Category: SPORTS

Manchester, May 6 (DIN NEWS) Pep Guardiola believes Gareth Southgate would be taking a risk if he did not name Fabian Delph in England’s World Cup squad after an impressive season from the Manchester City utility man. Delph, 28, overcame three injury-ravaged seasons to become Guardiola’s first-choice left-back following the knee problem suffered by Benjamin Mendy in September. His form, and ability to play numerous positions, has seen the former Aston Villa midfielder emerge as a strong contender for Southgate’s squad. Southgate visited Guardiola and his English contingent for talks…

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New Delhi, May 6 (DIN NEWS) Fardeen Qamar and Farhat Aleen Qamar, the brother and sister from Jaipur, won the Under-18 Roland Garros series event in Bengaluru, earning the chance to not only watch the business end of French Open but also hit with international players during the clay court Grand Slam. It is perhaps first time that siblings have won both boys and singles events at the same AITA national series event. Fardeen, a class XII student, won the boys event with a commanding 6-1 6-0 win over Delhi’s…

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Looking, at last, like a team wanting to defend its title, Mumbai Indians’ road to redemption in the Indian Premier League faces another tricky test, as they host a formidable Kolkata Knight Riders here tomorrow. The defending champions seemed resurgent after a tense win over Kings XI Punjab, though their play-off hopes were still hanging by a thread, thanks to a spate of reverses over the past few weeks. The 21-ball 56-run blitzkrieg between Krunal Pandya and Rohit Sharma in Indore is history and MI will next need to tame…

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Indian shutter B Sai Praneeth went down fighting to second seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in the men’s singles semifinals of the New Zealand Open badminton here today. The 25-year-old Sai Praneeth was the lone Indian left in fray in the tournament after he entered the semifinals of the men’s singles event yesterday. However, his run came to an end after he succumbed to a 14-21 21-19 21-8 loss in a match that lasted over an hour. The Indian, who was seeded third for this tournament, won the first game…

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Diego Costa killed Arsene Wenger’s last hope of a glorious Arsenal farewell as his goal sent Atletico Madrid through to the Europa League final on Thursday. Wenger’s 250th European fixture with Arsenal also to proved to be his last, decided by a typically ruthless finish from Costa, who delivered the sort of barnstorming display defenders must have nightmares about. Arsenal’s defence, fragile and nervous throughout, were particularly susceptible and this 1-0 defeat, 2-1 on aggregate, means Wenger’s final season in charge will end with his team missing out on Champions League qualification…

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FIFA boss Gianni Infantino said Thursday Russia was “absolutely ready” to host the World Cup and thanked President Vladimir Putin for his commitment to the football showpiece. Infantino met Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi as Russia races against the clock to put the finishing touches on preparations for the June 14-July 15 final. The first World Cup staged in eastern Europe will be the most expensive ever and comes in the heat of flaring tensions between Russia and the West. It has also been shadowed by stadium construction delays…

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Tiger Woods embarks on the latest stage of his comeback at the Wells Fargo Championship on Thursday, refreshed from an extended post-Masters break and still thankful for the back surgery that saved his career. The 14-time major winner has not played since finishing tied for 32nd at Augusta National last month, and returns to Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina this week for the first time since 2012. The 42-year-old former world number one told reporters on Wednesday he had benefited from an extended break from golf following Augusta.…

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The Commonwealth Games gold has given him the confidence and Indian star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is now aiming to grab another yellow metal at the upcoming Asian Games, which he admitted will be tougher than the Gold Coast CWG. Neeraj became the first Indian javelin thrower to win a gold at the CWG at Gold Coast last month with a throw of 86.47m, but he said that effort will not be enough for a gold in the Jakarta Asian Games in August. “Winning a gold in CWG with a…

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Welcoming the appointment of Harendra Singh as the coach of the Indian men’s national hockey team, former coach Joaquim Carvalho wondered whether he has enough time on his hands to fine tune the squad for tougher battles ahead. Yesterday, women’s coach Harendra Singh was made in- charge of the men’s side, while men’s coach Sjoerd Marijne was re-designated the women’s coach in a rejigging of roles by the Hockey India following the medalless show of the teams at last month’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. “Harendra’s appointment as a coach is…

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Chennai Super Kings batsman Faf Du Plessis has heaped praise on skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his ability to hit any bowler and said such a quality can make life difficult for any rival captain. Australian Shane Watson played blistering 78 while Dhoni hit a quick-fire unbeaten 51 to guide CSK to a 13-run victory over bottom-placed Delhi Daredevils in an IPL game here last night. In the last two games against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Daredevils, Dhoni, with his power hitting, has reminded his critics that he is not…

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