Page 53 - Sports

Will talk to Sunrisers Hyderabad about Warner's captaincy: Rajeev Shukla

New Delhi, Mar 28 (ANI): After Cricket Australia (CA) announced the suspension of skipper Steve Smith, Vice-Captain David Warner and Cameron Bancroft from the fourth Test against South Africa, Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajeev Shukla said that the committee will talk to Sunrisers Hyderabad on their decision over Warner's captaincy. "I think we should be announcing our decision by tomorrow after looking at the decision of Cricket Australia. We are also going to talk to Sunrisers Hyderabad that they should also consider about Warner being the captain," Rajeev Shukla said.

Smith, Warner, Bancroft knew of ball-tampering: Cricket Australia

Johannesburg (South Africa), Mar 28 (ANI): Cricket Australia (CA) on Tuesday announced that it has found skipper Steve Smith, Vice-Captain David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft guilty in the ball-tampering scandal, and suspended the trio for "Preliminary findings have been considered and discussed by the Cricket Australia Board. The key finding is that prior knowledge of the ball tampering incident was limited to three players- Captain Steve Smith, Vice-Captain David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. No other players or support staff had prior knowledge," Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said. Cricket Australia will announce sanctions on Smith, Warner, and Bancroft in the next 24 hours.

Cricket fraternity expresses disappointment as Bancroft, Smith admit to ball-tampering

New Delhi, Mar 25 (ANI): The cricket fraternity gave mixed reactions of shock and disappointment when Australian skipper Steve Smith and batsman Cameron Bancroft admitted to charges of ball-tampering during the third Test match against South Africa in Cape Town. "WHAT THE ........ HAVE I JUST WOKEN UP TO. Please tell me this is a bad dream," wrote former Australian skipper Michael Clarke on Twitter. Meanwhile, former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted, "Steve Smith, his Team and ALL the management will have to accept that whatever happens in their careers they will all be known for trying to CHEAT the game ... #SAvAUS,"

India women's cricket team looks to get back into T20 groove against England

Mumbai (Maharashtra), Mar 25 (ANI): India women's captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Saturday said her team was working on seizing the big moments to come out on top against England in the third T20 of the tri-series in Mumbai. The hosts were thrashed by Australia by six wickets in the opener and are the only side to register a win in the ongoing series. India women's captain said the first six overs of the match would be very crucial for them. Despite having the likes of Kaur, Mithali Raj and Veda Krishnamurthy amongst their ranks, India's middle and lower middle order are yet to perform well and the Kaur-led team will be looking to turn that around. India play England in their second match of the short format series on Sunday.

We planned to have experienced batsman for the end: Rohit Sharma

Colombo (Sri Lanka), Mar 19 (ANI): India won the Nidahas Trophy in the last ball thrillers match against Bangladesh where Dinesh Karthik played a stunning innings of 29 runs from 8 balls changing the face of the game. While Batsman Manish Pandey and debutant Shankar struggled a bit in the last quarter of the T-20, Dinesh Karthik came to the rescue. On this Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma said that "The changes made by the team were to ensure that an experienced batsman like Dinesh Karthik stays for the final overs to face Mustafizur Rahman". Washington Sundar was declared as man of the series for his sensational bowling performance in the series.

Bangladesh skipper Shakib lauds Dinesh Karthik for his stunning innings

Colombo (Sri Lanka), Mar 19 (ANI): India clinched the Nidahas Trophy from the hands of Bangladesh in the last ball thriller final match in Colombo on Sunday. Man of the match Dinesh Karthik's startling innings of 29 runs in 8 balls and last ball six managed to get India cross the total of 166. Bangladesh T-20 captain Shakib Al Hassan applauded Dinesh Karthik's batting in the final overs.

Indian Women's Cricket Team gears up for last ODI against Australia

Vadodara (Gujarat), Mar 18 (ANI): Indian Women's Cricket Team is all set to take on Australia in the last One Day International match in Vadodara scheduled on Sunday. India will be looking to avenge the losses in the first two ODI's against the guests. Indian ace batswoman Smriti Mandhana said that team is concentrating on hitting boundaries to win the final match.

'What happens in ground, remains in ground': Shakib Al Hasan

New Delhi, Mar 18 (ANI): Bangladesh T-20 Captain Shakib Al Hasan and player Nurul Hasan have both been fined 25 per cent of their match fees and also received one demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during their side's T-20I against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday. Shakib was found to have breached Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to 'conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game', while Nurul was found guilty of violating Article 2.1.2, which deals with 'conduct that brings the game into disrepute'. Both Shakib and Nurul pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing. Addressing the matter today, Shakib said, "There's nothing that we want to discuss. What happens in ground, remains in ground. Both Cricket Boards had good relations for last 10-15 yrs, playe

Indian women team eyeing T-20 World Cup: Skipper Mithali Raj

Vadodara (Gujarat), Mar 16 (ANI): Indian Women's Cricket Team faced a 60-run defeat against Australia in the second match or the three-match series in Gujarat's Vadodara. Skipper Mithali Raj said, "Ups and downs are part, but we are focusing on T-20 World Cup and we are trying to get young players and shuffle." Smriti Mandhana was the only performer from Indian side who scored 67 off 53 balls. Australia leads the series by 2-0.

India beats Bangladesh to enter Nidahas Trophy final, Sundar clinches 3 wickets

Colombo (Sri Lanka), Mar 15 (ANI): India on Wednesday defeated Bangladesh in Colombo by 17 runs to seal the place in the final match of the tri-series. Indian rookie spinner Washington Sundar surprised Bangladesh by clinching three wickets and keeping the economy under six runs per over. Sundar said that it was an amazing match for him and he is confident that team will win the finals. Skipper Rohit Sharma played an impressive knock of 89 runs in 61 balls.

Nidahas Trophy: We cut down 15-20 runs, says Shardul Thakur

Colombo (Sri Lanka), Mar 13 (ANI): India just faced another victory in Sri Lanka. The country won the match against Sri Lanka by six wickets. Cricketer Shardul Thakur was adjudged man-of-the-match trophy. Addressing the victory, Thakur said, "Probably the way they were going, they would have scored around 165-170 runs but we got to pull out. After a few six's and four's those crucial 2-3 wickets came coming and we were able to cut down 15-20 runs."

Watch: Team India gears up to open account in tri-series

Colombo (Sri Lanka), Mar 11 (ANI): Team India is all set to take on Sri Lanka once again in Nidahas Trophy 2018 tri-series. India will look forward to avenge the loss in the first match against Sri Lanka by five wickets. The Indian side is led by Rohit Sharma. The next T-20 match between India-Sri Lanka will be held on March 12th at Premadasa Stadium.

Gautam Gambhir to captain Delhi Daredevils in 11th edition of IPL

New Delhi, Mar 07 (ANI): Cricketer Gautam Gambhir will captain the Delhi Daredevils squad during the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Gambhir said on his return to the IPL franchise based in his home city, with the kind of squad Delhi has, if we play to our full potential, it will be difficult for any team to beat us. Gambhir had earlier led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for seven years in the IPL. The IPL 2018 will begin from April 7.

Happy that I am consistent and enjoying scoring runs, says Shikhar Dhawan

Colombo (Sri Lanka), Mar 07 (ANI): After a magnificent 90 which led India to a strong total of 174 for 5 in 20 overs against Sri Lanka, Shikhar Dhawan stated that he is happy that he is consistent and is enjoying scoring runs. Dhawan said he was disappointed that he couldn't score a century but at that time the team needed him to go against bowlers and hit boundaries. Sri Lanka's Kusal Perera's explosive 66 off 37 balls helped Sri Lanka beat India by five wickets in the opening match of the Nidahas Trophy Twenty20 International cricket tri-series in Colombo.

Fiorentina captain Davide Astori found dead

New Delhi, Mar 06 (ANI): Fiorentina captain and defender Davide Astori died of a sudden illness on March 4 morning. He was 31 years old. Italian media said that Astori, who had played around a dozen matches for Italy, was found dead in his hotel room. Astori joined Fiorentina on loan in August 2015 and the club signed him outright one year later. He previously spent six seasons at Cagliari and one on loan at AS Roma. Fiorentina's match at Udinese on Sunday was postponed, Italian media reported. "Fiorentina is deeply upset to have to announce that its captain Davide Astori has passed away, victim of a sudden illness," said the club statement.

Rohit Sharma likens T20 format to English Premier League

New Delhi, Mar 06 (ANI): India's stand-in captain Rohit Sharma on Monday compared Twenty 20 format with the English Premier League, claiming that no one could be labelled as favourites in the shortest format of cricket. "I am sure even (Sri Lanka skipper) Dinesh Chandimal and (Bangladesh captain) Mahmudullah Riyad will feel the same way because T20 is such a short format on a given day, any team can beat anyone. The game can slip in an over or two, and there are no favourites, like the English Premier League," said Sharma, while addressing the media ahead of the T20 tri-series, Nidahas Trophy, in Sri Lanka. India is participating in the tournament alongside Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The seven-match tournament will kick off on Tuesday with hosts Sri Lanka and India playing the first match.

Will try to win more medals: Wrestler Navjot Kaur

Amritsar (Punjab), Feb 05 (ANI): First Indian woman wrestler Navjot Kaur, who bagged gold in the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships, arrived in Amritsar on Monday. Speaking to ANI, Navjot said she will to try to earn more and more medals and now, has set her eyes on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 28-year-old wrestler scripted history when she beat Miya Imai of Japan 9-1 in the women's 65-kg freestyle category finals in Kyrgyzstan.

Nidahas Trophy 2018: Men in blue arrive in Sri Lanka

Colombo (Sri Lanka), Mar 05 (ANI): Indian Cricket Team arrived in Sri Lanka's Colombo on March 04 for Nidahas Trophy 2018. The tri-nation Twenty20 series will be contested between Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh. Indian Cricket Team will kick off its campaign against the host Sri Lanka on March 06. Their second game will be with Bangladesh on March 08. All the matches of this tournament will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The final match is slated for March 18.

Wrestler Navjot Kaur eyes Tokyo Olympics after bagging gold in Asian Championships

New Delhi, Mar 04 (ANI): Navjot Kaur, the first Indian woman wrestler who won a gold in the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships, has now set her eyes on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 28-year-old wrestler from Punjab scripted history when she beat Miya Imai of Japan 9-1 in the women's 65-kg freestyle category finals of the event in Kyrgyzstan.

Vinesh Phogat bags wins at Asian Wrestling Championships

New Delhi, Mar 02 (ANI): Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat settled for silver in the ongoing Asian Wrestling Championships as she lost the tough-fought title clash in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Thursday. Phogat lost to Chinese wrestler Chun Lei by a narrow margin of 3-2 in women final of the 50kg category (freestyle). She defeated Korean, Kazak, and Japanese wrestlers on her journey to win silver. The 23-year-old came into the final after defeating Japan's Yuki Irie after the scores were tied 4-4. Meanwhile, another female wrestler Sangeeta secured a bronze medal in 59kg weight category after losing to Um Jieun of Korea Republic 9-4. This takes India's medal tally to four in the tournament after Greco-Roman wrestlers Harpreet Singh and Rajender Kumar clinched bronze earlier. This is also Phogat's second consecutive silver of the event, following her last year's podium finish at home on her comeback from a major knee injury.