Sports

24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

India international archers denied participation in Olympic selection trials for failure to produce Covid-19 negative report | More sports News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The first day of archery selection trials in Jamshedpur on Tuesday had its fair share of drama when five international archers, all from Assam, were stopped from appearing for trials after they failed to produce a Covid-19 negative RT-PCR report to the organisers, which was a mandatory requirement to participate in the event. Archers Sanjay Boro, Dhaniram Basumatary, Mukesh Boro, Promila Daimary and Sonali Basumatary weren’t allowed to take the field for trials in the absence of RT-PCR report. The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), as spelt out by the Archery Association of India (AAI) before the trials, required all participants to undergo mandatory Covid-19 testing at their respective home cities and carry the negative report obtained not more than 48 hours before arriving...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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David Boon joins list of ‘home’ match referees | Cricket News – Times of India

BENGALURU: After being in charge of 57 Tests abroad, ICC Elite Panel Match Referee David Boon has been bestowed with a rare opportunity to monitor a home series against India. He is the first Australian to officiate as a match referee in a Test match involving the Australian men’s team. According to ICC's policy of appointing match officials, to ensure the highest possible standards and guarantee impartial adjudication, two umpires from the Elite Panel stand in almost all Test matches around the world, while one member stands with a home umpire from the International Panel of ICC Umpires for One-Day International matches. The match referee, representing the global governing body, is also appointed from a neutral country. However, new guidelines following the Covid-19 pandemic have led t...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

Build it and they will come, believes USA Cricket | Cricket News – Times of India

Between Dallas and Fort Worth just off the Texas I30 Interstate an American cricket "Field of Dreams" is being built amidst the urban sprawl. Just like the mysterious voice in the Hollywood sport fantasy film that told Ray Kinsella to turn his Iowa cornfield into a baseball diamond, the Chairman of USA Cricket, Paraag Marathe, believes in the saying "build it and they will come". The hope is that the best players, thousands of fans and a global spotlight will come to Grand Prairie's AirHogs stadium after the minor league ball park is transformed into Texas's answer to Lord's, the world's most famous cricket ground. The state-of-the-art 8,000 seat facility will serve as the High Performance Center for USA Cricket, the home of the Texas franchise in Major League Cricket (MLC) when the six...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

ISL: Anirudh Thapa’s Indian feat in Chennaiyin FC’s winning start | Football News – Times of India

Chennaiyin FC have always shown confidence in their Indian youngsters. And, at Tilak Maidan in Vasco on Tuesday, that confidence reaped dividends in a 2-1 winning start against Jamshedpur FC where 22-year-old Anirudh Thapa scored the first goal by an Indian player, and the fastest so far, of the Indian Super League season. The 52nd second strike was the mastermind of Rafael Crivellaro coupled with the quick run and cross from the wings by Esmael Goncalves to Player-of-the-Match Thapa who was at the right place in the box to guide it past Jamshedpur FC keeper TP Rehenesh. It was just the beginning of an open encounter with Owen Coyle’s Jamshedpur searching for an equaliser and his former wards in Chennaiyin looking for the second. Brazilian Crivellaro kept creating chances and finding th...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Quarantine rules in Australia, decision to send Rohit Sharma back to NCA in focus as time runs out for Tests | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: After a month's uncertainty over his fitness status, it has emerged Rohit Sharma may struggle to make it to Australia for the full Test series. Ishant Sharma too could miss out on the series. TOI had reported on Tuesday that the Indian team management is already looking to retain a player from the white-ball squad to cover for Rohit's probable absence. Rohit playing the IPL playoffs for Mumbai Indians and then not boarding the flight to Australia for the full tour raised a lot of eyebrows. The Indian cricket board (BCCI) claimed he will join the squad for the Test series that starts on Dec 17 and Rohit was advised to rehab along with Ishant at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. The NCA now reckons that the duo will need at least three weeks to be Test-match fit....

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

Pakistan invite Afghan neighbours on first official cricket tour | Cricket News – Times of India

KARACHI: Pakistan have invited Afghanistan's national cricket team on a recognised tour for the first time, officials said Tuesday, following a visit to Kabul by Prime Minister Imran Khan -- one of the game's greatest players. "We'll try to look for a possible window for this tour -- and if not 2021, we'll definitely try to plan a series in 2022 season," said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief executive Wasim Khan. "A cricket series between Pakistan and Afghanistan could be a harbinger of love and peace between the two countries," he told AFP. An Afghan national side toured Pakistan in May 2011, although they only played a second-string side and matches were not given first-class status. Pakistan premier Khan visited Afghanistan on Thursday, where he vowed to help reduce spiralling viol...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

Have undergone 22 COVID tests in past four and half months: Sourav Ganguly | Cricket News – Times of India

MUMBAI: BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday revealed that he underwent as many as 22 COVID-19 tests in the past four and a half months while trying to navigate his professional commitments amid the raging pandemic. Ganguly was kept busy by the conduct of the Indian Premier League in the UAE from mid-September to early November. "I must tell you I have got tested 22 times in the last four and half months and not been positive even once, I have had cases around me, so that probably forced me to get tested myself," Ganguly said at a virtual media conference of a promotional event. "...I stay with elderly parents and I have travelled to Dubai and in the initial part, I was very worried, not just for me, but the community, you don't want to spread it to somebody...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

Aslam Sher Khan writes over Batra being made Hockey India ‘life president’

By: Express News Service | November 24, 2020 10:36:40 pm Aslam Sher Khan helped India win the gold medal in 1975 World Cup. (File)Olympian Aslam Sher Khan has sought the intervention of sports minister Kiren Rijiju after claiming that his ministry ‘is amending the sports code’ in a way that will make officials hold ‘posts which are declared unconstitutional and illegal by the Hon’ble High Court.’ Khan sent the letter to Rijiju on Monday, just days before the Delhi High Court hears his plea in which he alleged that Hockey India had created posts in violation of the Sports Code. In August, the Delhi High Court asked the sports ministry and Hockey India f...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

Anirudh Thapa’s first-half strike sets up Chennaiyin’s win over Jamshedpur

By: PTI | Vasco | November 24, 2020 10:29:04 pm Anirudh Thapa celebrates his goal with his teammates. (File)Anirudh Thapa scored in the first minute to set up Chennaiyin FC’s 2-1 win over Jamshedpur FC in an Indian Super League match here on Tuesday. Thapa’s early strike coupled with a penalty goal from Esmael Goncalves (26th) ensured that Chennaiyin began their campaign with a win. Last season’s golden boot winner Nerijus Valskis (37th) pulled one back but a string of misses ensured that Jamshedpur boss Owen Coyle started the season with a defeat against the team he managed last season. Thapa got the game off to an electrifying start, scoring in the very first mi...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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New jersey, renewed motivation: Dhawan sounds warning bell for Australia | Cricket News – Times of India

SYDNEY: Ahead of the ODI series against Australia, Shikhar Dhawan on Tuesday donned the new jersey of the Indian cricket team and said he is ready to go into the games with "renewed motivation". Dhawan took to Twitter to post his picture and wrote: "New jersey, renewed motivation. Ready to go." New jersey, renewed motivation. Ready to go. 🇮🇳 https://t.co/gKG9gS78th— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) 1606208975000India and Australia are slated to lock horns against each other in three ODIs, three T20Is, and four Tests. India and Australia will first play against each other in ODIs and T20Is and then both sides will shift their attention to the longest format of the game. The ODI series gets underway this Friday. Earlier in the day, Cricket Australia interim Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Premier League’s return of fans brings new set of headaches for clubs

By: Reuters | November 24, 2020 8:59:14 pm A view of the Anfield Stadium in Liverpool. (AP)Fans can return to English football stadiums next week, ending an eight month absence due to COVID restrictions, but while the government’s decision to open the turnstiles has been welcomed it also presents a series of new headaches for clubs. The first hurdle clubs must clear will come on Thursday when the government announces which tiers of restrictions given regions in England will be placed in. Clubs which fall into tier three areas, which contains the strictest restrictions, will still not be allowed to let any fans into their grounds. Only those in the lowest risk, tie...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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India in Australia recap: ‘Chase master’ Virat Kohli’s masterclass at Hobart in 2012 | Cricket News – Times of India

Whichever way you look at his career, there is no doubt that Virat Kohli is one of the greats of modern day cricket, especially in one-day internationals. He has scored heavily against each and every major team he has played against, not only at home but on foreign soil too. But one moniker which Kohli has made his own over the years is that of 'chase master' in limited-overs cricket. In fact in ODIs, Kohli, true to his tag, has scored 7039 runs batting second at an astounding average of 68.33, much better than his aggregate of 4828 at 49.77 batting first. In India's previous tour Down Under in 2018-19, Kohli scored a brilliant hundred in a successful chase against the hosts, when his 104 helped India chase down a big target of 299 in a last-over thriller in Adelaide. But one knock, ear...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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England will tour India for 4 Tests, 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is: Sourav Ganguly

By: Sports Desk | November 24, 2020 7:25:21 pm England's Jos Buttler in action vs India. (File Photo/Reuters)BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said on Tuesday England will be playing an extended series — comprising four Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is — starting from February next year. “England is touring India for four Test matches, three ODIs, and five T20Is, it is easy to have bilaterals as there are just two teams, we have to keep assessing the situation, a lot of people are talking about the second COVID wave, we have to be careful,” said Ganguly during a virtual press conference. It had been previously announced that England will tour India for a series early ...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Meet the Australian squad that will take on Team India in the ODI series

By: Sports Desk | Updated: November 24, 2020 6:33:35 pm The India vs Australia ODI series will begin on Friday, November 27. (Cricket Australia)India will play their first ODI in almost 10 months when they take on Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the 1st ODI of the series on Friday. Their last outing had been a drubbing in New Zealand, but it was immediately before that India beat Australia 2-1 in an ODI series at home. On their turf this time, the Aussies have made several changes from last time out. While two senior players — Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Wade — have since returned to the national team, the big change has been in the seam-bowling all-round...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Australia vs India: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s absence will leave ‘a bit of a hole’ for India: Steve Smith | Cricket News – Times of India

SYDNEY: Star Australia batsman Steve Smith reckons Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's absence will leave a "bit of a hole" in the Indian team but the visitors have a lot of talented players who can put their hands up in pressure situations. Rohit, who is nursing a hamstring injury, is out of the white-ball series and is still doubtful starter for Test matches while skipper Kohli will be on paternity leave after the first Test (day-night) in Adelaide. "Look, Rohit is obviously a tremendous white-ball player, he has proven that for a number of years now at the top of the order, so obviously it leaves a bit of hole," Smith said during a virtual press conference facilitated by Sony Network. "But I guess the beauty with the Indian team is there are so many batters coming through, that are of hig...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

A refreshing Dominic Thiem for the tennis world

It is pretty incredible that in a virus-curtailed tennis calendar—it saw plenty of tournaments being shelved, including a Grand Slam in Wimbledon—Dominic Thiem found the time, space and wherewithal to demand the reformation of the Big Four club. It is also pretty incredible that he did this despite losing more big finals (the Australian Open in January and the ATP Tour Finals in London on Sunday) than he won—the US Open in September. But view this prism from Thiem’s line-of-sight and it becomes evident how, in 2020, he made a move that many had promised but none had pulled off in a long, long time—that of going from best-of-the-rest to a prospective great. With Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer still relevant in Melbourne at the beginning of the year, Thiem ma...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Barcelona rest Messi, De Jong in Champions League match

The Champions League has been Barcelona’s safe haven this season, so much so that the club will leave Lionel Messi at home for Tuesday’s match in Ukraine. Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman is resting Messi and midfielder Frenkie de Jong for the game against Dynamo Kyiv, when the Catalan club can secure a spot in the knockout stage for the 17th straight season.“Neither Leo nor Frenkie are traveling,” Koeman said Monday. “They need some rest. With nine points in our group, we are in a comfortable situation and we have to keep them fresh.”Messi has played in every match so far this season after having his request to leave the club denied in the offseason. De Jong had also played in every match, and both also spent time with their national teams.“In Leo’s case you also have trips ...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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‘Still annoys me that we lost Test series to India’: Australia captain Tim Paine

Tim Paine became the first Australian captain to lose a Test series to India at home when Virat Kohli’s men beat Australia 2-1 in 2018-19. A couple of years later, Paine has a chance to set the record straight as India are slated to play 4 Tests in Australia starting from December 17 in Adelaide. Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Australia Test captain, however, admitted that the defeat to India in his first assignment on home soil still annoys him.“Certainly for me sitting back it still annoys me that we lost that Test series,” Paine told 2GB’s Wide World of Sports radio.“Whether we had Steve or David or not you don’t want to be losing any Test matches or Test series you’re involved in, so that still grinds me a little bit,” Paine added.Also Watch l Kapil Dev pick...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Palace, Wolves stumble after virus robs them of mainstays

Wilfried Zaha had appeared in each of Crystal Palace’s last 59 games in the English Premier League stretching back to February 2019. Conor Coady hadn’t missed a minute of Wolverhampton’s 84 league games since its promotion back to the top division in 2018. The two mainstays were unavailable while they isolated during the coronavirus pandemic and that took its toll on their teams on Monday.Palace was toothless in attack without Zaha, who tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the game, and slumped to a 1-0 loss to a Burnley side that hadn’t previously won in the league. Chris Wood scored in the eighth minute.Coady was missing for Wolves, having had to train in isolation after discovering he inadvertently came into contact with somebody who tested positive for the virus. With...

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24Nov By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Virat Kohli tops the charts in Twitter engagements in October, Suresh Raina second

Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore may have missed out on an IPL 2020 final berth but the India captain topped the Twitter charts as far Indian sportspersons were concerned in the month of October. In fact, he was No. 3 among all Indians in Twitter engagements. According to Twitteet, a social media analytics firm, Kohli had 24, 65, 918 Twitter engagements in October. He was third among all Indians. The most number of Twitter engagement was by India Prime Minister Narendra Modi (72, 15,913) followed by Rahul Gandhi (35, 53,825). ALSO READ | ‘India will play five T20Is’ - Sourav Ganguly gives details of England home series“The IPL was the flavour of the season for cricketers where expectedly India captain and expectant father Virat Kohli topped Twitter engagement with...

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