Sports

India solidify second place in WTC standings with win over England

admin 0

England, on the other hand, are languishing at eighth with 19.44%, just a spot ahead of bottom-placed Sri Lanka, who are yet to open their account.

Published Date – 26 February 2024, 03:15 PM


India solidify second place in WTC standings with win over England

India’s batter Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel celebrate after India won the fourth Test cricket match against England, in Ranchi. (IANS/Rajesh Kumar)

Dubai: India consolidated their second spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) standing following their five-wicket win against Ben Stokes’ England in the fourth Test at Ranchi on Monday.

The hosts, led by Rohit Sharma, took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-Test series.

India’s point-percentage jumped from 59.52 to 64.58 following the hard-fought win and they further extended the gap with Australia (55%) and Bangladesh (50%), third third and fourth-placed teams, respectively.

England, on the other hand, are languishing at eighth with 19.44%, just a spot ahead of bottom-placed Sri Lanka, who are yet to open their account.

India have so far played eight Tests in the current WTC cycle, winning five, losing two and drawing one match.

England’s ‘Bazball’ approach doesn’t seem to have given them rich dividends with the visitors having won just three matches, while losing five and drawing one so far.

New Zealand are leading the standing with 75 percentage points and have played just four Test so far.

A total of 12 points are awarded for a win, six for a tie and four for a draw. Teams are ranked according to the percentage of points.

The top-two teams will progress to the final at Lord’s in 2025.

India have reached the WTC final both the times since the format was launched. They lost to New Zealand in the inaugural championship final, while bowing to Australia in the second edition.

India have a great chance to further cement their second position if they win the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala, beginning from March 7.

Sports

4th Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal matches Virat Kohli’s home series run record

admin 0

Jaiswal matched Kohli’s run tally on Monday during the fourth day of the India vs. England fourth Test.

Published Date – 26 February 2024, 02:48 PM


4th Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal matches Virat Kohli’s home series run record


Ranchi: Young India opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal became the joint-second-highest Indian run-getter in a home Test series, equalling Virat Kohli’s tally of 655 runs during the ongoing Test series against England.

Jaiswal equalled Kohli’s tally during the fourth day of the fourth Test between India and England here on Monday.

Sunil Gavaskar remains at the top of this list, with his 732 runs scored in the six matches against the West Indies in 1978/79.

The 22-year-old, featuring in just his third Test series for India, has been on a dream run in the ongoing series against England as he started off with an aggressive 80 runs in Hyderabad.

The opener’s brilliant knock of 209 set the stage for India’s victory in Vizag, and he backed it up with yet another exceptional double hundred (214 not out) in Rajkot, allowing the hosts to claim the series lead.

Kohli had managed his run tally in 2016 when England played five matches in India. He smashed up two hundreds and as many as fifties in eight innings which included a best score of 235.

Sports

India beats England by 5 wickets, seals series in Ranchi

admin 0

India secures series victory with 3-1 lead after latest win.

Published Date – 26 February 2024, 02:05 PM


India beats England by 5 wickets, seals series in Ranchi


Ranchi: India beat England by 5 wickets in the fourth Test here at JSCA International Stadium Complex on Monday.

With a win, India sealed a five-match series by taking an unassailable 3-1 lead.

The fifth and final Test starts from March 7 in Dharamsala.

Brief Scores: India 307-10 and 192-5 beat England 353-10 and 145-10 by 5 wickets.

Sports

4th Test: India 118/3 at lunch, 74 runs away from victory against England

admin 0

At lunch, India stands at 118/3, with Shubman Gill batting at 18 and Ravindra Jadeja at three. Starting from 40/0, the session was intense, initially led by Rohit’s fifty and an 84-run opening partnership with Jaiswal.

Updated On – 26 February 2024, 12:52 PM


4th Test: India 118/3 at lunch, 74 runs away from victory against England


Ranchi: India need 74 more runs to win the fourth Test over England at Ranchi, but lost captain Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rajat Patidar in the first session of day four’s play at the JSCA International Stadium on Monday.

At lunch, India are 118/3, with Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja batting at 18 and three respectively. Resuming from 40/0, it was a gripping session where India were initially ahead, thanks to Rohit’s fifty and him sharing an 84-run opening stand with Jaiswal.

But Joe Root, Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley took a scalp each as India slipped from 84/0 to 100/3. Gill and Jadeja looked tentative, but managed to hold their ground for 45 minutes till lunch arrived.

In the morning, Rohit took India past fifty by timing a lofted flick off Anderson over wide long-on for six. He and Jaiswal would take a boundary off Bashir, before the latter survived an lbw appeal off Hartley.

Jaiswal collected a few fours via reverse-sweep, sweep and cut before his attempt to clear extra cover off Root resulted in a thick edge caught by forward diving short third man. Rohit reached his fifty off 69 balls with a brace off Hartley, but was stumped on 55 after being drawn out of the crease by the flighted and wide ball from the left-arm spinner.

Bashir joined the wicket-takers column by getting some turn and drift to catch the inside edge of Patidar and the ball lobbed to short leg taking a catch to his right, with the batter dismissed for a six-ball duck.

From there, England kept Gill and Jadeja on a tight leash and would fancy their chances for an unlikely win after taking three wickets in 16 balls of the morning session to derail India’s morning. India, on the other hand, would wish for Gill and Jadeja, followed by Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel to steer the hosts’ to a series-sealing win.

Brief Scores: England 353 and 145 lead India 307 and 118/3 in 37 overs (Rohit Sharma 55, Yashasvi Jaiswal 37; Joe Root 1-21, Shoaib Bashir 1-40) by 74 runs.

Sports

Premier League: Sarabia’s goal secures 1-0 victory for Wolverhampton over Sheffield United

admin 0

Wolves dominated the early stages at Molineux, controlling possession and displaying tenacity in winning back the ball.

Published Date – 26 February 2024, 11:49 AM


Premier League: Sarabia’s goal secures 1-0 victory for Wolverhampton over Sheffield United


Wolverhampton: Pablo Sarabia’s goal proved the difference as Wolverhampton Wanderers claimed a 1-0 win over Sheffield United at Molineux.

The Spaniard headed home from Rayan Ait-Nouri’s cross after 30 minutes to secure back-to-back wins late on Sunday night and move Gary O’Neil’s men up three places to eighth in the Premier League table.

Wolves controlled the opening stages at Molineux and were on the front foot, dominating possession and tenacious to win the ball back.

Brewster had a shot blocked before his second effort was well saved by Jose Sa, and the forward then fired over after latching on to a flick from Jayden Bogle. Shortly after, James McAtee failed to make the most of a great opportunity, shooting tamely at Sa.

Sheff Utd were left to rue those misses as Wolves made the breakthrough on the half hour. Rayan Ait-Nouri cut back onto his right foot and his cross into the box was met by Sarabia, who glanced his header over Grbic and into the net for his third league goal of the season, Premier League reports.

Wolves had chances to double their lead before the break, but Pedro Neto and then Sarabia blazed shots over the crossbar as it remained 1-0.

Sheff Utd started the second half positively, with Wolves struggling to get going as Sa was again called into action to deny the lively Brewster. But the visitors were leaving spaces at the back, and Sarabia came close to scoring his second goal, unleashing a powerful drive from just outside the area which flew narrowly wide.

Wolves had one final chance to double their lead, with Joao Gomes testing Grbic with a strike from 25 yards out, but they held on for the win which takes them onto 38 points.

Sheff Utd, who lost for the 19th time in the league, remain bottom with 13 points.

Sports

Borussia Dortmund’s first 2024 loss: 2-3 defeat at home to Hoffenheim

admin 0

Xinhua reports that BVB responded strongly, keeping Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann busy, with Marcel Sabitzer and Donyell Malen coming close to scoring

Updated On – 26 February 2024, 11:06 AM


Borussia Dortmund’s first 2024 loss: 2-3 defeat at home to Hoffenheim


Berlin: Borussia Dortmund suffered their first loss of 2024 after losing 3-2 at home to Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga.

Hoffenheim made a fairy-tale start on Sunday night and stunned Dortmund with just two minutes played when Ihlas Bebou benefitted from a poor clearance from Emre Can before slotting the ball from close range past goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

BVB responded well and kept Hoffenheim custodian Oliver Baumann busy as Marcel Sabitzer and Donyell Malen came close, reports Xinhua.

Dortmund’s efforts paid off as Malen tapped home a flicked-on corner from Julian Brandt in the 21st minute, before the hosts scored again four minutes later after Nico Schlotterbeck nodded Marco Reus’ free kick past Baumann to make it 2-1.

Dortmund increased the pressure but couldn’t add more goals to their lead before half-time.

Hoffenheim made a promising start into the second half as Julian Ryerson’s misplaced pass allowed Maximilian Beier to unleash a dangerous shot on target in the 57th minute.

Beier cut a better figure in front of the target at the hour mark, finishing off a counterattack into the top corner to level the scores at 2-2.

Things went from bad to worse for the hosts as Beier wrapped up his brace three minutes later.

Edin Terzic’s men pressed frenetically for an equalizer, but Hoffenheim’s defense stood firm to snap a winless run of eight games.

With the result, Dortmund remain fourth, six points behind third-placed Stuttgart, while Hoffenheim jump to eighth.

“We started the game extremely nervous and were behind very early. After that, we showed a good first half. But we didn’t like the fact that we had to defend a lot of counterattacks. We started the second half extremely poorly, completely inviting the opponent to gain a foothold in the game. That was extremely frustrating today,” rued Terzic.

In the other matches, Eintracht Frankfurt bounced back twice and secured a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw with struggling Wolfsburg, while Augsburg snatched a late 2-1 win over Freiburg.

Sports

Saif Ali Khan champions Tennis Ball Cricket, supports Tigers of Kolkata

admin 0

He further expressed his belief that he would be a fitting ambassador for the Kolkata Tigers. Incidentally, his father was also known as Tiger Pataudi.

Published Date – 26 February 2024, 08:58 AM


Saif Ali Khan champions Tennis Ball Cricket, supports Tigers of Kolkata


Mumbai: With the country’s first tennis ball T10 tournament, or the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL), scheduled to take off in March, Saif Ali Khan, who is the co-owner of Tigers of Kolkata, talked about his connect with the city of his mother Sharmila Tagore’s famous family.

His father, the legendary Mansoor Ali Khan ‘Tiger’ Pataudi, or his grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan, who played cricket for England and captained India in 1946, may not have approved of the statement, but Saif said entertainment and cricket have always been connected.

He also added that he believes he would be a worthwhile ambassador the Tigers of Kolkata. His father, incidentally, was also known as Tiger Pataudi.

Saif was speaking at a press conference held in Mumbai to announce the first-ever T10 tennis ball cricket competition in India.

Talking about the tournament, which will see six teams in action, Saif stated, “This is a wonderful initiative. It is a great thing for cricket too. The idea is to take cricket from the streets to the stadium. The beginning of cricket for everyone is with a tennis ball.”

Speaking about the cricket-entertainment connect, Saif said, “It is becoming more and more so as time goes by.”

About Kolkata, he added, “The city is very close to my heart. My mother is from there. Half of my family is from there and the other half belongs to cricket. So I feel I am a good ambassador for Tigers of Kolkata.”

The six teams that will be seen in action at the ISPL will represents Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Srinagar. They will play a total of 19 matches in the tournament, all in Mumbai, from March 2, to March 9.

Sports

Hasaranga receives two-match suspension, Gurbaz fined

admin 0

The ICC has suspended Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga for two matches and docked a fine of 15 per cent on the match fee of Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz for breaching its Code of Conduct during the third T20I in Dambulla.

Published Date – 25 February 2024, 11:55 PM


Hasaranga receives two-match suspension, Gurbaz fined

Wanindu Hasaranga and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (file photo).

Dubai: The ICC has suspended Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga for two matches and docked a fine of 15 per cent on the match fee of Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz for breaching its Code of Conduct during the third T20I in Dambulla.

The global governing body said in a release that Hasaranga has been banned after the spin bowling all-rounder accumulated a total of five demerit points within a 24-month period, which includes his latest breach of the ICC Code of Conduct.

“Sri Lanka’s T20I skipper and second-ranked T20I bowler on the ICC Men’s Player Rankings, Wanindu Hasaranga, has been presented with a two-match suspension after his total demerit points reached five within a 24-month period following his latest breach of the ICC Code of Conduct, for which he received a 50 per cent fine and three demerit points,” the ICC said in a statement.

The incident involving Hasaranga took place towards the end of the third and final T20I on Wednesday when he approached the on-field umpire Lyndon Hanibal to criticise a decision regarding a full toss delivery not being adjudged a no-ball.

Hasaranga was thus found guilty of breaching the article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. The article relates to “personal abuse of a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire or Match Referee during an International Match”.

With Hasaranga accumulating five demerit points, it converts to two suspension points, the ICC said.

“This means he will either get a ban for one Test match or two ODIs or T20Is, whichever comes first, for the player or player support personnel. Consequently, Hasaranga will be suspended from participating in Sri Lanka’s first two T20Is against Bangladesh next month,” the ICC said.

Afghanistan batter Gurbaz too was penalised for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct in the same match for having violated the article 2.4 of the code, which concerns “disobeying an Umpire’s instruction during an International Match”.

This has resulted in one demerit point being added to Gurbaz’s disciplinary record, which marks his second such offence in a 24-month period and the player accumulating two demerit points.

“The sanction was imposed on Rahmanullah for altering the grip of his bat on the field despite repeated warnings against doing so,” the ICC said. The ICC added that both the players have admitted to the offences and have accepted the sanction proposed by Chris Broad from the elite panel of match referees.

“The charges were brought forth by on-field umpires Lyndon Hannibal and Raveendra Wimalasiri, third umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge, and fourth umpire Ranmore Martinez,” the ICC said. Sri Lanka won the series 2-1 with Afghanistan sealing a narrow three-run win in the final T20I. Hasaranga was named the Player of the Series for his all-round show.

Sports

Iran comes third at 2024 Beach Soccer World Cup

admin 0

In the match held at Dubai’s Main Stadium, Ali Mirshekari, Movahed Mohammadpour, Mohammad Moradi, Reza Amiri, Mohammad Masoumi and Mohammadali Mokhtari were on target for Iran while Mikita Chaikouski scored Belarus’s only goal.

This is the second time Iran has won the bronze medal as Team Melli had claimed a bronze medal in 2017.

Brazil will meet Italy in the final match later in the day.

The next edition will be held in Seychelles in May 2025.

MP/TT

Sports

Vibhor, Vaibhav emerge champions in Children Chess Tournament

admin 0

Vibhor Panga with 4.5 points and Vaibhav Chenna with 7.5 points sealed the senior and junior titles respectively in the Children Chess Tournament at A2H Chess Academy, Kukatpally, Hyderabad on Sunday.

Updated On – 25 February 2024, 10:34 PM


Vibhor, Vaibhav emerge champions in Children Chess Tournament

All medal winners of the chess championship on Sunday.

Hyderabad: Vibhor Panga of Delhi Public School, Miyapur and Vaibhav Chenna of Hindu Public School, Chintal clinched senior and junior category titles respectively of the Children Chess Tournament at A2H Chess Academy, Kukatpally, Hyderabad on Sunday.

In the senior category, Vibhor with 4.5 points sealed the title in tie-break ahead of Karthikeya, who settled for runner-up position. Meanwhile, Vaibhav with 7.5 points finished ahead of Deepesh Maruthi and Mohana Krishna with six points each finished in second and third places respectively.

Results: Seniors: 1. Vibhor Panga (4.5), 2. P Karthikeya (4.5), 3. K Abhinav (2); Juniors: 1. Vaibhav Chenna (7.5), 2. Deepesh Maruthi (6), 3. Mohana Krishna (6); Special Prizes: 1. Y Hishitha (3.5), 2. P Varnika (3), 3. Rohit Reddy (2.5), 4. Banwitha P (1.5) 5.Tanvi Sri (1).