more flexibility in the first Test, the only day-night game, to be played in Adelaide. “It is going to be a tough one for the tour selection committee…

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Facing another setback in an already difficult season, Lionel Messi found his finishing touch to save Barcelona from falling further behind in the Spanish league. Messi’s late goal secured a hard-fought 1-0 home victory over Levante on Sunday to end a two-game losing skid for Barcelona. Messi fired a left-footed shot off the far post and into the net to get Barcelona’s breakthrough in the 76th minute after Levante had withstood the hosts with tenacious defending. “Teams focus on defending Messi, marking him with several players, but today he proved…

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Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne on Saturday said there has not been any talk about him opening the batting in the first Test against India but he is ready to bat at that slot if the team management asks him to do so. With both David Warner and Will Pucovski ruled out of the first Test, and Joe Burns short of runs, Labuschagne is an opening option for the home side in the day/night match starting here on December 17. No, there has not been (any talk on batting position) ……

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