Category: SPORTS

Australia red-ball skipper Tim Paine, who went under the knife to fix a bulging disc in his neck earlier this week, is “extremely confident” he will be fit to lead his country in the first Ashes Test against England in December. The 36-year-old, who had disc replacements on his C-6 and C-7 in the neck, is expected to be under recovery for six weeks while the first Ashes Test is slated to begin at the Gabba from December 8. “As soon as this six week block is over I think…

Read More

One of the most notable omissions from India’s T20 World Cup squad, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Thursday asserted that he will be his wily, old wicket-taking self in the upcoming second half of this year’s IPL. During a training session for his team Royal Challengers Bangalore, a cheerful Chahal offered to bat, but only if the swashbuckling Glenn Maxwell was the bowler. Reflecting on his first training session with the team, Chahal said, “Obviously, the feeling was good, it was okay and I’m happy with the way I bowled today.…

Read More

The fifth Test between India and England was cancelled on Friday amid a chaotic turn of events during which the host board’s statement on the visitors changed from “unable to field a team and will instead forfeit the match” to “regrettably unable to field a team”. The development came after the touring side was left on tenterhooks following physio Yogesh Parmar’s positive COVID-19 test that led to concerns that the infection could spread during the match, which was eventually cancelled a couple of hours before toss. The initial statement issued…

Read More

For 1 1/2 sets, including one particularly compelling and competitive 24-point game, Novak Djokovic’s fourth-round opponent at the U.S. Open Jenson Brooksby, the last American left in singles gave him fits amid a raucous atmosphere at Arthur Ashe Stadium. That let Djokovic, above all, and everyone else, know that Brooksby a 20-year-old wild-card entry from California who is ranked 99th and never before had been on this sort of stage belonged. And then, not surprisingly, Djokovic showed why he is who he is and how he’s managed to move within…

Read More

Trailblazing shooter Avani Lekhara on Friday became the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic medals by claiming the 50m Rifle 3 Position SH1 bronze to add to an unprecedented gold she had won earlier in the ongoing Games here. The 19-year-old Lekhara, competing in her debut Games, qualified second for the event with a score of 1176, including 51 inner 10s. In the fiercely contested finals, Lekhara totalled 445.9 to finish ahead of Ukraine’s Iryna Shchetnik, who let slip her grip on the medal spot with a poor third…

Read More

The Indian cricket board could soon get richer by at least Rs 5000 crore with the addition of two new franchises during the 2022 edition of Indian Premier League. The IPL, which is currently an eight-team tournament, will become a 10-team affair from the next edition and during a recent governing council meeting, the modalities of the bidding process were chalked out. “Any company can buy the bid document paying Rs 75 crore. Earlier top brass was thinking about keeping the base price for two new teams at Rs 1700…

Read More

Virat Kohli said India’s middle-order collapse in the second innings was down to “scoreboard pressure” after England won by an innings and 76 runs.India suffered an early morning collapse on the fourth day of the third Test at Headingley in Leeds on Saturday as England sealed a comprehensive win by an innings and 76 runs to level the five-match series 1-1. Ollie Robinson was the pick of the English bowlers with figures of 5/65 while Craig Overton bagged three wickets. Having resumed the day at 215/2, India lost their remaining eight wickets for just…

Read More

Ageless English pacer James Anderson says the secret to his longevity in Test cricket lies in cutting down on his time at the nets to save it for the matches. Anderson’s masterclass was full on display in an awe-inspiring spell of 8-5-6-3 with the new ball as England bowled India out for 78 after Virat Kohli opted to bat in the first Test here on Wednesday. “As I get older, I feel like I have to work that little bit harder in the gym. I feel like I bowl less…

Read More

Shaheen Afridi completed match figures of 10-94 as Pakistan endured a tense rain break before beating the West Indies by 109 runs on the final day of the second test to level the two-match series at 1-1. Left-armer Shaheen took 4-43 to help Pakistan bowl out the West Indies for 219 in its second as it chased 329 to win. He claimed the last wicket of the match, sealing Pakistan’s victory when he dismissed Joshua Da Silva after tea on the fifth day. That gave the 21-year-old fast bowler, who…

Read More

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra on Wednesday met Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and said he would continue to work hard to make the state and the country proud by his achievements. Chopra, who could not attend a felicitation function organized by the state government on August 13 due to illness, said only sports-related topics were discussed during his meeting with Khattar. “It is a great feeling that today I am meeting the Chief Minister. I will try my level best to make Haryana and the nation proud in the…

Read More