Category: SPORTS

A game-changer in his hey-days, South African all-rounder Lance Klusener foresees India’s Hardik Pandya closing in on someone like Ben Stokes if the team management can be “patient” with him for the next two years at least.”Among current all-rounders in world cricket, Ben Stokes is right up there. There are a few who have come and gone in recent times as well but certainly, a guy like Pandya, give him a year or two at this level, there is no reason why he can’t be one of the best all-rounders…

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India’s newest sprint sensation Hima Das Tuesday said she didn’t expect to be nominated for the Arjuna award this year, despite her stunning season in international athletics.The 18-year-old from Assam was among the 20 sportspersons recommended for the Arjuna Award, which is subject to approval by Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. “I didn’t expect to win the Arjuna this year. I was thinking may be next year, I will be considered,” said Hima, who clinched the gold medal at the U-20 World Championship in Finland, on the sidelines of a…

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Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and world champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu were Monday jointly recommended for the country’s highest sporting honour — the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.Kohli will become the third Indian cricketer after legendary Sachin Tendulkar (1997) and the talismanic former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2007) once the sports ministry officially accepts the committee’s recommendation.”Yes, Virat Kohli and Mirabai Chanu’s names have been recommended by the awards committee,” a top source told PTI on condition of anonymity. It is learnt that India’s top male shuttler Kidambi Srikanth was…

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The seasoned M C Mary Kom (48kg) collected her third gold medal of the year with a display of tactical brilliance while Manisha (54kg) settled for a silver in the 13th Silesian Open Boxing Tournament for women in Gliwice, Poland. Five-time world champion Mary Kom, returning to the ring after recovering from some niggles that kept her out of the Asian Games, prevailed 5-0 against Kazakhstan’s Aigerim Kassanayeva to pick up India’s lone senior category gold at the event SaturdayHer other two gold medals this year came in the inaugural…

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Serena Williams talked about her fashion business and her family, but not tennis fouls during an appearance before a business trade group in Las Vegas.The 23-time Grand Slam champion wasn’t asked about gender equality in sports or an argument she had last weekend with the chair umpire at her U.S. Open finals match in New York during about 25 minutes onstage with Sarah Robb O’Hagan, chief executive of Flywheel Sports, at the National Retail Federation trade show.Williams, who took no questions from the audience, said previously she felt she had…

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Virat Kohli’s absence might have taken some sheen off it but the general excitement surrounding three possible Indo-Pak encounters will be the USP of the six-nation Asia Cup starting Saturday with a Bangladesh-Sri Lanka clash here. While there are two assured India-Pakistan matches, one in the group league and other at the Super Four stage, the organisers, broadcasters, and the supporters will be hoping for a possible summit showdown on September 28 too.For India, it will be a chance to see how the team reacts to pressure situations in absence…

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India’s depleted Davis Cup squad will bank on the consistency of Prajnesh Gunneswaran to pull the side through when it takes on a shorn-of-star-power Serbia in the World Group Play-off tie here from Friday.Recently-crowned US Open champion Novak Djokovic’s decision to opt out of the play-offs along with world number 33 Filip Krajinovic has raised hopes of an equal contest between the two teams.Playing away is still an enormous task for the Indian team, which has landed here without its top singles player Yuki Bhambri and Asian Games men’s doubles…

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Virat Kohli the batsman exorcised the ghosts of a horrendous 2014 series but his captaincy left a lot to be desired in the just-concluded series against England which again turned out to be a case of ‘what it could have been’.Kohli is, in fact, right when he says that barring Lord’s Test, they were not totally outplayed but England played better cricket during key moments during the 1-4 loss. The series was testimony that batsman Kohli is heads and shoulders above his peers not just in India but in world…

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Indian speedster Mohammed Shami says he watched videos of rival pacers Stuart Broad and James Anderson to understand how to exploit English conditions and has learnt to make an impact while bowling in away series. After overcoming inconsistency in South Africa and personal problems later on, Shami has bowled nicely in the ongoing series against England, taking 16 wickets in five Tests. “If you compare my performances on this tour with those in 2014, I have improved a lot. Overall, all of us have done well. I’ve learnt a lot, especially…

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