Category: Sports

LSG pacer Mayank Yadav rattled the RCB batting line-up with his searing pace in the IPL 2024 clash at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Tuesday. Mayank bowled the fastest bowl of the ongoing season.

LSG pacer Mayank Yadav rattled the RCB batters and silenced the roaring crowd at the Chinnaswamy Stadium with a delivery that clocked an astonishing 156.7kph. This was the fastest ball of IPL 2024 as Mayank rewrote the record books with his blistering pace. The young LSG pacer unleashed a ferocious delivery that zipped through the air, leaving the batsman, and indeed everyone watching, in awe. Earlier in the tournament, he had already made headlines by firing nine deliveries over 150 kmph in a single match, picking up three crucial wickets and conceding only 27 runs, leading LSG to their first win of the season against Punjab Kings. His performance was so impressive that it caught the attention of cricket legends like Brett Lee and Dale Steyn, who praised the young Indian pacer for his raw pace and potential.

Mayank dismissed Glenn Maxwell for a duck with a thunderous delivery clocked at 151kph to send shockwaves through the stadium. Maxwell, one of the world’s finest batters, could only manage a feeble attempt, flapping the ball to mid-on. As Mayank Yadav continued his onslaught, he swiftly removed Cameron Green, further denting RCB’s batting lineup. The Chinnaswamy Stadium fell into a deathly silence, with spectators and players alike awestruck by Mayank Yadav’s sheer pace and control.

Mayank Yadav’s ability to consistently hit such high speeds forced batsmen to rethink their strategies on the fly, highlighting the immense pressure he exerted on the opposition.

With every delivery, spectators found themselves glancing up at the screens in anticipation of the next blistering pace Yadav would unleash. In a game where anticipation often precedes action, Yadav’s performance was a stark reminder of the immense impact sheer pace can have on the outcome of a match.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/mayank-yadav-shuts-chinnaswamy-crowd-with-fastest-ball-of-ipl-2024-2522461-2024-04-02

Rajasthan Royals defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets to register their third consecutive win in this edition of the IPL.

A clinical Rajasthan Royals romped home for a third win on the trot in the Indian Premier League with a six-wicket hammering of Mumbai Indians, whose skipper Hardik Pandya continued to be on the receiving end of fans’ anger, on Monday. After Yuzvendra Chahal (3/11) and Trent Boult (3/22) combined to suffocate Mumbai Indians with the bat, restricting them to 125/9, Riyan Parag (54 not out) churned out yet another top-drawer knock to take Rajasthan Royals to the first spot in the IPL points table. The 22-year-old Parag continued to make giant strides this season with a knock that reflected his maturity and aggression, dishing out some spectacular hits while being single-minded to not relent until his side was over the line. Parag’s knock was studded with five fours and three sixes as Royals reached 127/4 from 15.3 overs, winning with 27 balls to spare.

Meanwhile, there was no letup for Pandya who was booed on several occasions in Mumbai Indians’ first home game. It started with Pandya being booed when he took field for warm-up drills and the fans hit the player hard again when he came out for the toss.

Even though commentator and former India and Mumbai player Sanjay Manjrekar appealed to the crowd to “behave”, the boos continued until Pandya hit a few fours to bring smile back on Mumbai fans after their side was left reeling at 20/4 inside the powerplay.

Pandya top-scored with 34 for Mumbai in his bid to turn the brickbats into cheers but Rajasthan came out on top on every moment in the game, which was underlined by special bowling efforts from Chahal, Boult as well as Nandre Burger (2/32), who were all backed by excellent fielding.

Boult struck early with a three-wicket burst inside the powerplay and Chahal made life miserable for rest of the batters in the following overs to return brilliant figures 3/11 in four overs, accounting for Pandya, Tilak Varma (32) and Gerald Coetzee (4).

If Chahal suffocated the MI batters in the middle overs while stopping both Pandya and Varma in their tracks, it was Boult who ran riot in the home side’s top order, dismissing Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir and Dewald Brevis for first-ball ducks.

The tone was set in the first over itself by Boult who rocked the Mumbai Indians twice, including the priced scalp of Rohit who was out for a golden duck.

Looking to get the feel of the ball on his bat perhaps prompted Rohit to go for one which was angled away by Boult, and an outside edge was snaffled splendidly by Rajasthan ‘keeper-skipper Sanju Samson.

Dhir (0) was guilty of walking across the wickets and failing to cover Boult’s in-swing, with the ball crashing into his pads. A DRS appeal was eventually burned since the ball tracking showed it would have clipped the leg stump.

Mumbai’s situation worsened when impact player Brevis (0) played one meekly to short third on another delivery angling away from the right-hander off Boult in the third over, with Nandre Burger (2/32) taking a sharp reverse cupped catch.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/ipl-2024/riyan-parag-yuzvendra-chahal-excel-as-rajasthan-royals-hand-hardik-pandyas-mumbai-indians-3rd-straight-loss-in-ipl-2024-5354261

Pant, who came into the tournament after recovering from a life-threatening road mishap in December 2022, belted four boundaries and three maximums for his first fifty in 15 months.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/ipl-2024-delhi-capitals-beat-chennai-super-kings-by-20-runs-2959603

Sachin Tendulkar has posted the video of a young girl playing cricket in Sopore, Kashmir. “Always good to see young girls playing cricket. Watching videos like these brings a smile to my face,” he wrote along with the post.

Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricket team legend, recently visited Kashmir and was enamoured by the beauty of the place. The beauty and people’s exceptional hospitality in the place left the Master Blaster in awe. The great Indian player, popularly known as the ‘God of Cricket’ treated his fans with a stunning video from his trip to Kashmir. In the video he posted on social media X (formerly Twitter), he was seen enjoying the snowfall in Gulmarg with his wife Anjali Tendulkar and daughter Sara Tendulkar.

Tendulkar reminisced about the beauty of the snow-covered nation in a post that featured a video and praised the locals for their warm welcome. “Jammu and Kashmir will remain a beautiful experience etched in my memory. There was snow all around but we felt warm because of people’s exceptional hospitality,” Tendulkar posted on X.

Now, Tendulkar has posted the video of a young girl playing cricket in Sopore, Kashmir. “Always good to see young girls playing cricket. Watching videos like these brings a smile to my face,” he wrote along with the post.

Recently, Tendulkar had highlighted the talent and passion of differently abled cricket from Kashmir Amir Hussain Lone.

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The cricket icon also visited a cricket bat manufacturing plant. For those who don’t know, Kashmiri willow bats have a global reputation for excellence. Tendulkar also lauded the craftsmanship of the Kashmir Willow bats, describing them as great examples of ‘Made in India’ products. The legendary cricketer also encouraged people to visit Jammu and Kashmir, which he referred to as “a precious jewel of Incredible India,” as well as other places in India.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/sachin-tendulkar-shares-viral-video-of-young-girl-playing-cricket-in-sopore-kashmir-says-brings-a-smile-5340375#pfrom=home-ndtv_lateststories

Cambridge won the men’s Boat Race to complete the double over university rivals Oxford following victory in the women’s race.

It was Cambridge’s fifth win from the past six in the men’s race and seventh successive win in the women’s.

Earlier in the week, crews had been warned to not enter the Thames after high levels of E. coli were found.

After the race, Oxford rower Leonard Jenkins said some of the crew had been struggling with illness.

“This is not to take anything away from Cambridge at all but I do also want to say that we’ve had a few guys go down pretty badly ill with the E. coli,” the Oxford number seven said.

“This morning I was throwing up and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to race. I kept that quiet and ultimately that’s on my shoulders, it may not have been the right choice because I didn’t have my all to give in that race.

“It would be a lot nicer if there wasn’t as much poo in the water. It’s not to take away from Cambridge, as we may not have beaten them even if we were all on top form.”

Neither of the winning teams entered the water after their victories and crews were also told to take additional precautions including covering any blisters and wearing footwear when getting in and out of the boats.

Men’s victory an ‘unbelievable feeling’

Cambridge dominated the men’s race and were more than 10 seconds ahead, but slowed towards the conclusion with stroke Matt Edge on the verge of collapse.

But Edge and his team held on for a comfortable victory by three and a half lengths.

There were some early warnings for oar clashes, but after about five minutes Cambridge had pulled more than a length ahead.

Oxford slipped further behind but had a glimmer of hope on the final straight when Edge started to struggle, his oar barely scraping the water.

But their slower start cost them as Cambridge had opened up enough of a distance to hang on.

“That was my last race with this club and I knew it was going to be a challenging one,” said Cambridge president Sebastian Benzecry.

“We put a lot into it, pushed ourselves into a place that we rarely go, but it is an unbelievable feeling. They never gave up and I am so proud of all the guys.”

Edge had to be carried from the boat at the conclusion.

The men’s head-to-head stands at 87-81 in Cambridge’s favour and they also lead 48-30 in the women’s race.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/sport/rowing/68699476

LSG vs PBKS, IPL 2024: Young Pace bowler Mayank Yadav grabbed three wickets as Lucknow Super Giants defeated Punjab Kings by 21 runs.

Young Pace bowler Mayank Yadav grabbed three wickets while Mohsin Khan took two as Lucknow Super Giants defeated Punjab Kings by 21 runs despite openers Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow’s century partnership at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Chasing a tough 200-run target for victory after LSG had made 199 for 8, Shikhar smashed a 50-ball 70, while Bairstow was equally belligerent in his 29-ball 42 as the duo amassed 102 runs for the opening wicket.

But Mayank struck when things were starting to look bleak for LSG, getting rid of Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma to return figures of 3/27. Mohsin chipped in with 2/34 as PBKS could only manage 178/5 in their 20 overs. Earlier, wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock (54), stand-in skipper Nicholas Pooran (42) and Krunal Pandya (43) played some big shots as the hosts made a strong bid to win at home. Sam Curran emerged the most successful PBKS bowler grabbing three wickets for 28 runs.

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/ipl-2024/lsg-vs-pbks-ipl-2024-mayank-agarwal-steals-limelight-with-pace-as-lucknow-super-giants-humble-punjab-kings-5341819

R Ashwin reckons the IPL has grown so “huge” that at times cricket itself takes a backseat with players finding it hard to juggle between training and advertisement shoots.

Premier India spinner R Ashwin reckons the IPL has grown so “huge” that at times cricket itself takes a backseat with players finding it hard to juggle between training and advertisement shoots. Ashwin spoke about the meteoric rise of the IPL since its inception in 2008 and how tough life on the road for a player can be over the course of the two-month long competition. “As a youngster coming into the IPL, I was only looking to learn from the big stars, I did not think about how the IPL would look 10 years down the line. I can say that, having been in the IPL for so many seasons, the IPL is huge,” he said on Club Prairie Fire podcast. “Sometimes I wonder if IPL is even cricket, because sport takes a backstage (during IPL). It’s so huge. We do end up practising in advertisement shoots and sets! That’s where the IPL has gotten to,” said Ashwin, who is an important member of the Rajasthan Royals squad.

The 37-year-old, who recently completed 500 Test wickets, started his IPL career with Chennai Super Kings and that led to him wearing the coveted India cap across formats.

Back in 2022, the IPL media rights were sold for a whopping Rs 48,390 crore for a five-year cycle, making it the second biggest league in the sporting world in terms of per match value after NFL, leaving behind the likes of English Premier League, NBA and Major League Baseball.

Ashwin spoke about his early days in the IPL and how the event exceeded all expectations.

“No one envisaged the kind of growth that the IPL has had. I still remember a conversation I had with Scott Styris when we were both at CSK. He told me that when he was playing for the Deccan Chargers in the initial seasons of IPL, he did not think the IPL would last for more than two-three years.

“Initially, there was a big influx of money,” Ashwin said on the podcast hosted by former England captain Michael Vaughan and Australian great Adam Gilchrist.

Players bagging astronomical deals at the auction has also added significantly to the profile of the IPL. At the latest auction, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc fetched a record Rs 24.74 crore deal from Kolkata Knight Riders.

“Look, over the years you’d think that the IPL is one tournament that is largely won at the auctions. I believe the auctions are a very important facet of this league, but the beauty of the IPL is that franchises have evolved into getting their teams right.

SRH vs MI Highlights, IPL 2024: Asked to bat first, SRH posted a mammoth 277 for three, the highest total in IPL history, and then stopped MI at 246/5.

SRH vs MI Highlights, IPL 2024: Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Mumbai Indians in a run-fest at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Asked to bat first, SRH posted a mammoth 277 for three, the highest total in IPL history. Travis Head, playing his first IPL game this season, blasted a 24-ball 62, while Abhishek Sharma slammed 63 off 23 to lay the foundation. Heinrich Klassen (80) and Aiden Markram (42) provided the late charge to take the hosts past the 250-mark. In reply, MI were two wicket down at the score of 66 before Tilak Varma (64 off 34) and Naman Dhir (30 off 14) stitched a solid 84-run partnership to give the side a solid hope. However, SRH dictated terms post that and MI were eventually restricted to 246/5. (Scorecard)

Highlights of IPL 2024 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians:

A woman employee at the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) headquarters here has lodged a “verbal” complaint of “harassment” against a male colleague, according to a source in the national body.

A woman employee at the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) headquarters here has lodged a “verbal” complaint of “harassment” against a male colleague, according to a source in the national body. The woman is, however, yet to press a formal charge. Nonetheless, the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the AIFF met on Tuesday to discuss the matter where she sought time before proceeding any further with her complaint. “She made a verbal complaint and despite she not doing it in writing and not pressing for charges, the ICC escalated the matter and the committee met to discuss the issue. She has sought time to decide on whether to press charges or not,” an AIFF source told PTI.

“At this point in time, we don’t even know what is the nature of charges or harassment. The ICC will submit a report in a few days,” said he added.

In January, the AIFF constituted the Internal Complaints Committee under the provision of Chapter II (4.1) of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/football/aiff-woman-staffer-alleges-harassment-by-male-colleague-in-admin-dept-source-5322851

A prosecutor at Spain’s High Court is seeking a prison sentence of 2-1/2 years for former soccer federation chief Luis Rubiales over his unsolicited kiss on player Jenni Hermoso, a court document seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed.
Prosecutor Marta Durantez charged Rubiales with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions in the aftermath of the kiss, offences carrying jail terms of one year and 18 months, respectively.

Rubiales, 46, grabbed Hermoso and kissed her on the lips on Aug. 20 of last year during the awards ceremony after Spain’s victory in the women’s World Cup in Sydney, making global headlines and causing a national debate in Spain about sexism.
Hermoso and her teammates said the kiss was unwanted and demeaning, but Rubiales argued it was consensual and denied any wrongdoing.
The prosecutor also accused the former coach of the women’s national team, Jorge Vilda, the current sporting director of the Spanish federation (RFEF), Albert Luque, and the RFEF’s marketing chief, Ruben Rivera, of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.The indictment said the three officials harassed Hermoso by exerting “constant and repeated acts of pressure” directly on the player and through her friends and family. They each face 18 months behind bars as well.
All three denied wrongdoing when they appeared before the court.
Durantez also said Rubiales should pay 50,000 euros ($54,080) in damages to Hermoso, with another 50,000 euros to be jointly paid by Rubiales, Vilda, Luque and Rivera.

In addition, she requested a restraining order barring Rubiales from coming within 200 metres of Hermoso and from communicating with her for the next seven-and-a-half years.
If convicted and sentenced as requested by the prosecutor, Rubiales would not necessarily have to go to prison. Spain’s criminal code allows judges to “exceptionally” suspend jail terms if – as in this case – none of the sentences imposed individually exceeds two years.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/prosecutor-seeks-2-12-year-jail-term-spains-ex-soccer-chief-rubiales-over-kiss-2024-03-27/

Kwena Maphaka rose to fame during the ICC U19 World Cup in South Africa last month where he was the most successful bowler with 21 wickets from 6 ODIs.

Kwena Maphaka, the young fast bowling sensation from South Africa, became the third youngest overseas cricketer to play in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.

The 17-year-old Mumbai Indians star was handed his debut cap before the toss and even bowled the first over for the team in Match 8 of IPL 2024 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Maphaka, who replaced the injured England pacer Luke Wood in MI’s playing XI, rose to fame during the ICC U19 World Cup in South Africa last month where he was the most successful bowler with 21 wickets from 6 ODIs.

He was brought on board the MI franchise as a late replacement for injured Sri Lankan cricketer Dilshan Madhushanka ahead of IPL 2024.

At 17 years and 354 days, he is the second youngest player after Rasikh Salam to play for MI in the IPL.

Youngest players for MI in IPL:

MS Dhoni turned back the clock to take a brilliant catch behind the stumps to leave both fans and experts stunned during the IPL 2024 match between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans.

MS Dhoni turned back the clock to take a brilliant catch behind the stumps to leave both fans and experts stunned during the IPL 2024 match between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans on Tuesday. The fans have not seen Dhoni bat in this year’s IPL till now but the fielding effort was enough to send the social media into a frenzy. Vijay Shankar edged a delivery from Daryl Mitchell and Dhoni did not hesitate one bit before pulling off a full-stretch dive to complete the catch. Replays showed that the ball travelled at quite a rapid pace after connecting with the bat and Dhoni had just 0.6 seconds to complete the effort.

Chennai Super Kings produced a clinical display to outwit Gujarat Titans by 63 runs.

Asked to take first strike, CSK dished out a solid batting display to post a challenging 206 for six.

In response, GT could manage just 143 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs.

Earlier, Shivam Dube (51 off 23 balls), Ruturaj Gaikwad (46 off 36 balls) and Rachin Ravindra (46 off 20 balls) all slammed quickfire scores. Sameer Rizvi (14) also came up with a surprise cameo, while Daryl Mitchell (24) too contributed.

For GT, Rashid Khan (2/49) took two wickets, while Sai Kishore (1/28), Spencer Johnson (1/35) and Mohit Sharma (1/36) snapped one each.

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/ipl-2024/ms-dhoni-turns-back-the-clock-takes-0-6-secs-to-take-stunning-catch-watch-5316160

Wales have failed to qualify for Euro 2024 after losing to Poland in a penalty-shootout in Cardiff.

The game went to penalties after it remained 0-0 after 90 minutes and extra-time at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Poland won the penalty shoot-out 5-4, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny – a former Arsenal player – saving the crucial spot-kick from Leeds winger Daniel James.

Poland converted five perfect penalties with Robert Lewandowski, Sebastian Szymanski, Przemyslaw Frankowski, Nicola Zalewski and Krzysztof Piatek all successful against Danny Ward.

It means Poland are through to their fifth successive European tournament.

They will be in Group D with France, the Netherlands and Austria at the tournament in Germany, which begins in June.

Wales have qualified for the last two UEFA European Football Championships, reaching the semi-finals in 2016 and the round of 16 in the delayed 2021 tournament.

Defeat to Poland “hurts”, manager Rob Page told S4C.

“It’s a cruel game, that’s what I’ve said to the players – one kick away from qualifying,” he added.

“I thought we were the better team – my message to the players at half-time was we are the better team, we will win this game.

“It’s so disappointing but look how far we’ve come – there’s something good happening with this group.

“We rallied around Daniel James – he had the bravery to take that penalty. I am so proud of that group.”

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/wales-fail-to-qualify-for-euro-2024-after-defeat-against-poland-in-penalty-shootout-13099341

If CSK batting coach Mike Hussey is to be believed then the chances of MS Dhoni getting promoted up the order in IPL 2024 are slim.

When Shivam Dube was going all guns blazing and Daryl Mitchell was doing his best to keep the scoreboard ticking in an IPL 2024 match against the Gujarat Titans, the cameras turned towards the Chennai Super Kings dugout. Behind the glass doors, MS Dhoni was seen shadow-practising his big hits. Five overs were left in the innings and CSK had as many as seven wickets in the bank including an extra batter. It was an ideal time for a Dhoni show.

The knowledgeable Chepauk crowd sensed that and so did the hero cam of the broadcasters. It was fixed on Dhoni. In between deliveries, the broadcast would switch to that camera where Dhoni was the focus. A big crowd would erupt in anticipation. It’s been almost a year that the world hasn’t seen Dhoni bat in a competitive cricket match. The wait was prolonged when Dhoni didn’t get a chance to come out in the middle to wield his willow in the IPL 2024 opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

On Monday, the anticipation kept rising. When Dube, after playing a superb knock of 51 off 23 balls, got out while attempting to deposit Rashid Khan into the stands in the second ball of the 19th over, the Chepauk crowd waited with bated breath for Dhoni to emerge from the dugout. The familiar confident stroll, the authoritative glance and the swag-filled approach to the crease – what a sight it is. Only if the CSK management thought from the heart.

In walked young Sameer Rizvi. There was a collective gasp in Chepauk but the young right-hander made an immediate impression by hitting his first ball in IPL for a six. He smashed another six in the last ball of that over.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/ms-dhoni-at-no-8-is-crazy-stephen-fleming-wants-to-batting-coach-mike-hussey-on-csks-plans-in-ipl-2024-101711509882911.html

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team has covered all its bases and it was evident as Rachin Ravindra prepared a platform with a 20-ball 46-run innings to allow Shivam Dube to unlock his beast mode with a 23-ball 51.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/csk-beat-gujarat-titans-by-63-runs-register-second-win-this-season-2953523

The news of Rishabh Pant being able to keep wickets comes as a huge boost for the Delhi Capitals and India fans who were waiting for an update on the India cricketer. He received the clearance from the NCA on Sunday and is all set to turn up in DC colours in IPL 2024.

Pant has not played any form of cricket since his near-fatal accident in December 2022. He was involved in a car accident while driving alone from New Delhi to Roorkee and was forced to go through a tough phase of surgeries.

“It’s a big decision we’ll have to make because if he is fit, you’d think he’d step straight back into that captaincy role,” Ponting said.

“If he’s not entirely fit and we have to use him in a slightly different role, then we’ve got some decisions to make there,” Ponting added.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/cricket/rishabh-pant-has-started-keeping-batting-not-an-issue-ricky-ponting-article-108380811

Rahul Dravid was responding to a query on what the board can do to address concerns like the one raised by Shardul Thakur about just three-day gaps between Ranji Trophy matches leading to injuries and hampering player recovery. Thakur himself has been out of contention from the Indian Test team after the World Test Championship finals.

India head coach Rahul Dravid has said that BCCI needs to hear its players when it comes to planning the domestic cricket calendar. He was responding to a query on what the board can do to address concerns like the one raised by Shardul Thakur about just three-day gaps between Ranji Trophy matches leading to injuries and hampering player recovery.

Thakur termed the current schedule, where teams have had just three days between matches, as difficult with schedules getting tighter.

With the IPL window getting bigger, BCCI has had to force-fit all senior men’s competitions over a smaller window than usual.

“I’ve heard the same as well. I saw some of the comments Shardul [Thakur], I think, made and, in fact, some of the [new] boys who’ve come into the team [have said it] as well. Some comment about how tough the domestic schedule is, especially in a country like India with the amount of travel involved,” Dravid said at the post-match press conference.

“You need to hear your players because they are the ones going through the grind and putting their bodies on the line; and if there are enough voices saying that, then yeah, I think there’s some need to look at it, and see how we can manage our schedules,” Dravid added.

The senior men’s domestic calendar started in June last year, with the Duleep Trophy, the zonal first-class competition. The schedule has been relentless since the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the domestic T20 competition began in October.

The Ranji Trophy that started in January has had players criss-crossing India for games with just three-day breaks. Finalists Mumbai and Vidarbha, who play the final beginning Sunday, would have played 10 first-class matches in just over 10 weeks.

The BCCI has done away with the annual Captains & Coaches Conclave where multiple crucial topics, like umpiring, scheduling, format, DRS, match fees and central contracts used to be discussed. Since the resumption of domestic cricket post COVID-19, this practice of involving players and coaches has been discontinued.

Among other problems have been the unavailability of top players for their domestic teams due to the schedule clash with the India A calendar.

“The Ranji Trophy is a long season. If you add a Duleep and a Deodhar on top of that – last year, if I’m not mistaken, the Duleep started in June, it was just a month after the IPL – and your problem in this situation is your best players, the guys who are pushing for selection for India, are the ones that end up playing the most cricket because they keep getting selected at the next level more and more,” Dravid said.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/cricket/need-to-hear-your-players-rahul-dravid-on-domestic-calendar-article-108361368

India vs England: he chatter between the Indians and the English batters were caught on stump mic.

England caved in pretty quickly on the third day of the fifth Test against India in Dharamsala after the hosts took a huge lead in the first innings. The famed Bazball technique came to nothing as Ben Stokes and Co. provided no resistance. India held the upper-hand throughout with a 4-1 series win in sight. The Indians engaged in nasty sledging of England stars too. The chatter between the Indians and the English batters were caught on stump mic.

One of the interactions that went viral was between Shubman Gill and Jonny Bairstow. It involved Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel too.

Here’s how the conversation went:

Bairstow – What did you say to Jimmy about getting tired and he got you out after that?

Gill – So what, it was after my 100, how many have you got here?

Sarfaraz – Thode se runs kya bana diya, jyada uchal raha hain (scored a few runs today and jumping too much).

India took a huge 259-run first innings lead before Ravichandran Ashwin ran through England’s self destructing top-order to leave them reeling at 103 for five in their second innings at lunch on day three of the fifth Test on Saturday. India could add only four runs to their overnight score to end with 477 in response to England’s 218.

The visitors took less than 20 minutes to wrap up India’s innings with veteran James Anderson finally getting to the 700-wicket mark. Young off-spinner Shoaib Bashir had Jasprit Bumrah stumped for his second five-wicket haul of his debut series.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/india-vs-england-2024/uchal-raha-hai-nasty-sledging-as-shubman-gill-sarfaraz-khan-taunt-jonny-bairstow-during-india-vs-england-5thtest-watch-5205254

James Anderson achieved the feat during Day 3 of the ongoing 5th Test against India in Dharamsala.

England pacer James Anderson on Saturday became the first fast bowler to claim 700 Test wickets. The 41-year-old achieved the feat during Day 3 of the ongoing 5th Test against India in Dharamsala. Anderson dismissed Kuldeep Yadav early in the morning session, becoming only the third bowler to claim 700 or more Test wickets. Only Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708) took more Test wickets than Anderson (700). On day 2, Anderson had cleaned up Shubman Gill to move to 699 Test wickets.

In the 147-year history of test cricket, which started from 1877, Anderson is the first pacer to take 700 wickets.

In India’s first innings, Anderson managed to take 2/60 in 16 overs, at an economy rate of 3.75. He got the wickets of Shubman Gill and Kuldeep Yadav.

Anderson, who made his Test debut for England back in 2002, now has 700 wickets in 187 Test matches. These have come at an average of 26.52 and a strike rate of 56.9, with 32 five-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls to his name. His best bowling figures in an inning are 7/42.

He is England’s highest wicket-taking bowler in Tests. Overall, in international cricket, he is behind Sri Lanka’s spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets in 133 matches) and the late Australian spin great Shane Warne (708 wickets in 145 matches).

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/india-vs-england-2024/india-vs-england-5th-test-james-anderson-becomes-first-pacer-to-take-700-test-wickets-5204601

Rohit Sharma once again showed his class during the ongoing England Test series, this time in the fifth and final game in Dharamshala.

Rohit Sharma once again showed his class during the ongoing England Test series, this time in the fifth and final game in Dharamshala. The India captain scored runs at a brisk pace during the hosts’ first innings in the match after they bowled out England for a below-par total of 218. Rohit raced to his 18th Test fifty in 77 balls and en route for the milestone, he took the England bowlers to the cleaners with some sensational strokes. One of them included a superb pull shot.

On the fourth ball of the 4th over of India’s innings, Mark Wood bowled a 151.2 kmph short ball but Rohit’s response to it was even better. He quickly transfered his weight on the backfoot and brought out his trademark pull shot to see the ball sail over the fine leg fence for a six.

Watch it here:

Kuldeep Yadav, who grabbed five wickets, and 100th Test man Ravichandran Ashwin helped India bundle out England for a woeful 218 in their first innings on Day 1 of the fifth Test on Thursday.

Kuldeep (5/72) and Ashwin (4/51) ran through the England batting line-up as the visitors lost eight wickets for 118 runs across post-lunch and post-tea sessions.

Opener Zak Crawley (79, 108 balls) offered lone resistance for England.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/india-vs-england-2024/mark-wood-bowls-151-2-kmph-delivery-rohit-sharmas-response-even-better-watch-5194041

After handing Ravichandran Ashwin the cap, head coach Rahul Dravid said it was a well-deserved moment for the Tamil Nadu cricketer.

“Test cricket is the closest synergy that you can find to life.” Ravichandran Ashwin’s voice trembled with emotion and pride during the gratitude-speech after receiving his special 100th Test cap from India head coach Rahul Dravid here on Thursday. But Ashwin did not restrict that landmark moment, which came during the fifth and final Test against England, to himself but he championed the cause of Test cricket amidst money-spinning T20 leagues.

“IPL has been a hugely popular tournament; a lot of kids want to play T20 and get into the IPL. I really do wish that they get there. But remember one thing, this format (Test)… it is in a lot of things that life wouldn’t teach you,” Ashwin said.

“I think Test cricket is what life is. It is the closest synergy that you can find to life. It will teach you to adapt, dealing with pressures.” The 37-year-old Ashwin, who made his Test debut in 2011, also paid handsome tribute to his father — Ravichandran — for believing in him and supporting his journey.

“It’s quite an emotional moment. Not just not just for me. I’m not one who would be shaken by emotions a lot. But today is a hugely emotional moment for a man who is sitting back in Chennai. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it here,” Ashwin began before making a quick recollection of early days.

“The first day (as a kid cricketer), I still remember it very clearly, I would put my kit in front of the petrol tank, and then he would put me on the bike and take me to the coaching camp.

“A government employee (his dad) wanted to take his son all the way miles ahead in life, somewhere he imagined I would ever get. He got me here because of the help of my mom and, of course, my granddad,” he added.

His wife Preeti has been a big pillar of support for him in periods of struggles.

“My wife didn’t know what she was getting into. She’s gotten into it and she’s standing next to me today. I have got two lovely kids who are also enjoying my journey over the last few years,” Ashwin said.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/india-vs-england-2024/emotional-moment-for-a-man-sitting-in-chennai-r-ashwins-beautiful-tribute-to-dad-on-100th-test-5192189#pfrom=home-ndtv_m_

India vs England 5th Test: Rohit Sharma made a quick stop at Bilaspur to inaugurate the Khel Mahakumbh before linking up with the Indian team in Dharamsala.

Fresh off from attending the pre-wedding functions of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, Rohit Sharma had quite an eventful Wednesday. The India captain marked his arrival in Himachal Pradesh for the fifth Test against England in style, but not in Dharamsala. Approximately 150 kms away from the HPCA Stadium, Rohit reached Bilaspur in style – entering the city in a chopper – to attend the inauguration of the Khel Mahakumbh.

The Khel Mahakumbh is the foundation on which Khelo India is built. It’s more of a grass-roots level event, comprising sports competition. It ranges from school to state level across various age groups and stretches up to three months, rewarding athletes with cash awards. And for the occasion to be graced by Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid was a big deal, especially for the Sports Minister of India, Anurag Thakur, who revealed that the India skipper left Delhi at 5.30 in the morning to reach the Luhnu Cricket Ground in time.

“Rohit Sharma has come here from Delhi at 5.30 am to inaugurate our Khel Mahakumbh, I thank him wholeheartedly – If Rohit wanted, he could have refused to come here as the 5th Test was from 7th but he came as he knew that the future of India would be here,” said Thakur at the event,” Thakur said.

That wasn’t all. Rohit and Dravid engaged in a friendly game of cricket. Rohit picked up the bat and faced his coach for a friendly few deliveries with the tennis ball. And once he was done, it was Dravid’s turn to pick up the bat as he gave the hundreds of fans in attendance reasons to cheer. It may not have been the perfect practice for the captain-coach duo ahead of the 5th Test but it was certainly a friendly warm-up nonetheless. Rohit and Dravid then headed back to Dharamsala where they linked up with the team and underwent their first nets ahead of the series finale.

Rohit back in business
After a 10-day break, the Indian team will be back in action hosting England for the last Test of this gruelling five-match series. With India having already captured it with an unassailable 3-1 lead attained in Ranchi, Rohit is eyeing the biggest Test series win in terms of margins. Last year, Rohit led India to a 2-1 win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, but another win here can see him better it with a 4-1 finish.

While Rohit will certainly be one of the men in focus, all eyes will be on Ravichandran Ashwin, who is set to play his 100th Test for India. The ace spinner will become the 14th Indian to complete a century of Tests, joining an illustrious list of rare Indian cricketers to the landmark. Having said that, Ashwin’s party could be spoiled due to the Dharamsala weather. With temperature expected to dip as low as 1 degree Celsius and rain on the horizon, the fifth Test is expected to be interrupted by rain.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/rohit-sharma-adored-for-5-30am-move-for-indias-future-90-kms-away-from-dharamsala-before-india-vs-england-5th-test-101709662763856.html

Ellyse Perry (58, 37b, 4×4, 4×6) was in perilous form for Royal Challengers Bangalore against UP Warriorz in a WPL game

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was witness to some terrific hitting from Royal Challengers Bangalore batters in a Women’s Premier League match against UP Warriorz on Monday. Engaging fifties by skipper Smriti Mandhana and star all-rounder Elsyse Perry took Royal Challengers Bangalore to a formidable 198 for three in 20 overs. Looking to get out of a two-match losing streak, RCB promoted S Meghana into the opening slot in place of Sophie Devine and the move paid off.

Meghana and Mandhana (80, 50b, 10×4, 3×6) added 51 runs in 5.3 overs to give the Royal Challengers a strong platform and the hosts ended the Power Play at 57 for 1, their best in WPL 2.

Mandhana in the company of Perry (58, 37b, 4×4, 4×6) added 95 runs off just 64 balls for the second wicket to optimise that start as the UP bowlers wilted under constant heat.

The left-hander’s timing was stunning as she played shots all around the park and treated spinners with disdain. It will give her a lot of confidence as she often tends to get stuck against the tweakers.

Mandhana, who was dropped on 28, was particularly severe on off-spinner Chamari Athapathuthu and left-arm pacer Anjali Sarvani, who she carted for a slew of fours and sixes.

But slog-sweep of off-spinner Deepti Sharma ended in the hands of Poonam Khemnar at deep mid-wicket to silence the roaring RCB fans.

However, Perry, who smashed left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad for two successive sixes, and Richa Ghosh added 42 runs off 18 balls for the third wicket as RCB motored on to a strong total. One of her sixes even went on to break the display car’s window.

The Warriorz’s chase did not have much to write home about except a fifty (55, 38b, 7×4, 3×6) by captain Alyssa Healy as it ended at 175/8.

Vrinda ruled out

Warriorz’s Vrinda Dinesh is ruled out of the remainder of the WPL after suffering a shoulder injury during the match against Mumbai Indians here on February 28.

The UP side has signed wicket-keeper batter Uma Chetry as a replacement at her base price of Rs 10 lakhs.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/women-s-premier-league-2024/elysse-perrys-monstrous-6-breaks-cars-window-rcb-stars-reaction-viral-in-wpl-watch-5176300

Yuzvendra Chahal picked Rajasthan Royals teammates Jos Buttler or Yashasvi Jaiswal to win the Orange Cap (become the highest run-scorer) in IPL 2024.

Veteran Indian cricket team spinner Yuzvendra Chahal picked Rajasthan Royals teammates Jos Buttler or Yashasvi Jaiswal to win the Orange Cap (become the highest run-scorer) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. In a video on his YouTube channel‘JokerKiHaveli,’ Esports streamer Gulrez Khan asked him to pick the top run-scorer of the upcoming season and although he jokingly picked himself first, he later said he believes it will be either Buttler or Jaiswal. “Orange cap will go to (Yashasvi) Jaiswal or Jos Buttler,” Chahal said.

Chahal was asked to predict the leading wicket-taker as well and he picked himself. For the second position, he picked Gujarat Titans spinner Rashid Khan.

“I will take the most wickets. Second, Rashid Khan,” the veteran spinner said in the video.

Meanwhile, former India opener Aakash Chopra has expressed his surprise over the leg spinner being excluded from the central contracts of the BCCI.

He added that Chahal’s ouster means the selection committee is looking at other options.

“I am a bit surprised that Yuzi Chahal’s name is not there. Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Shikhar Dhawan – their names not being there, I can understand. Even Deepak Hooda for that matter. But Chahal’s name not being there – what does that signify? It seems to indicate that they (BCCI) are looking in a different direction. This is a validation of the theory. He might have had a ray of hope, but it wasn’t to be. His name is not there,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/ipl-2024/not-virat-kohli-rohit-sharma-or-shubman-gill-yuzvendra-chahal-names-his-orange-cap-pick-for-ipl-2024-5168418

Rohit Sharma-led Indian men’s cricket team reached the No. 1 position in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 points table after Australia beat New Zealand by 172 runs in the first Test of the ongoing two-match series played between the two teams at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Sunday (March 7).

Rohit Sharma-led Indian men’s cricket team reached the No. 1 position in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 points table on Sunday (March 3) after Australia beat New Zealand in the first Test of the two-match series. In a match played at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, the Aussies dismissed the Black Caps for 196 runs in the second inning to win the fixture by 172 runs and go 1-0 up in the two-match series.

For the visitors, star spinner Nathan Lyon picked up six wickets for 65 runs in the second inning, and two batters were dismissed by Josh Hazlewood. Rachin Ravindra finished as the top scorer for the hosts. The 24-year-old left-handed batter amassed a total of 59 runs from 105 balls in the second inning.

After losing the first Test against the Pat Cummins-led side at home, New Zealand has slipped to No. 2 position in the WTC 2023-25 points table. The Black Caps have 60 PCT (%). Australia remained in the No. 3 spot, but their PCT (%) has now increased from 55 to 59.09.

World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 Points Table

India were the biggest winners from Australia’s win in Wellington. The Rohit Sharma-led side has now moved to No. 1 position in the points table with 64.58 PCT (%). India will maintain the No. 1 position if they manage to get the better of England in the fifth Test, which starts on Thursday (March 7) in Dharamsala.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/cricket/india-reach-no-1-position-in-wtc-2023-25-points-table-after-australia-beat-new-zealand-by-172-runs-in-1st-test-article-108171483

Rashid Byrd also appeared in ‘Semi-Pro’

After being in custody nearly 3½ years, a former professional basketball player will be spending the rest of his life in prison.

Rashid Byrd, who played in the NBA D-League and overseas, was sentenced to 90 years to life for a series of violent sexual assaults.

Byrd was arrested by Los Angeles Police in 2020, after they investigated a victim’s report that she was assaulted by Byrd the previous year.

That investigation found Byrd was also convicted of sexual assault in 2010 and arrested for a sexual assault in Washington in 2005.

“He started as a charmer, playing up his status as an athlete and pseudo-celebrity, but that quickly faded into rapes and violence,” said Det. Dara Brown, the lead investigator on the case.

“The LAPD is grateful for the brave women who came forward to tell their stories,” Brown added. “While this investigation has gone on for years, we are thankful that Byrd is no longer on the streets.”

Byrd, who stands at 7-foot-1, signed contracts with both the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings but never appeared in an NBA game. He played in 19 games for the Lakers’ D-League affiliate in the 2008-09 season.

Source : https://www.foxnews.com/sports/former-nba-prospect-sentenced-90-years-prison-multiple-sexual-assaults

The exclusion from the central contracts is a big setback for Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer as apart from losing recognition, the young players will suffer financial and professional damage

In one of the biggest cricket news this year, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to exclude India’s star players Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the central contracts. The cricket association was miffed with the young batters for prioritizing IPL over the domestic red ball tournaments and the action came after several warnings. The exclusion from the central contracts is a big setback for Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer as apart from losing recognition, the young players will suffer financial and professional damage.

What Ishan Kishan, and Shreyas Iyer will miss?

1. The central contracts of the BCCI are divided into four parts- A+, A, B, and C. The annual fees of the players vary as per their contracts. In 2023, Shreyas Iyer was placed in Grade B and received a ₹3 crore annual fee. Ishan Kishan, who was placed in Grade C, earned ₹1 crore in match fee.
2. The players with central contracts receive various facilities from the National Cricket Academy (NCA). They can use its ground for practice whenever they want, but Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan will now require a green signal from their respective state authorities to avail of NCA services.
3. If the players with central contracts get injured during the matches they play for India, BCCI compensates for their loss in other tournaments like Indian Premier League (IPL). Now, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan will have to bear that loss in case of injury during or before IPL 2024.

BCCI upset with Ishan Kishan for training with Hardik Pandya

Days ahead of BCCI’s decision to exclude Ishan Kishan from the central contract, the young batter was seen practicing with Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya in a pre-IPL camp with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). As per ESNPNCricinfo, the BCCI was particularly upset with those images as Ishan Kishan missed the Ranji Trophy 2024 match for Mumbai.

Source : https://www.livemint.com/sports/cricket-news/from-crores-in-annual-fee-to-practicing-at-nca-3-things-ishan-kishan-shreyas-iyer-will-miss-without-bcci-contract-11709371501502.html

Ireland defeated Afghanistan to clinch their first-ever win in a Test match

Ireland finally won their first Test match on Friday when they defeated Afghanistan by six wickets in Abu Dhabi, ending a streak of seven successive losses. Captain Andy Balbirnie led from the front with an undefeated 58 as Ireland reached their modest target of 111 in the final session of the third day. Ireland had played their first Test back in 2018 when they were defeated by Pakistan. “We’re absolutely excited. We’ve created history. The monkey is off the back and it’s very special to do that,” said Balbirnie whose team were wobbling at 13-3 at one stage.

“Obviously there were nerves; we were chasing our first win. You ask this whole group how special this is. A lot of our guys didn’t get to play Test cricket. Hopefully people back home want to be Test cricketers.”

Ireland are now the fourth fastest team in the 147 year history of Tests to clinch a win in the format. Australia took one match to win their first Test. England, Pakistan and Afghanistan took two matches to win their first Test. West Indies took six matches while Ireland has now taken eight matches. India won their first Test after 25 matches.

Afghanistan resumed their second innings Friday on 134-3 before they were dismissed for 218.

Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi top scored with 55 while Rahmanullah Gurbaz, making his Test debut, hit 46. Mark Adair picked up three wickets to finish with eight for the match. Craig Young and Barry McCarthy also claimed three apiece.

Gurbaz, better known for his flamboyant and explosive shot-making in limited overs cricket, clubbed the only two sixes of the innings.

Chasing just 111 for victory, Ireland were in trouble with three wickets down for just 13 runs with 18-year-old fast bowler Naveed Zadran clean-bowling opener Peter Moor and Curtis Campher, both without scoring.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/4th-fastest-in-147-years-ireland-clinch-1st-win-in-8th-test-to-make-history-5157948

A proposal for the use of blue cards emerged last month but Gianni Infantino says FIFA is “completely opposed” to the idea.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has ruled out blue cards being shown to players sent into sin bins.

A plan had been formed by some of football’s lawmakers for a new card to join the long-standing red and yellow ones that referees can deploy.

The proposal emerged last month, with Sky News understanding that some protocols had already been prepared for release.

Sin bins are currently only used at the lower levels of grassroots football, with players sent into them for 10 minutes for dissent.

But Mr Infantino rejected the idea of blue cards being used in the professional game.

Speaking in Scotland, ahead of Saturday’s meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) at Loch Lomond, he said: “FIFA is completely opposed to blue cards.

“Red card to the blue card. No way. You have to be serious.

“We are always open at IFAB, at FIFA, to look into ideas and proposals… but once you look at it you also have to protect the game, the essence of the game, the tradition of the game.

“There is no blue card.”

The world governing body holds four of the eight votes on IFAB, which is holding its 138th annual meeting this weekend. The other votes are held by the four British nations.

Mr Infantino also dismissed calls for temporary concussion substitutes, following a request from players’ unions concerned about long-term brain damage caused by head injuries.

FIFA’s preference is for teams to make an extra permanent substitution to replace players suspected of having a concussion.

Mr Infantino said: “We studied it and medical experts are saying it is simply impossible in a few minutes to be able to determine whether there has been a concussion, whether concussion is serious or not.

“And that’s why, in case of a suspected concussion, the player has to be substituted.

“If you want to care about the health of the player, then the players go out and another player comes in, and that’s the end of it.

“And this would protect the player. All the rest is not protecting the heads of players, just making some PR announcements.”

Football’s law-making body IFAB is being sued by a group of former players in the UK who allege they suffered brain injuries from playing football and authorities failed to take reasonable action to protect them from repeated concussive and sub-concussive blows.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/fifa-president-rules-out-use-of-blue-cards-and-temporary-concussion-subs-13084855

The Delhi Capitals inflicted hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore’s first loss of the second season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), winning by 25 runs at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.

Chasing 195 runs for victory, it was well-and-truly the Smriti Mandhana show at the Chinnaswamy as the RCB skipper single-handedly exerted tons of pressure on the DC bowling helping the hosts reach 52 runs after the Powerplay, of which 45 runs came from Mandhana’s bat.

The southpaw kept RCB in the game, even as Devine found it tough to get going at her end and got to her maiden WPL half-century, off 32 balls.

Devine finally got going with two consecutive sixes off Minnu Mani but fell in the next over (23 runs off 17 balls) to give Arundhati Reddy her first wicket.

With RCB needing 85 runs in the last 10 overs, DC found themselves marginally ahead in the contest but with Mandhana still in the middle, they could not relax just yet.

The southpaw and the in-form Sabbhineni Meghana kept the asking rate in check with some measured batting, but DC nudged significantly ahead in the contest when they removed Mandhana (74 runs off 43 balls), bowled by Marizanne Kapp.

The onus to take RCB home fell on Meghana and Richa Ghosh and at 138 for 2 after 15 overs, needed to take the hosts home in a tricky chase. But the wicket-keeper batter fell off the first ball of the 16th over for 19 to DC’s MVP Kapp as the visitors mounted the pressure on the hosts.

RCB needed 51 runs off the final four overs, but a combination of some excellent bowling and clutch fielding meant the DC were always ahead in the game and in the end, won by 25 runs.

Earlier, contributions from Shafali Verma (50 runs off 31 balls), Alice Capsey (46 runs off 33 balls), Kapp (32 runs off 17 balls) and Jess Jonassen (36 not off 15 balls) helped DC reach a mammoth 194 for 5 in 20 overs.

Source: https://www.news18.com/cricket/wpl-2024-delhi-capitals-down-royal-challengers-bangalore-by-25-runs-end-unbeaten-run-8798360.html

Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia has moved an urgent joint petition in the Delhi High Court, seeking a stay on the selection competition being organised by the WFI.

Rejecting the Wrestling Federation of India’s invitation to compete in the upcoming national trials, ace Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia has moved an urgent joint petition in the Delhi High Court, seeking a stay on the selection competition being organised by the WFI in New Delhi on March 10-11. It has been learnt from reliable sources that Bajrang, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and her husband Satywart Kadiyan moved the court on Wednesday and the matter will be heard on Friday. While Bajrang did not confirm filing a petition, he questioned the government’s silence on the issues concerning Indian wrestling.

The Indian team for the Asian Wrestling Championships Olympic Qualifier in Kyrgyzstan next month will be selected on the basis of the trials at Delhi’s IG Stadium.

Bajrang told PTI from Russia, where he is training for the last two months, that he has spent a fortune abroad but he won’t compete in trials if they are conducted by the Sanjay Singh-led WFI.

“I would not spend Rs 30 lakh on my training if I were to not compete in the trials, but how the suspended WFI is conducting the trials? I don’t get what the government’s compulsion is (on allowing WFI to conduct trials)?” Bajrang said.

“I don’t understand how a sports body suspended by the Indian government issue a circular and announce the trials. Why is the government silent? We will appear in the trials only if the ad-hoc panel or the government conducts it. How can a suspended body announce the trials?” he asked.

WFI president Sanjay Singh had appealed to the protesting wrestlers to forget the past and appear for the trials.

The trio had led a prolonged protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding the arrest of then WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who they had accused of sexual harassment.

Bajrang, the Tokyo Olympics bronze winner, said that not just him but Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat will also skip the trials.

“This decision to not appear in trials is a joint decision taken by us. We are together in this,” he said.

PTI tried to reach out Sakshi and Vinesh for confirmation but the former did not return calls and the latter could not be contacted.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/wrestling/bajrang-refuses-to-appear-in-selection-trials-under-wfi-moves-court-against-selection-competition-5150258

The member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team backed the BCCI’s directive for cricketers to play Ranji Trophy, saying it’s a good move and the rule should be applicable to every India team player

Member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team Kirti Azad on Thursday backed the BCCI’s directive for cricketers to play Ranji Trophy, saying it’s a good move and the rule should be applicable to every India team player, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The out-of-favour duo of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were excluded from the list of centrally-contracted players after they ignored the directive to play Ranji Trophy. “It (directive) is a very good move. Everybody should be playing Ranji Trophy cricket, but currently the emphasis is on the IPL. It is good, it is entertaining but the real cricket is the (five) days’ cricket. Playing in domestic cricket is good, it keeps you in touch.

“But whenever you are free, even if you’re a Rohit Sharma or a Virat Kohli, you should go back and play domestic cricket for the state. That (state) gave you the opportunity to be a player, get selected and then play for the country.

He felt that penalising just Ishan and Iyer wasn’t right.

“Just to penalise the two is not correct, I think everybody should be penalised. Everybody should be seen with the same mirror,” Azad told PTI Video.

Azad declined to comment on whether this was the potential end of the road for Ishan and Iyer after their names were excluded from the list of centrally-contracted players.

“My question is, are they playing enough domestic cricket? They are playing T20 cricket, nowadays and every other state has a T20 cricket league. Back in the days when we were starting our careers, players like Bishan Singh Bedi, Madan Lal, Surinder Amarnath, Mohinder Amarnath, Chetan Chauhan, Sunil Gavaskar, Sandeep Patil, Karsan Ghavri played alongside youngsters like me and Ravi Shastri.

“All these senior Test team players would play for their sides, would play for the pride of their state which seems missing in the youngsters nowadays,” he added.

He questioned why India players had issues playing domestic cricket while England cricketers willingly played county cricket when not in the national side.

“Look at county cricket; there are 20-plus counties and there are numerous three-day and four-day games along with T20 cricket, but every player is involved there. If a player is left out of the Test squad, then he returns to play for his county.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/even-if-you-are-rohit-sharma-or-virat-kohli-1983-world-cup-winner-on-domestic-cricket-mandate-5149013

Shohei Ohtani stunned the Los Angeles Dodgers — and many around the world — with his marriage announcement on Thursday, so manager Dave Roberts said any gift the team gives the two-time MVP would be like most of the money in his contract: deferred.

“I’m very happy for him and his bride,” Roberts said, smiling. “As far as wedding gifts, we got surprised and didn’t have much time to think about it. I’m sure it’s en route.”

Ohtani, the two-way Japanese star, revealed on Instagram early Thursday that he was married. Much of the relationship remains shroudded in mystery.

“She is a Japanese woman,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I don’t really feel comfortable talking about when I got married exactly, but she’s a normal Japanese woman.”

Ohtani only gave a few more tidbits about the relationship during a short interview on Thursday, saying he had known his new bride for three or four years.

The 29-year-old Ohtani is Japan’s biggest celebrity. There has been curiosity about his personal life, which he has always kept private. His focus and his image has always been 100%-baseball focused and free of scandals and tabloid news.

“I felt like it was good timing because it was before the season,” Ohtani said. “I didn’t really want any distractions once the season started. I would have liked to announce it earlier, but there were some paperwork issues that (delayed) the whole process.”

Ohtani moved from the Los Angeles Angels to the Dodgers in December on a record $700 million, 10-year contract that calls for $680 million to be paid from 2034-43.

Ohtani said his marriage didn’t affect how he treated free agency.

“She has a great understanding of my profession, and she’s willing to be wherever I wanted to play and ultimately it was my decision,” Ohtani said.

The post on Instagram included a photo of his dog “Dekopin,” whom Ohtani also calls “Decoy.”

He wrote: “We hope the two of us — and one animal — will work together.”

The news broke in the middle of the night in North America and late afternoon in Japan where it was immediately the top news item.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/shohei-ohtani-married-japan-e5949dae4e5bc7b99607554cb78bbe3b

Ravi Shastri issued a sharp message for Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan after BCCI axed them from the central contracts for the 2023-24 season.

Out-of-favour batters Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were shown the exit door by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for ignoring the apex cricket board’s directive to feature in the Ranji Trophy on Wednesday. Iyer and Kishan’s names went missing from the 30-player annual retainership list shared by the BCCI for the 2023-2024 season. With opinions taking flight after BCCI unveiled the list of centrally-contracted players, former India head coach Ravi Shastri reserved special praise for board secretary Jay Shah.

For the first time, the BCCI revealed the list of selected players who received the fast bowling contracts. The selection committee has been handing out fast-bowling offers to Indian pacers since the 2021-2022. Speedsters Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal and Vidwath Kaverappa have made the cut for the season. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, the former Indian all-rounder and ex-India head coach welcomed the BCCI’s game-changing move.

“Big applause to @BCCI and @JayShah for the game-changing move with ‘fast bowling’ contracts. A crucial step in gearing up for Down Under later this year. The emphasis on Test Cricket and Domestic Cricket is a powerful message, setting the right tone for the future of our beloved sport!,” Shastri said in his post. Ex-India head coach Shastri also backed Iyer and Kishan to come back stronger following their unceremonious exits from the central contracts list.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/ravi-shastri-sharp-message-shreyas-iyer-ishan-kishan-salutes-jay-shah-over-bcci-game-changing-move-101709142690825.html

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were the notable absentees from BCCI’s annual contract list for Team India (Senior Men) for the 2023-24 season.

Star India cricketers Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer did not find a place in the Annual Player Contracts for Team India (Senior Men) for the 2023-24 season, which were announced on Wednesday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Rumours were rampart over the duo being dropped from the contract list, which has now been finalised for the duration between October 1st, 2023 to September 30th, 2024. “Please note that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations,” the BCCI said in a release on Wednesday.

Kishan had opted for a break midway through the tour of South Africa, before being dropped from the team for the T20Is against Afghanistan and the ongoing Test bilateral against England.

On Kishan’s non-selection, India head coach Rahul Dravid had said that the player is yet to make himself for selection, adding that the wicketkeeper-batter will have to play domestic cricket to get back into the national team.

Iyer, on the other hand, played the first two Tests against England, before being dropped from the squad for the last three games. BCCI didn’t give a reason behind his ouster from the team. However, he kept on missing the Ranji Trophy matches for his state team Jharkhand.

Iyer recently excused himself from a Ranji Trophy game of Mumbai due to a back issue. A report in the Times of India had predicted that the duo will be dropped from the BCCI contracts list.

After dropping Kishan and Iyer from the central contract list, BCCI, in their release, also warned the players to feature in domestic games when they are part of the national team.

“The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team,” the BCCI suggested.

Meanwhile, among the contracted players – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja were placed in the highest – A+ – category. Six players – R Ashwin, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya – are in the A category.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/bccis-stern-message-on-playing-domestic-cricket-after-terminating-ishan-kishan-shreyas-iyer-contracts-5144353

Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended for one match after appearing to make an obscene gesture following Al Nassr’s 3-2 win over Al Shabab, the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Football Federation (SAFF) said on Wednesday.
After the final whistle on Sunday, social media videos captured Ronaldo cupping his ear before repeatedly pumping his hand forward in front of his pelvic area. The action appeared to be directed at the rival Al Shabab supporters.

In the background, chants of “Messi” could be heard, referencing Ronaldo’s long-term football rival from Argentina.
The committee said the Portuguese star would have to pay a fine of 10,000 Saudi riyals ($2,666) to the Saudi Football Federation, and 20,000 riyals to Al-Shabab to cover the costs of the complaint filing fees.
The committee said the decision is not subject to appeal.
In April last year, the 39-year-old Ronaldo appeared to grab his genitals while on his way to the dugout following the end of a league game against Al Hilal, which Al Nassr lost 2-0.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/ronaldo-suspended-one-match-obscene-gesture-saudi-league-game-2024-02-28/

As per the Andhra Cricket Association, cricketers were forced to sign the Letter of Support that was shared by Hanuma Vihari on his social media account. Vihari lashed out at the state body, alleging mistreatment and political interference and vowed not to play for the association again.

Andhra cricketers were forced to sign the ‘Letter of Support’ that Hanuma Vihari had shared on his social media handles, Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) said on Tuesday, sharing letters from players. On Monday, Vihari lashed out at the Andhra cricket board after he was asked to step down as the captain of the team.

Vihari claimed he was subject to mistreatment by the board and alleged political interference after Andhra failed to go through to the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy 2024 following a 4-run loss to Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.

Vihari said that the Andhra board asked him to resign after cricketer Prudhvi Raj KN’s father, also a politician, complained to the state association that the India cricketer verbally abused his son, who was the 17th player in their squad. Vihari also said that he would never play for Andhra, adding he felt humiliated by the board’s treatment.

However, the ACA said that signatures of players calling for Vihari’s reinstation as captain were obtained under duress. The state body also said several players and members of the support staff brought to the notice of ACA about issues with Vihari’s conduct in the past.

The following are Andhra Cricket Association’s claims and copies of letters to support them, accessed by India Today.

He asked the Andhra Cricket Association to continue on behalf of Andhra, apologising for being emotional and frustrated for not being selected in the Indian team, as he was not given the NOC.

Hanuma Vihari has alleged that despite all the players in the team supporting him to continue as the captain, he was removed. In this regard, the concerned players have complained to the Andhra Cricket Association against Vihari.

The Andhra Cricket Association came up with a bombshell response to Hanuma Vihari’s controversial remarks on Prudhvi Raj KN.

Andhra Pradesh crashed to a narrow four-run defeat against Madhya Pradesh in their Ranji Trophy quarter-final fixture on Monday. It was a close encounter but Madhya Pradesh came out on top in a nail-biting thriller.

The heartbreak for Andhra Pradesh didn’t just end there. After the match, star batter and former captain Hanuma Vihari came up with sensational accusations towards the Andhra Cricket Association and also towards a teammate. In a controversial statement posted on Instagram, Vihari disclosed the circumstances leading up to his departure from captaincy. He revealed that he was asked to resign from captaincy after an altercation with a player, who happened to be the son of a “prominent politician”.

Soon, Andhra cricketer Prudhvi Raj KN took to Instagram and revealed that he was the cricketer Vihari spoke about. but Prudhvi had a different take on the situation and accused Vihari of abusing him.

In an attempt to put an end to the social media war, Andhra Cricket Association came forward with an official statement, where they also threw accusations towards the India cricketer.

In their statement, Andhra Cricket Association said, “Addressing the reported issue, it has come to our attention that Mr. Vihari personally verbally abused a specific player during the Bengal Ranji game in front of everyone. The affected player filed an official complaint with ACA.”

The association also explained the captaincy change in the statement. The statement revealed, “In January 2024, following the first Ranji Trophy game, an email from the Chairman of the Senior Selection Committee proposed a new captain due to Vihari’s status as an Indian prospect affecting his season-long availability. Vihari, in response, expressed appreciation for the decision, leading to Ricky Bhui being announced as the new captain by the senior selection committee.”

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/andhra-cricket-association-responds-to-hanuma-viharis-accusations-on-prudhvi-raj-fresh-allegations-thrown-101708970171180.html

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said on Sunday “it makes more sense for the IOC” to give India the hosting rights for the 2036 Olympic Games.

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said on Sunday “it makes more sense for the IOC” to give India the hosting rights for the 2036 Olympic Games as the country is growing by leaps and bounds in every sphere including sports. Thakur, while speaking at the News9 Global Summit, said India’s recent performance at mega international events, such as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, gives him hope that the country could become a top-10 sporting nation by 2036 and be in the top-5 by 2047.

“We had the largest population to see the Olympic sports last time (in 2020 Tokyo) and this time, it makes more sense for the IOC to give 2036 Olympics to none other than Bharat, our India,” said Thakur.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already expressed the country’s desire to host the Olympics in 2036 during the IOC session in Mumbai last year, and when asked if India was ready to hold the mega event and which city could play host, Thakur said, “PM Modi made it very clear during the IOC session that India is very serious to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, and before that we want to host the 2030 Youth Olympics. And, I have a reason to say so.

“If you look at India in the last 10 years, we have become the fifth-largest economy in the world. If you look at sector to sector, India is doing extremely well…economy-wise fifth largest, next five years, we are going to be the third largest.

“By 2036, the Indian economy would be much larger, sports infrastructure is also getting better and better with each passing day. We have 1.4 billion population, out of which 65 per cent is below 35. That is 1/6th of the total population of the world lives in India, so what could be a bigger market (for Olympics).

“Then, the target I have set for 2036, India will be among the top-10 medal winning countries, and (by) 2047, among the top-5 to win medals,” he said.

Thakur foresees Olympic disciplines too enjoying a huge following and compared it with where cricket was before the country won the World Cup for the first time and how massively things have changed now.

“If you look at 1983 (World Cup win), before that even in cricket we didn’t have enough money. When the team won the World Cup, even the BCCI didn’t have enough money to pay them (winning team players), or to celebrate in a big way.

“But when they (BCCI) fought the case against Prasar Bharati and won the case, that is where they won the telecast rights and the game changed. Then money came into cricket. That is how the BCCI have done well with their professional working in the last so many years.

“In the last 2-3 decades, we have seen so many cricketers doing well on the international stage. So, in cricket we had a lot of stars to look up to. And, today, in other sports too we have a lot of starts to look up to. I think the time has started when the country’s mindset has changed,” he added.

He said the government’s focus on creating sports infrastructure in the last 10 years and pumping in money gave him confidence.

“The sports budget has been increased three times in the last 10 years. We have spent 3,000 crores in creating 300 sports infrastructure. We have a lot of schemes for the benefit of players, so that they can perform better rather than worry about the facilities… how they can train, where to train, who will fund them. That is not their worry today, they all need to train hard and perform.

“That is why India has won 100-plus (107) medals in the Hangzhou Asian Games. At one time, a rickshaw-puller’s or a tea seller’s son used to worry how he will reach the top level in sports. After Khelo India and Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS), boarding, lodging and training etc is taken care of and elite athletes get Rs six lakh pocket money as well.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/othersports/it-makes-more-sense-for-ioc-to-give-2036-olympics-to-india-anurag-thakur-5125184

19-year-old Max Dehning made heads turn by becoming the youngest man to breach the coveted 90m mark in javelin. The German teenager achieved the feat at the Winter Throwing Championships in Halle on Sunday, February 25.

It seems Neeraj Chopra has a new rival to worry about at this year’s Paris Olympics. 19-year-old Max Dehning of Germany threw 90.20m on Sunday, February 25 at the German Winter Throwing Championships in Halle. Dehning became the youngest man to breach the coveted 90m mark in the history of men’s javelin throw and the first to go past the mark in the Olympics year.

Max Dehning improved on his personal best, which was 78.07m until Saturday, to make heads turn in the track and field community. Dehning, a two-time U20 World Championships silver medallist, came up with the massive throw in his first attempt at the German Winter Throwing Championships on Sunday, improving on his previous mark by more than 12m.

Max Dehning’s 90.20m is the 22nd on the list of best-ever throws in men’s javelin history, an elite club that is topped by legendary Jan Zelezny’s 98.48m throw.

Max Dehning’s coach knew that his ward had achieved a special throw the moment the spear left his hand in the competition on Sunday.

Incidentally, Max Dehning’s second throw was 85.45m as he proved that his record throw was not a fluke and that he can challenge the big boys at the highest level. Nico Cyclist finished second in the competition on Sunday with a best effort of 76.56m.

The throw also makes Max Dehning eligible to compete at the Olympics in Paris this year as the qualification mark was set at 83m for men’s javelin.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/athletics/story/max-dehning-javelin-90m-throw-teenager-germany-olympics-paris-youngest-2506974-2024-02-25

Cristiano Ronaldo faced a flurry of criticism after appearing to make an obscene gesture following the end of Al Nassr’s 3-2 win over Al Shabab in an exciting Saudi Pro League game on Sunday.
The Portugal forward opened the scoring with a 21st-minute penalty but Al Nassr needed a late goal from Brazilian Talisca, who struck twice, to settle the game with four minutes left.
After the final whistle, social media videos captured Ronaldo cupping his ear before repeatedly pumping his hand forward in front of his pelvic area. The action appeared to be directed at the rival Al Shabab supporters.

Ravichandran Ashwin became the first Indian to claim 100 wickets against England as he dismissed Jonny Bairstow in th first innings of the Ranchi Test.

A modern-day great, Ravichandran Ashwin scaled a new mountain on Friday as India took on England on Day 1 of the 4th Test in Ranchi. The veteran spinner bagged his 100th wicket against England in Tests as he dismissed Jonny Bairstow LBW in the morning session. Ashwin, in the process, became the first Indian to claim 100 scalps against England in the longest format of the game. Ashwin reached the milestone in his 23rd Test against the Englishmen. The overall list is led by the legendary Shane Warne, who bagged a whopping 195 wickets against England in 36 Tests.

After Ashwin, the next Indian on the list of BS Chandrasekhar who took 95 wickets against England in 23 matches. Anil Kumble is the third on the list with 92 wickets in 19 matches.

Though categorised as a spinner, Ashwin has also done wonders with the bat at times. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer also became the first Asian bowler to claim 100 wickets against England while also scoring 1000 runs against them with the bat.

Ashwin, in the third Test against England in Rajkot, became the second Indian bowler after Anil Kumble to take 500 Test wickets during the third Test against England — a feat which means a lot to the senior off-spinner after enduring a phase when he did not know how to come out of the “dark tunnel” he had hit.

Ashwin also became only the third off-spinner to achieve the feat and continues to be the second-highest wicket-taker for India behind Kumble, who ended his career with 619 scalps.

The 37-year-old reached the milestone on day two of the ongoing Test. He needed just one wicket for the feat and that came in the way of opener Zak Crawley, who mistimed a sweep that landed in the safe hands of Rajat Patidar at short fine leg.

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/india-vs-england-2024/india-vs-england-ravichandran-ashwin-completes-unique-century-first-indian-to-reach-milestone-5111741

The duo of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer are reportedly likely to lose their place in BCCI’s central contract list for the 2023-24 season.

Away from international duty, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan continue to keep their distance from the Ranji Trophy for different reasons. While Kishan has reportedly been ‘working on his technique’ ahead of the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, Iyer is said to struggling with a minor back spasm problem. But, it seems like the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) top brass isn’t entirely happy with Kishan and Iyer, and is likely to leave out the duo from the new central contracts list.

As per a report in the Times of India, both Iyer and Kishan are expected to be omitted from the list of centrally contracted players for the 2023-24 season. One of the reasons behind this decision is reportedly their absence from domestic cricket despite the board’s insistence.

“The selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, has almost finalised the list of centrally contracted players for the 2023-24 season too, which the BCCI will announce soon.

“Kishan and Iyer are likely to be excluded from that list, as both haven’t been playing domestic cricket despite the BCCI’s diktat to do so,” a source told the paper.

The paper also quoted a source close to Iyer saying that the middle-order batter was left out of the last three Tests against England due to a back problem.

Iyer was “excluded from India’s squad for the last three Tests as a precautionary measure, after he complained of a back problem.” “Patel’s email to the BCCI was written after the second Test against England. Since then, a back problem has bothered Iyer,” the source said. “Iyer was one of India’s top-performing batsmen in the ODI World Cup in India last year. He won’t lose the contract just because he missed the odd Ranji match.”

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/ishan-kishan-shreyas-iyer-likely-to-be-axed-from-bcci-central-contracts-report-5112229/amp/1

Travis Kelce was seen admiring the incredible view from Taylor Swift’s $25,000-per-night presidential suite at the five-star Crown Sydney hotel Thursday morning, photos from the Daily Mail show.

The three-time Super Bowl champion joined the “Blank Space” singer Down Under this week as she prepares to bring her Eras Tour to Sydney.

Kelce was seen pensively looking out at the city’s major landmarks from the lavish digs, which feature floor to ceiling windows and unparalleled views of Sydney Harbour.

The two-story hotel room also boasts an open-air terrace and a private infinity pool on the 88th floor of the luxury property.

Kelce kept it casual in a white top with an oversized green jacket and a black cap.

The NFL star, who was seemingly in high spirits, stood alongside his pal, fellow football player Ross Travis, who accompanied him on the trip to Australia.

It appears Kelce and Swift, both 34, wasted no time hitting the town the moment Kelce landed on Thursday, as the two were seen touring the Sydney Zoo with Swift’s opening act, Sabrina Carpenter.

The 14-time Grammy winner apparently loved her first visit to the zoo so much on Wednesday that she brought her man back to see the animals for himself.

The two held hands while getting up close and personal with the Aussie wildlife during a private tour of the park, which is located in Western Sydney about 40 minutes away from the city center.

The “Cruel Summer” songstress and the football tight end even hand-fed kangaroos and koalas during their wholesome day out.

As previously reported, Swift jetted into Sydney after concluding three record-breaking performances at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last week.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2024/02/22/entertainment/travis-kelce-seen-admiring-view-from-taylor-swifts-hotel-in-sydney/

Promising seamer Akash Deep made his Test debut in India’s fourth Test against England in Ranchi. His inclusion is a strategic move to bolster the Indian team’s pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.

Akash Deep has been handed his Test debut as the Bengal pacer will replace Jasprit Bumrah and partner Mohammed Siraj in the fourth Test against England in Ranchi on Thursday. Akash Deep’s stellar performance, claiming 12 wickets across three matches against the England Lions, propelled him into the squad for his Test debut.

His rigorous preparation was evident during net practice sessions in Ranchi, where he showcased his bowling prowess at full tilt and demonstrated versatility with an extended batting session. With the upcoming conditions in Ranchi anticipated to be overcast and cooler, favoring seam bowlers like Akash Deep, his inclusion appears to be a strategic move by the Indian team, capitalizing on his potential to exploit the conditions effectively and bolster the bowling attack.

The absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the highest wicket-taker in the ongoing series, leaves big shoes to fill. However, Akash Deep’s debut might be seen as a fitting response to this challenge. His pace and ability to deliver in-dippers could prove invaluable on the Ranchi pitch, which may offer seam movement before the cracks begin to play a role. Batters Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel have already made their test debuts in this series.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/india-vs-england-akash-deep-makes-his-test-debut-in-ranchi-2506005-2024-02-23

Abhishek Sharma and Tania Singh hadn’t talked to each other in a long time.

IPL (Indian Premier League) cricketer Abhishek Sharma, who represents Sunrisers Hyderabad in the marquee tournament, is expected to be called up by Surat Police in connection with the suicide of model Tania Singh in the Vesu area of Surat.

Originally from Rajasthan, Tania Singh resided at Happy Elegance in the Vesu area and was pursuing Fashion Design and Modeling for the last 18 months. She committed suicide in her apartment, and the authorities suspect a love affair between her and Abhishek Sharma, although the duo hadn’t spoken to each other in a long time.

It is worth noting that, according to Police Inspector BU Barad of Vesu Police Station, that there was no contact between Abhishek and Tania for a long time. However, seeing that he was friends with her, he would be called for questioning.

Sunrisers Hyderabad aim to improve in IPL 2024

It is worth noting that Abhishek Sharma is an all-rounder who has scored 893 runs at a strike rate of 137.38 in 47 matches in IPL. He has scored four half-centuries and taken nine wickets in IPL and represents Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The 16th edition of the IPL was not kind to Hyderabad as the side came into the tournament hoping to go all the way, but failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition after they finished in 10th place in the IPL 2023 standings.

Playing 14 games throughout the course of the season, Hyderabad managed to win just four games and lost the remaining games. The side finished the group stage with eight points in 14 matches and had a season to forget.

Source : https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/srh-cricketer-abhishek-sharma-to-be-interrogated-in-connection-to-model-tania-singhs-suicide

Six sixes in an over is a feat in cricket that is universally celebrated

In cricket, there are several feats which are widely celebrated. Hitting six sixes in an over is one of the them. Who can forget the six sixes hit by Yuvraj Singh at the 2007 T20 World Cup off England’s Stuart Broad. West Indies legend Sir Gary Sobers was the first person to achieve the feat in a major match. Playing in a County Championship for Nottinghamshire in 1968, Garfield Sobers hit Glamorgan’s Malcolm Nash for six sixes in an over. Then Ravi Shastri became the first Indian to hit six sixes in an over in 1985 for Bombay against Baroda.

Herschelle Gibbs was the first batter to hit six sixes in an over in international cricket. Now, Vamshhi Krrishna of Andhra Pradesh is the latest addition to that list. He achieved the feat in a Col CK Nayudu Trophy match. The Col CK Nayudu Trophy is a national tournament for U-23 cricketers.

“6 sixes in an over alert! Vamshhi Krrishna of Andhra hit 6 sixes in an over off Railways spinner Damandeep Singh on his way to a blistering 64-ball 110 in the Col C K Nayudu Trophy in Kadapa,” the BCCI wrote in a post along with the video.

Recently, after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that R Ashwin, who had left to be at his mother’s side, who had fallen ill, rejoined the team on Day 4 of the third Test against England, former head coach Ravi Shastri revealed that the board arranged a charter flight arranged a chartered plane for the player.

Shastri lauded BCCI and secretary Jay Shah for showing empathy towards Ashwin, adding that the gesture would’ve made the player feel “special”.

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/6-sixes-in-1-over-andhra-pradesh-youngster-makes-history-bcci-issues-alert-watch-5100441

Jasprit Bumrah was released “keeping in mind the duration of the series and amount of cricket he has played in recent times,” a BCCI statement said

Ahead of the India vs England fourth Test, starting in Ranchi on Friday, Jasprit Bumrah has been released from the squad, the BCCI said in a media release late on Tueday. “The decision was taken keeping in mind the duration of the series and amount of cricket he has played in recent times,” the BCCI statement added. Meanwhile, KL Rahul is ruled out of the fourth Test. “His participation in the final Test match in Dharamsala is subject to fitness,” the BCCI said.

Mukesh Kumar, who was released from the squad for the third Test in Rajkot, has joined the squad in Ranchi.

As part of workload management, India had also rested Mohammed Siraj from the second Test in Visakhapatnam before he returned to play a part in India’s record 434 run win over the visitors in Rajkot on Sunday.

India are well-placed to seal the series in Ranchi but if they are not able to, the home team will desperately need the services of Bumrah for the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala beginning March 7.

Rahul, who missed the second and third Test after complaining of pain in his right quadriceps, had reached 90 percent fitness last week, according to an insider.

“He is reaching his match fitness and should be available for Ranchi Test,” a source told news agency PTI.

Rahul was among India’s best batters in the opening Test in Hyderabad before going down with the same injury that he suffered during the IPL last year.

Since his comeback after four months on the sidelines, the batter has delivered for India across formats. He was the only centurion for India in the drawn two-Test series in South Africa in December.

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/india-vs-england-2024/jasprit-bumrah-released-from-india-squad-for-4th-test-against-england-bcci-reveals-reason-5095487

Indian batting star Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma have announced the birth of their second child, a baby boy named Akaay on February 20, Tuesday.

In a statement released on both their social media profiles, Kohli and Anushka said that the boy was born on 15th February. The duo would go on to request the fans to respect their privacy at the moment.

“With abundant happiness and our hearts all of love, we are pleased to inform everyone that on 15th February, we welcomed our baby boy Akaay & Vamika’s little brother into this world!”

“We seek your blessings and good wishes in this beautiful time in our lives. We request you to kindly respect our privacy at this time.”

“Love & Gratitude. Virat & Anushka,” read the statement from Anushka Sharma on her Instagram post.

Kohli and Anushka Sharma tied the knot in 2017. The star couple celebrated the third birthday of Vamika, their daughter, on 11 January 2024.

Notably, Kohli had prioritised family in 2021 as the then captain had returned home after the first of a 4-Test series against Australiaa to be with his wife during the birth of their first child.

The Indian star had initially withdrawn from the first two Tests against England, where India had lost the first match in Hyderabad and won the second one in Vizag. However, the Indian star would then go on to withdraw from the whole series, citing personal reasons and the BCCI backing his decision.

AB de Villiers had initially revealed on his YouTube channel that Kohli and Anushka were expecting their second child. However, a few days later, the former South African skipper would perform a U-turn and said that he didn’t know why Kohli had taken a break.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/virat-kohli-anushka-sharma-announce-birth-of-second-child-akaay-2504838-2024-02-20

The player did not get a chance in the playing XI of the Indian cricket team for a long time despite being Man of the Match for scoring a ton vs West Indies

Getting an Indian cricket team cap is the ultimate dream for any cricket player from the country. But if getting an India call-up is tough, maintaining the place in the India team is ever harder. Many cricketers have shown promise, yet their international career fizzled out after some time. Manoj Tiwary, who served Bengal for about two decades and represented India in 12 ODIs and three T20Is, is part of that list. The player retired a day after Bengal’s final match in the Ranji Trophy this season on Sunday.

Manoj Tiwary made his ODI debut against Australia in 2008. He scored his first ODI ton against West Indies in Chennai On December 11, 2011. He was adjudged the Man of the Match for his performance. However, he was not part of the playing XI again until July 2012 against Sri Lanka.

A day after his retirement, he said his biggest regret would be not getting the Test cap after having represented India in the ODIs and T20Is.

“When I had completed playing 65 first-class matches, my batting average was around 65. The Australia team had toured India then, and I had scored 130 in Chennai in a friendly game, then I scored 93 against England in a friendly game. I was very close, but they picked Yuvraj Singh instead. So Test cap and the fact that I was ignored after getting the Man of the Match award for scoring a hundred…I was ignored for 14 straight matches. When self-confidence is at its peak and someone destroys that, then that player is finished,” Manoj Tiwary told News18. “Confidence is everything for a player, in any profession.”

Who killed that confidence? Tiwary was asked upfront. “I know the name but I don’t want to take it. I am a grown man now. When a player is omitted, it’s the decision of the team management,” he replied.

“The captain of that team was MS Dhoni. I am asking you upfront,” the reporter then asked Manoj Tiwary.

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/want-to-ask-ms-dhoni-why-i-was-dropped-after-scoring-ton-just-retired-stars-explosive-take-name-drops-virat-kohli-rohit-sharma-5088497

An Israeli medallist was booed by the crowd in a sour finish to the Doha World Championships on Sunday, taking the gloss off some stunning achievements in the pool highlighted by Sarah Sjostrom’s third consecutive 50 metres freestyle world title.
Anastasia Gorbenko took silver in the women’s 400m individual medley but her celebrations were spoiled as a chorus of boos rained down from the terraces, drowning out her post-race interview by the floor presenter.

The jeers continued as Gorbenko left the Aspire Dome pool, and she was booed again at the medals ceremony though there was also applause. Briton Freya Constance Colbert won the race.
The presence of Israeli swimmers at the championships has drawn criticism from some Qatari media outlets and pro-Palestine groups amid Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

None of the England top-order batters made a substantial score on day 4 of the 3rd Test in Rajkot.

England have suffered one of their heaviest defeats in Test cricket as day 4 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium ended with India firmly on top. Simultaneously, India are also on the way to register their biggest win in the format terms of runs and take a 2-1 lead in the five-Test series. The tourists collapsed to 122 to lose by a staggering 434 runs.

India already held a lead of 322 when they started day 4, with Shubman Gill and Kuldeep Yadav taking England to the cleaners. Gill was unfortunate to fall for 91 after Kuldeep Yadav made a poor call from the striker’s end. Kuldeep fell for a decent 27 to Rehan Ahmed. It was all India from that stage as Yashasvi Jaiswal returned to bat and took English bowlers to the cleaners in the company of Sarfaraz Khan.

Jaiswal resumed on 104 and added 110 runs more without much fuss, sending several records tumbling as he smashed his 2nd double-ton of the series. At the other end, Sarfaraz Khan also showcased his prowess, staying unbeaten at 68 as Rohit Sharma declared by setting an improbable 556 for England to win.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/ind-vs-eng-3rd-test-yashasvi-jaiswal-sarfaraz-khan-and-bowlers-register-biggest-win-for-india-to-take-series-lead

India vs England: R Ashwin’s wife Prithi Narayan Ashwin took to Instagram to put a heartfelt message on Ashwin’s incredible milestone of 500 Test wickets. Ashwin had to withdraw from the Rajkot Test temporarily due to a family emergency.

Senior India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had a frantic last 48 hours. After picking his 500th wicket in Test cricket, Ashwin was forced to withdraw midway from the Rajkot Test match to attend a family emergency.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India issued a release, hours after the conclusion of Day 2 of the Test match that Ashwin had to go out of the Test match.

“Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the Test squad, effective immediately due to a family medical emergency. In these challenging times, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the team fully supports Ashwin,” the BCCI press release said.

The spinner however rejoined the Indian team on Day 4, after attending his family in Chennai. Ashwin picked on wicket in his six over spell after giving away just 19 runs.

IND vs ENG, 3rd Test: Match Report

Ashwin’s wife Prithi took to Instagram and penned an emotional note for the cricketer.

“We chased the 500 to Hyderabad, it didn’t happen. To Vizag, it didn’t happen. So I just bought a ton of sweets and gave it to everyone at home at 499. 500 came and went quietly. Till it didn’t. A lot happened between 500 and 501. Longest 48 hours of our lives,” Ashwin’s wife wrote on Instagram.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/r-ashwin-family-emergency-rajkot-test-match-rohit-sharma-2503853-2024-02-18

After former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s deepfake video spread like wildfire on social media, star batter Virat Kohli has become a victim of the same. In a clip that has gone viral on social media, renowned news anchor Anjana Om Kashyap could be portrayed as talking about Virat Kohli promoting an app named Aviator app.

The video cuts to Kohli talking about an online game with a winning percentage of 200. With the 35-year-old in reality has not promoted any online game, the video is a dubbed version of an old one, with Kohli claiming that more money can be won by investing a small amount. The clip concludes with the Delhi-born cricketer endorsing the application to the wider public.

In January 2024, Tendulkar took to his official handle on X, addressing the fake video of his daughter using the aviator app. The batting maestro wrote the following on X:

“These videos are fake. It is disturbing to see rampant misuse of technology. Request everyone to report videos, ads & apps like these in large numbers. Social Media platforms need to be alert and responsive to complaints. Swift action from their end is crucial to stopping the spread of misinformation and deepfakes.”

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/after-sachin-tendulkar-deepfake-video-of-virat-kohli-anjana-om-kashyap-promoting-gaming-app-aviator-goes-viral-watch

A magnificent hundred by Yashasvi Jaiswal propelled India to 196/2 at stumps, stretching the overall lead to 322 runs and consolidating their position against England on the third day of the third Test in Rajkot on Saturday.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dream season just got better as he singlehandedly seized the initiative from England with a sizzling century, putting India in complete control at the end of third day’s play in the third Test. Jaiswal’s (104 retired hurt off 133 balls) second ton of the series was beautifully complemented by Shubman Gill (65 batting, 120 balls), who curbed his natural aggression as India ended the day at 196 for 2 in 51 available overs. The left-handed opener, who will be torch-bearer of Indian batting for the next decade, scored his third Test hundred in only seventh Test appearance before the blazing blade was brought to a halt by back spasms that forced him to retire.

The Jaiswal-Gill pair added 155 runs in quick time with the former giving the English team a test of its own medicine with nine fours and five sixes, the best being the imperious pull off Jimmy Anderson.

The overall lead swelled to 322 by stumps, after Indian bowlers made a splendid comeback, getting last five England wickets for only 29 runs with visitors being bowled out for 319.

Mohammed Siraj (4/84 in 21.1 overs) was brilliant with his yorkers to tail-enders while Kuldeep Yadav (2/77 in 18 overs) compensated brilliantly for Ravichandran Ashwin’s unfortunate withdrawal with two quick wickets in the morning session.

However it was Joe Root’s indiscreet reverse ramp off Jasprit Bumrah which Jaiswal pouched with less than a second’s reaction time that turned the tables.

“That shot was not on and it became a turning point,” Siraj said at post-match press conference.

Rohit Sharma’s captaincy was spot-on and the manner in which he tweaked Jasprit Bumrah’s field position at long-on to get Ben Stokes dismissed off Ravindra Jadeja (2/51) spoke volumes about his acumen.

On Sunday, India would be looking to take a lead of at least 425 if not 450 and have at least 125 overs to bowl out England. With no Ashwin available, India would need a cushion of more overs on a deck that is still good for batting.

Jaiswal Jazz

Jaiswal’s onslaught continued despite England frenetically changing their bowling and fielding plans but none worked enough to stop the Indian opener.

Having spotted a vacant off-side field, Jaiswal brought out two reverse sweeps off Rehan Ahmed for fours.

However, his charge was halted only after England brought back Mark Wood for a short-ball ploy yet again in the game with a packed leg side field.

Unfazed with England’s deployments, Jaiswal dealt in singles once into his 90s and brought up his third century of fledgling career with a four off Wood.

However, the left-handed opener had to retired hurt close to the end of the play for being unable to deal with back spasms.

Jaiswal not only took the wind out of England’s aspirations but also consolidated India’s grip on the contest, having lost Rohit Sharma (19) cheaply in the second session.

At the other end, Gill put behind the disappointment of the first-innings duck with a fifth half-century, countering England’s ploy of a packed on-side field with up to six fielders placed and Wood bowling into his body.

India’s task was to preserve wickets and build their lead, given the amount of time left in the game and surface in Rajkot being benign so far.

Additionally, Rohit’s early dismissal with their overall lead not being big enough would have provided some concerns but all that was banished by the pair of Jaiswal and Gill with their unbeaten 155-run stand for the second wicket.

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/india-vs-england-2024/jaiswal-hits-ton-as-india-stretch-lead-to-322-runs-5075707

Reliance Foundation athlete Jyothi Yarraji has clinched gold at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships.

Reliance Foundation athlete Jyothi Yarraji won India’s first medal at the ongoing Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tehran (Iran), winning Gold in the 60m hurdles event with a new national record timing of 8.12s on Saturday. The performance is a great 2024 season opener for Jyothi, who bettered her own national record from last year’s edition at Kazakhstan, where she won silver.

Speaking about the achievement, Jyothi Yarraji said, “The Asian Indoor Athletics Championship was a very good experience. It is the start of the season and the first international competition of the season, so I am very happy with the performance. This gold medal is special. I was a little worried about the pain in the hamstring last week, but my team and physiotherapists at Reliance Foundation worked hard to make me competition-ready.

Media Release – Reliance Foundation’s Jyothi Yarraji Makes History: Clinches Gold and New National Record at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships

Reliance Foundation athlete Jyothi Yarraji won India’s first medal at the ongoing Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tehran… pic.twitter.com/EuQIojOHuj

— Reliance Industries Limited (@RIL_Updates) February 17, 2024

“I am thankful to the Odisha government and the Reliance Foundation for helping me prepare for the competition. I am happy with the way I have started the season.”

Jyothi trained at the Kalinga Indoor Athletics Stadium for the competition. She also participated in the first Indoor Athletics Test Meet organized by Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Centre. Jyothi continues her excellent from 2023, where she won silver in the 100m hurdles event at the Asian Games & also won two medals at the Asian Championships.

Speaking about her effort, James Hillier, Athletics Director, Reliance Foundation, said, “It was a really good result for Jyothi, we did a 3-week training camp in Bhubaneswar. It was a very helpful session. She wanted to start the season on a good note. She had a small injury during her training, nothing serious but she couldn’t train for a week. Now she is back in form. This was a good race for her.”

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/asian-indoor-athletics-cships-jyothi-yarraji-clinches-gold-and-registers-national-record

World number one Iga Swiatek won the Qatar Open for the third year in a row on Saturday after beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (10/8), 6-2 in the final.

World number one Iga Swiatek won the Qatar Open for the third year in a row on Saturday after beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (10/8), 6-2 in the final. Swiatek is the first player to win three straight titles at the same WTA event since Serena Williams completed a Miami Open hat-trick from 2013-15. Rybakina fell short in her bid for a third title of the year. She had lifted the trophy last week in Abu Dhabi after winning in Brisbane at the start of January.

Swiatek, who entered the final having won her last 21 sets at the tournament, made a dreadful start as she fell a double break behind at 1-4.

The Pole broke twice in succession to bring the set back on serve, but it looked as if Rybakina would snatch it when she won a lengthy 11th game to go 6-5 up with her service game to come.

Swiatek rallied once more to force a tie-break but failed to take two set points before having to save one herself. After another missed opportunity, the top seed closed the set out at the fourth time of asking.

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/tennis/iga-swiatek-beats-rybakina-to-clinch-third-straight-qatar-crown-5077685

A magnificent hundred by Yashasvi Jaiswal propelled India to 196/2 at stumps, stretching the overall lead to 322 runs and consolidating their position against England on the third day of the third Test in Rajkot on Saturday.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dream season just got better as he singlehandedly seized the initiative from England with a sizzling century, putting India in complete control at the end of third day’s play in the third Test. Jaiswal’s (104 retired hurt off 133 balls) second ton of the series was beautifully complemented by Shubman Gill (65 batting, 120 balls), who curbed his natural aggression as India ended the day at 196 for 2 in 51 available overs. The left-handed opener, who will be torch-bearer of Indian batting for the next decade, scored his third Test hundred in only seventh Test appearance before the blazing blade was brought to a halt by back spasms that forced him to retire.

The Jaiswal-Gill pair added 155 runs in quick time with the former giving the English team a test of its own medicine with nine fours and five sixes, the best being the imperious pull off Jimmy Anderson.

The overall lead swelled to 322 by stumps, after Indian bowlers made a splendid comeback, getting last five England wickets for only 29 runs with visitors being bowled out for 319.

Mohammed Siraj (4/84 in 21.1 overs) was brilliant with his yorkers to tail-enders while Kuldeep Yadav (2/77 in 18 overs) compensated brilliantly for Ravichandran Ashwin’s unfortunate withdrawal with two quick wickets in the morning session.

However it was Joe Root’s indiscreet reverse ramp off Jasprit Bumrah which Jaiswal pouched with less than a second’s reaction time that turned the tables.

“That shot was not on and it became a turning point,” Siraj said at post-match press conference.

Rohit Sharma’s captaincy was spot-on and the manner in which he tweaked Jasprit Bumrah’s field position at long-on to get Ben Stokes dismissed off Ravindra Jadeja (2/51) spoke volumes about his acumen.

On Sunday, India would be looking to take a lead of at least 425 if not 450 and have at least 125 overs to bowl out England. With no Ashwin available, India would need a cushion of more overs on a deck that is still good for batting.

Jaiswal Jazz

Jaiswal’s onslaught continued despite England frenetically changing their bowling and fielding plans but none worked enough to stop the Indian opener.

Having spotted a vacant off-side field, Jaiswal brought out two reverse sweeps off Rehan Ahmed for fours.

However, his charge was halted only after England brought back Mark Wood for a short-ball ploy yet again in the game with a packed leg side field.

Unfazed with England’s deployments, Jaiswal dealt in singles once into his 90s and brought up his third century of fledgling career with a four off Wood.

However, the left-handed opener had to retired hurt close to the end of the play for being unable to deal with back spasms.

Jaiswal not only took the wind out of England’s aspirations but also consolidated India’s grip on the contest, having lost Rohit Sharma (19) cheaply in the second session.

At the other end, Gill put behind the disappointment of the first-innings duck with a fifth half-century, countering England’s ploy of a packed on-side field with up to six fielders placed and Wood bowling into his body.

India’s task was to preserve wickets and build their lead, given the amount of time left in the game and surface in Rajkot being benign so far.

Additionally, Rohit’s early dismissal with their overall lead not being big enough would have provided some concerns but all that was banished by the pair of Jaiswal and Gill with their unbeaten 155-run stand for the second wicket.

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/india-vs-england-2024/jaiswal-hits-ton-as-india-stretch-lead-to-322-runs-5075707

Indian women shuttlers’ dream run continued as they progressed to their first-ever final at the Badminton Asia Team Championships after edging out two-time former champions Japan 3-2 in a thrilling semifinal on Saturday.

Indian women shuttlers’ dream run continued as they progressed to their first-ever final at the Badminton Asia Team Championships after edging out two-time former champions Japan 3-2 in a thrilling semifinal on Saturday. World No. 23 pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, world No. 53 Ashmita Chaliha and the 17-year-old Anmol Kharb registered stunning wins in the first doubles and second and deciding singles to take India through to the summit clash. India will face Thailand in the final on Sunday.

Though Japan were without their world No. 4 Akane Yamaguchi, world No. 7 pair of Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota and world No. 8 combination of Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara, they were still a formidable side, making it a tough battle for India.

Returning from a long injury layoff, Sindhu had enjoyed wins against China’s Han Yue and Hong Kong’s Lo Sin Yan Happy but she couldn’t produce her best against the left-handed Aya Ohori, going down 13-21, 20-22 in the first singles to peg India back.

Treesa and Gayatri, playing the first doubles, dished out a superlative performance to outwit world No. 6 Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida 21-17, 16-21, 22-20 in a 73-minute contest as India drew level at 1-1.

Up against former world champion Nozomi Okuhara, who is currently ranked world No. 20, the left-handed Ashmita produced an aggressive game, using her overhead cross drops and jump smashes to good use, to record a shocking 21-17, 21-14 win to hand India a 2-1 lead.

With Tanisha Crasto suffering a niggle, Sindhu then paired up with Ashwini Ponnappa but they couldn’t get across the world No. 11 pair of Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakuramoto, losing 14-21, 11-21 in 43 minutes.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/badminton/badminton-asia-team-championships-indian-women-enter-maiden-final-after-beating-japan-3-2-5074509

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has pulled out of the third Test against England in Rajkot because of a family emergency.

On Friday’s second day, the 37-year-old became only the ninth man to reach 500 Test wickets.

“The health and wellbeing of the players and their loved ones are of utmost importance,” said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“The BCCI extends heartfelt support to the champion cricketer and his family.”

Rajiv Shukla, vice-president of the BCCI, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Ashwin had to “rush and leave Rajkot Test to Chennai to be with his mother”.

After two days, England are 207-2 in their first innings, 238 behind India’s 445.

Thrilling Duckett century leads England counter
Duckett century amazing to watch – Wood
On Friday, Ashwin made 37 with the bat, then had England opener Zak Crawley caught off a top-edged sweep to reach the milestone of 500 wickets.

He is the second Indian to achieve the landmark and fifth spin bowler.

Ashwin was also the batter in question when India were penalised five penalty runs for running on the pitch.

If he does not return to the Test, India will not be allowed to replace his batting or bowling, but will be permitted a substitute fielder.

“In these challenging times, the BCCI and the team fully supports Ashwin,” said the BCCI statement.

“The board and the team will continue to provide any necessary assistance to Ashwin and will keep the lines of communication open to offer support as needed. Team India appreciates the understanding and empathy of the fans and media during this sensitive period.”

The five-match series is currently level at 1-1.

India are already without star batter Virat Kohli, after he withdrew from the series for personal reasons.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/68303676

Kylian Mbappe has told Paris Saint-Germain he will leave at the end of the 2023-2024 season when his contract expires, Sky News understands.

Mbappe’s current contract with PSG expires in the summer and since 1 January he has been able to hold pre-contract talks with other clubs.

The terms of the forward’s exit are yet to be finalised as the two parties negotiate whether Mbappe will leave for a fee or sacrifice his own earnings to protect PSG financially.

It is understood PSG and Mbappe will make an announcement once this is agreed in the coming months.

The 25-year-old has been widely linked with a move to Real Madrid.

But, it has been reported Mbappe would have to take a pay cut to join the Spanish side.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/kylian-mbappe-tells-psg-he-will-leave-club-at-end-of-2023-24-season-13072345

IND vs SA: Sarfaraz Khan’s father Naushad said that getting run out is part and parcel of the game, and he did not want to blame anyone for the dismissal.

Sarfaraz Khan’s father, Naushad, said that he wouldn’t want to blame anyone after the young Indian batter got run out on his Test debut against England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.

On Thursday, February 15, Sarfaraz donned the India colours for the first time and raced to his half-century off 48 balls.

When he was looking good for a big score, he got run out against the run of play after a miscommunication with Ravindra Jadeja. | IND vs ENG, 3rd Test scorecard

Jadeja called for a single and Sarfaraz responded to his partner’s call. However, Jadeja backed out midway, after which it was too late for Sarfaraz to make his ground at the non-striker’s end.

Mark Wood pulled off a stupendous direct hit to pull the curtains down on Sarfaraz Khan’s brilliant knock. Skipper Rohit Sharma was also not happy as he showed his anguish inside the dressing room.

“It’s a part and parcel of the game. Sometimes, you get run out and sometimes in some other way. It was his luck and I would not blame anyone. If luck favours him, he will again score big,” Sarfaraz’s father told Aaj Tak.

Sarfaraz’s father was present at the venue, cheering for his son, and also made an appearance in the commentary box.

‘Feeling bad for Sarfaraz’

Sarfaraz scored 62 runs off 66 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes, helping India post a decent score of 326 for 5 on the board against the Three Lions.

Sarfaraz also stitched together a valuable partnership of 77 runs for the fifth wicket along with Jadeja, who went on to score his fourth Test hundred and complete 3000 Test runs.

On the run out, Jadeja dropped a post on his Instagram story, apologising for the mishap in the middle.

“Feeling bad for Sarfaraz Khan. It was my wrong call. Well played,” Jadeja’s Instagram story read.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/ind-vs-eng-3rd-test-ravindra-jadeja-sarfaraz-khan-father-blame-game-son-run-out-test-debut-2502743-2024-02-15

Eternal optimism, one Bollywood movie song and the shayaris kept the son of a cricket obsessed father going.

Sarfaraz Khan could not hold his tears back when the legendary Anil Kumble handed him his maiden Test cap, just before the start of the third Test between India and England Rajkot. Beside him was his wife, who too was overcome with emotions. Then he ran towards his father Naushad, the most influential figure of his life, and hugged him. “I will cry the whole day when I play for my country,” he had once told The Indian Express.

As the day progressed, he pushed some of the English bowlers to the verge of tears too, as his robust 62 off 66 balls, brutally cut short by a run out, played a big role in helping his country post 326 for five. Throughout his knock, he showed the daring, composure and will, virtues that showed he belongs to the Test level. The England bowlers tested him with everything they could—pace and seam bowling, spin of various hues and funky field placings—but he had an answer to every question they posed to him. Like he had an answer to every hurdle that he had to overcome to reach this far.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/ind-vs-eng-sarfaraz-khan-father-selling-track-pants-on-local-trains-9163833/

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, arguably India’s greatest captain, is lauded for his demenour on and off the field with the captain cool’s actions warming the hearts of his fans.

Under Dhoni, India won the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup and a Champions Trophy as well as reaching the top of ICC Test rankings for the first time.

Recently the story of MSD’s kind heart went viral on social media. The story behind the bat manufacturer BAS, whose bat Dhoni used during the early days of his career, took the internet by storm.

Somi Kohli, the owner of BAS, in a viral video revealed how Dhoni rejected a contract worth crores and even refused to accept any payment for using the bat manufacturer’s sticker. This Kohli explained was Dhoni’s way of repaying help during his initial days as a cricketer.

“Dhoni did not mention any money. He just said ‘put your stickers on my bats and send them across’. I tried to convince him, ‘You’re letting go of such a lucrative contract’. He refused crores of rupees worth of contract. I requested his wife Sakshi, his father, mother. Even told his CA and Paramjit from Ranchi. They all went to his home before the World Cup. But he said ‘No… it is my decision’,” Mr. Kohli said in a video on Sports Launchpad YouTube channel.

Dhoni was recently seen batting in the nets as the legendary cricketer preapres for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. The viral photo shows Dhoni playing with a ‘Prime Sports’ bat in the nets.

‘Prime Sports’ is the name of sports goods store-turned-company in Ranchi, which is owned by Dhoni’s friend Paramjit Singh.

Source: https://www.news18.com/cricket/ms-dhoni-refused-crores-of-rupees-contract-bat-manufacturer-shares-thalas-heartwarming-gesture-8779452.html

Shah was present at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Khanderi, which was renamed after veteran cricket administrator Niranjan Shah, as the chief guest.

Rajkot: India will be playing the T20 World Cup 2024, to be organised in the Caribbean and the USA, under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, said BCCI secretary Jay Shah at an event here on Wednesday.

India have had Hardik Pandya as their full-time skipper in the shortest format but the heartbreaking loss in the final of the 2023 World Cup to Australia have reignited the murmurs of senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit returning for the T20 showpiece in June.

Will win T20 WC under Rohit’s captaincy: Shah

“In 2023 (final) at Ahmedabad, even though we did not win the World Cup after 10 straight wins, we won hearts. I want to promise you that in 2024 (T20 World Cup) in Barbados (venue for the final), under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, ham Bharat ka jhanda gaadenge (we will hoist the Indian flag),” Shah said at the end of his speech.

Many reports have suggested that Ishan Kishan’s lack of game-time after the South Africa Tour ended may have raised a few eyebrows

Ishan Kishan has constantly been in the news for the past one month since he took a break midway into India’s Tour of South Africa. While the BCCI was supportive of his decision to take a break, what many reports have suggested is that Ishan Kishan’s lack of game-time after the Tour ended may have raised a few eyebrows. Despite Indian cricket team coach Rahul Dravid saying that Ishan Kishan needs to play some form of cricket, to make a national team comeback, Ishan Kishan has been absent from the scene. Despite the ongoing Ranji Trophy campaign, Ishan has not been competing in the premier domestic competition and rather training on his own.

These have led to speculation about Ishan Kishan’s future in Indian cricket.

Asked if Kishan Kishan would find himself out of BCCI retainership (he has a grade C annual contract of Rs 1 crore), a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity: “No discussions have taken place as of now regarding central contracts.”

With the ICC T20 World Cup in the Americas, starting from June 1 and India playing their opening game on June 5 in New York, the workload of India’s core group of players during the IPL, which is going to be tentatively scheduled between March 22 to May 26, will be very important.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/could-ishan-kishan-be-axed-from-bccis-central-contracts-list-official-has-this-to-say-5052378

The video capturing the exact moment, the 35-year-old Septain Raharja was struck by lightning has gone viral

A terrifying video of an Indonesian footballer getting hit by lightning has sent shockwaves across the sports world. According to reports in international media, the footballer named Septain Raharja, from Subang, collapsed after the incident during a friendly match at the Siliwangi Stadium in Bandung, West Java on Saturday. The match was on when the incident happened. The footballer was breathing after being struck by lightning and was rushed to a local hospital but died soon afterwards, according to Indonesia’s PRFM News.

The video, capturing the exact moment when the 35-year-old Septain Raharja was struck by lightning, has gone viral. According to standard.co.uk, Septain Raharja, was competing in a friendly football match between 2 FLO FC Bandung and FBI Subang, when lightning struck him at around 4:20pm local time on Saturday.

After the incident, several Indonesian teams maintained a moment of silence in the memory of the bereaved.

According to Daily Mail, Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency’s (BMKG) analysis said the cloud the lightning came from was just 300m above the stadium when it struck the footballer.

Quite astonishingly, this is not the first time that a footballer in Indonesia was struck by lightning mid-match in recent times. In 2023, a youngster in Bojonegoro, East Java was struck by lightning during the Soeratin U-13 Cup.

He suffered a cardiac arrest and was immediately taken to hospital for treatment. The boy was revived and regained consciousness after 20 minutes.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/football/footballer-dies-after-getting-hit-by-lightning-in-indonesia-terrifying-video-goes-viral-5044859

The San Francisco 49ers woke up on Monday still stinging from a Super Bowl loss and facing criticism given that some of their players admitted they were not aware of playoff overtime rules that allowed for both teams to possess the ball.
Sunday’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas was only the second to go to overtime and the first to fall under a March 2022 rule change which eliminated the chance of a team winning the game outright on the first possession of the extra period with a touchdown.

“I didn’t even know about the new playoff overtime rule, so it was a surprise to me,” 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead said after the game. “I didn’t even really know what was going on in terms of that.”
After winning the overtime coin toss, the 49ers elected to receive the ball to start the extra frame and marched down the field before settling for a 27-yard field goal and a 22-19 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs.

But the Chiefs responded with a 75-yard drive that Patrick Mahomes capped with a three-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman that secured a 25-22 victory.
In the regular season, if the team that gets the ball first in overtime scores a touchdown on the opening possession, they win.
“You know what? I didn’t even realize the playoff rules were different in overtime. I assume you just want the ball to score a touchdown and win,” 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk said in an ESPN report. “I guess that’s not the case. I don’t totally know the strategy there. We hadn’t talked about it, no.”

Source: https://www.reuters.com/sports/nfl/some-49ers-unaware-overtime-rules-super-bowl-loss-2024-02-12/

BCCI’s press release had no mention of Jadeja’s fitness status or his availability for selection in the third Test against England in Rajkot

In another big blow to India’s batting plans for the third Test against England, the hosts lost KL Rahul after he failed to recover from his injury that kept him out of the second Test in Visakhapatnam. Rahul, whose availability for the last three Test matches of the series was subject to fitness, was on Monday ruled out as BCCI’s selection committee named Devdutt Padikkal, another Karnataka batter, as his replacement. But what is the fitness status of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, whose selection for the Rajkot match was also subject to fitness?

Last week, selectors had named a 17-man squad for the final three Tests against England. Shreyas Iyer was dropped from the team, following a string of poor returns with the bat, but Jadeja and Rahul were added to the list, although their participation was subject to fitness clearance from BCCI’s medical team. Jadeja had incurred a hamstring injury during the first Test in Hyderabad, and Rahul complained of quadriceps pain after the match, subsequently leading to both the senior players getting ruled out of the second game in Visakhapatnam.

Rahul, however, failed to recover in time for the Rajkot Test as the batter will continue his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru before returning for the final two Tests. “Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team. He will continue his recovery process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to be completely match-fit for the fourth and fifth Test,” read the BCCI statement.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/kl-rahul-ruled-out-but-what-is-ravindra-jadejas-fitness-status-ahead-of-india-vs-england-3rd-test-101707750776073.html

Disappointment gripped the Indian camp in Benoni as the Uday Saharan-led Team India tasted defeat, failing to defend the Under-19 World Cup title on Sunday. Australia emerged as the new champions after beating India by 70 runs in the big final. This was Australia’s fourth U19 title and first since 2010 and, in a way, they also washed away the pain of losing to India in two title matches in 2012 and 2018.

Chasing the highest-ever total of 253 in the history of the tournament finals, Saharan & stumbled to 174 all out as the relentless Aussie bowlers did not give them any breathing space.

Pacer Callum Vidler started Australia’s victory march by packing off Indian opener Arshin Kulkarni, inducing an edge to stumper Ryan Hicks. From that point, India simply failed to stitch together any meaningful partnerships as frontline batters including skipper Saharan (8), Musheer Khan, who received a reprieve on zero, and Sachin Dhas (9) departed without making any real contributions.

Beardman broke through the defence of Musheer (22) with a delivery that kept a tad low, while the pacer tempted Saharan, the tournament’s highest run-getter, with a slightly wide delivery on off-stump, but his slash ended in the hands of Hugh Weibgen at point. The Aussie quick later added the wicket of opener Adarsh Singh, who was India’s highest scorer on the day with a 77-ball 47, to bulldoze the Indian batting unit with pace and bounce.

If the Indian batters could not cope with the hostility of Beardman, a disciple of legendary Dennis Lillee, they could not counter the guile of MacMillan, Australia’s lone spinner this day. MacMillan was introduced in the 20th over and he dismissed Dhas off his first ball, a regulation catch to Hicks behind the stumps.

Murugan Abhishek (42, 45b) tried gamely in the company of Naman Tiwari adding 46 runs for the ninth wicket, highest of the innings, but the task proved beyond his reach. However, the Australian batters too can claim the right amount of credit for this triumph.

Source: https://www.news18.com/cricket/icc-under-19-world-cup-final-dominant-australia-defeat-india-by-79-run-to-clicnh-4th-title-8775198.html