Archive For The “Sports” Category
Bengaluru, March 9 : Gowin Sehwag brought cheers to the home crowd as he sent third seed Karthik S. Kavin packing while entering the quarterfinals of the boys' U-18 at the Sportle AITA U-18 CS-7 National Ranking Championship being held at the Topspin Tennis Academy here on Tuesday.
Sehwag prevailed 6-0, 7-6 (4) over his opponent from Tamil Nadu.
Akarsh Gaonkar scored the other upset victory in the boys' category when he defeated seventh seed Manan Nath of Assam in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 to make it to the last eight stage.
Meanwhile, qualifier Soumya Ronde who had upset top seed Meenakshi in the first round, continued her march into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Siri Patil.
Results (Pre-quarterfinals) (Seedings in pre-fix)
Boys U-18 Singles
Gowin Sehwag bt 3-Karthik S Kavin 6-0, 7-6 (4); Akarsh V Gaonkar bt 7-Manan Nath 6-2, 6-2; 4-Skanda Prasanna Rao bt Rakshak Tarun V 6-2, 6-2; Rishivandan bt Shantanu Srikumar Nambiar 6-2, 6-1; Adith Amarnath bt Krish Ajay Tyagi 6-2, 6-2; Rethin Pranav bt Bhuvan Prakash 6-3, 6-1; 2-Arjun Premkumar bt Anoop Keshavmurthy 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-2.
Girls U-18 Singles
Amodini Vijay Naik bt 4-Charmi Gopinath 6-1, 6-2; Athmika Chaitanya Sreenivas bt 6-Sanjana Mula 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-3; Q-Soumya Ronde bt Siri Patil 6-4, 6-0; Kashish Kant bt Sonicka Jagdeesh 6-2, 6-4; LL-Nidhi B Sreenivas bt Gagana Mohan Kumar 7-5, 6-3; Q-Bharathiyana Babu Reddy bt Karthika N 6-1, 6-3; Samiksha Dabas bt Harshini Nagraj 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-0
--IANS
/kr.
Source: IANS
Sehwag prevailed 6-0, 7-6 (4) over his opponent from Tamil Nadu.
Akarsh Gaonkar scored the other upset victory in the boys' category when he defeated seventh seed Manan Nath of Assam in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 to make it to the last eight stage.
Meanwhile, qualifier Soumya Ronde who had upset top seed Meenakshi in the first round, continued her march into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Siri Patil.
Results (Pre-quarterfinals) (Seedings in pre-fix)
Boys U-18 Singles
Gowin Sehwag bt 3-Karthik S Kavin 6-0, 7-6 (4); Akarsh V Gaonkar bt 7-Manan Nath 6-2, 6-2; 4-Skanda Prasanna Rao bt Rakshak Tarun V 6-2, 6-2; Rishivandan bt Shantanu Srikumar Nambiar 6-2, 6-1; Adith Amarnath bt Krish Ajay Tyagi 6-2, 6-2; Rethin Pranav bt Bhuvan Prakash 6-3, 6-1; 2-Arjun Premkumar bt Anoop Keshavmurthy 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-2.
Girls U-18 Singles
Amodini Vijay Naik bt 4-Charmi Gopinath 6-1, 6-2; Athmika Chaitanya Sreenivas bt 6-Sanjana Mula 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-3; Q-Soumya Ronde bt Siri Patil 6-4, 6-0; Kashish Kant bt Sonicka Jagdeesh 6-2, 6-4; LL-Nidhi B Sreenivas bt Gagana Mohan Kumar 7-5, 6-3; Q-Bharathiyana Babu Reddy bt Karthika N 6-1, 6-3; Samiksha Dabas bt Harshini Nagraj 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-0
--IANS
/kr.
Source: IANS
Bengaluru, March 9 : Gowin Sehwag brought cheers to the home crowd as he sent third seed Karthik S. Kavin packing while entering the quarterfinals of the boys' U-18 at the Sportle AITA U-18 CS-7 National Ranking Championship being held at the Topspin Tennis Academy here on Tuesday.
Sehwag prevailed 6-0, 7-6 (4) over his opponent from Tamil Nadu.
Akarsh Gaonkar scored the other upset victory in the boys' category when he defeated seventh seed Manan Nath of Assam in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 to make it to the last eight stage.
Meanwhile, qualifier Soumya Ronde who had upset top seed Meenakshi in the first round, continued her march into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Siri Patil.
Results (Pre-quarterfinals) (Seedings in pre-fix)
Boys U-18 Singles
Gowin Sehwag bt 3-Karthik S Kavin 6-0, 7-6 (4); Akarsh V Gaonkar bt 7-Manan Nath 6-2, 6-2; 4-Skanda Prasanna Rao bt Rakshak Tarun V 6-2, 6-2; Rishivandan bt Shantanu Srikumar Nambiar 6-2, 6-1; Adith Amarnath bt Krish Ajay Tyagi 6-2, 6-2; Rethin Pranav bt Bhuvan Prakash 6-3, 6-1; 2-Arjun Premkumar bt Anoop Keshavmurthy 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-2.
Girls U-18 Singles
Amodini Vijay Naik bt 4-Charmi Gopinath 6-1, 6-2; Athmika Chaitanya Sreenivas bt 6-Sanjana Mula 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-3; Q-Soumya Ronde bt Siri Patil 6-4, 6-0; Kashish Kant bt Sonicka Jagdeesh 6-2, 6-4; LL-Nidhi B Sreenivas bt Gagana Mohan Kumar 7-5, 6-3; Q-Bharathiyana Babu Reddy bt Karthika N 6-1, 6-3; Samiksha Dabas bt Harshini Nagraj 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-0
--IANS
/kr.
Source: IANS
Sehwag prevailed 6-0, 7-6 (4) over his opponent from Tamil Nadu.
Akarsh Gaonkar scored the other upset victory in the boys' category when he defeated seventh seed Manan Nath of Assam in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 to make it to the last eight stage.
Meanwhile, qualifier Soumya Ronde who had upset top seed Meenakshi in the first round, continued her march into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Siri Patil.
Results (Pre-quarterfinals) (Seedings in pre-fix)
Boys U-18 Singles
Gowin Sehwag bt 3-Karthik S Kavin 6-0, 7-6 (4); Akarsh V Gaonkar bt 7-Manan Nath 6-2, 6-2; 4-Skanda Prasanna Rao bt Rakshak Tarun V 6-2, 6-2; Rishivandan bt Shantanu Srikumar Nambiar 6-2, 6-1; Adith Amarnath bt Krish Ajay Tyagi 6-2, 6-2; Rethin Pranav bt Bhuvan Prakash 6-3, 6-1; 2-Arjun Premkumar bt Anoop Keshavmurthy 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-2.
Girls U-18 Singles
Amodini Vijay Naik bt 4-Charmi Gopinath 6-1, 6-2; Athmika Chaitanya Sreenivas bt 6-Sanjana Mula 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-3; Q-Soumya Ronde bt Siri Patil 6-4, 6-0; Kashish Kant bt Sonicka Jagdeesh 6-2, 6-4; LL-Nidhi B Sreenivas bt Gagana Mohan Kumar 7-5, 6-3; Q-Bharathiyana Babu Reddy bt Karthika N 6-1, 6-3; Samiksha Dabas bt Harshini Nagraj 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-0
--IANS
/kr.
Source: IANS
Ranchi, March 9 : Former cricketer Zaheer Khan offered prayers at the Goddess Chinmastika temple at Jharkhand's Rajrappa district on Tuesday.
The former Indian left arm pace bowler offered prayers with Vedic mantras along with his wife Sagarika Ghatge.
The couple spent nearly 30 minutes in the temple.
Khan sought the blessings of the goddess and the priest.
"I felt good coming here.
I will visit again if the goddess blesses us," Khan told mediapersons.
According to a priest of the temple, Khan had arrived in Ranchi to participate in a programme along with his wife.
The temple is one of the 52 Shatipeeths in the country.
--IANS
ns/ash.
Source: IANS
The former Indian left arm pace bowler offered prayers with Vedic mantras along with his wife Sagarika Ghatge.
The couple spent nearly 30 minutes in the temple.
Khan sought the blessings of the goddess and the priest.
"I felt good coming here.
I will visit again if the goddess blesses us," Khan told mediapersons.
According to a priest of the temple, Khan had arrived in Ranchi to participate in a programme along with his wife.
The temple is one of the 52 Shatipeeths in the country.
--IANS
ns/ash.
Source: IANS
New Delhi, March 6 : From sleeping in an 'altitude tent' and running a weekly mileage of 270 kms, Sudha Singh is set to crack the qualification time of the Olympic Games women's marathon at the National Marathon on Sunday.
The 34-year-old distance runner from Uttar Pradesh said it might be an ambitious goal but she is both mentally and physically prepared to run a hard and fast race.
"I have done good speed sessions.
Sometimes I did 30 to 40 repetitions of 400 m in one training session, that too with an average pace of 80 seconds for each 400 m," Sudha, an Asian Games medallist in the 3,000-metre steeplechase, told IANS on Saturday.
The Olympic qualification time for marathon is 2 hours 29:30 seconds while Sudha's personal best is 2 hours 34:56 seconds.
For the last six weeks, Sudha has been living in an altitude tent at Bengaluru's Sports Authority of India (SAI) training centre.
An altitude tent contains reduced oxygen and simulates conditions similar to training at altitude without actually living at that level.
For the first two weeks she had adjusted the altitude to 1,700 metres.
"Every two weeks we increased the height. It was increased to 2,200 metres for 14 days. In the last two weeks before coming to Delhi it was raised to 2,500 metres. Sometimes I had food inside the artificial tent," she revealed.
Sudha, who was honoured with Padma Shri in January, says she has two pace makers to support her to achieve her ambitious goal on Sunday.
The elite marathon race will be flagged off at 5 a.m., starting and finishing at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
"I have planned to cover the first 21 kms of the marathon race in one hour 13 minutes.
And then sustain that effort over the next 21 km," she said.
Sudha's personal best was clocked in 2019 in hot and humid conditions of Mumbai.
She had also run the marathon during the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing. In China she had clocked 2 hours, 35 minutes and 35 seconds.
"I want to tackle the marathon at this time because I feel I have a good chance," she said.
Sudha said she had to train all alone for the marathon as several local distance runners weren't allowed to train inside the SAI campus in Bengaluru because of the Covid pandemic.
"For the weekly long run of 35 kms, coach Surender Singh had to bicycle with me to push me hard," she said.
Sudha said she would be back to track running in May or June.
"My main focus is the marathon. Once I qualify for the Olympics I can then think of track events," she said.
--IANS
nns/qma/kr.
Source: IANS
The 34-year-old distance runner from Uttar Pradesh said it might be an ambitious goal but she is both mentally and physically prepared to run a hard and fast race.
"I have done good speed sessions.
Sometimes I did 30 to 40 repetitions of 400 m in one training session, that too with an average pace of 80 seconds for each 400 m," Sudha, an Asian Games medallist in the 3,000-metre steeplechase, told IANS on Saturday.
The Olympic qualification time for marathon is 2 hours 29:30 seconds while Sudha's personal best is 2 hours 34:56 seconds.
For the last six weeks, Sudha has been living in an altitude tent at Bengaluru's Sports Authority of India (SAI) training centre.
An altitude tent contains reduced oxygen and simulates conditions similar to training at altitude without actually living at that level.
For the first two weeks she had adjusted the altitude to 1,700 metres.
"Every two weeks we increased the height. It was increased to 2,200 metres for 14 days. In the last two weeks before coming to Delhi it was raised to 2,500 metres. Sometimes I had food inside the artificial tent," she revealed.
Sudha, who was honoured with Padma Shri in January, says she has two pace makers to support her to achieve her ambitious goal on Sunday.
The elite marathon race will be flagged off at 5 a.m., starting and finishing at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
"I have planned to cover the first 21 kms of the marathon race in one hour 13 minutes.
And then sustain that effort over the next 21 km," she said.
Sudha's personal best was clocked in 2019 in hot and humid conditions of Mumbai.
She had also run the marathon during the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing. In China she had clocked 2 hours, 35 minutes and 35 seconds.
"I want to tackle the marathon at this time because I feel I have a good chance," she said.
Sudha said she had to train all alone for the marathon as several local distance runners weren't allowed to train inside the SAI campus in Bengaluru because of the Covid pandemic.
"For the weekly long run of 35 kms, coach Surender Singh had to bicycle with me to push me hard," she said.
Sudha said she would be back to track running in May or June.
"My main focus is the marathon. Once I qualify for the Olympics I can then think of track events," she said.
--IANS
nns/qma/kr.
Source: IANS
Ahmedabad, March 6 : The majority of the Indian cricket team has been in a bio-bubble for almost half a year now, locked up in hotels through the IPL, Australia tour and in the home series against England with the Indian cricket board and the team management not giving them any break as has been afforded to players from England.
Only skipper Virat Kohli got a break although that was paternity leave.
Eventually it paid off as India could feature their best side and didn't have to worry about combinations.
Unlike England's controversy over Moeen Ali's departure and criticism that they aren't fielding their best side and getting stuck with combinations that saw them lose crucial phases over the last three Tests, India have had it smooth.
India coach Ravi Shastri on Saturday admitted that the bio-bubble has taken its toll.
"Six months in the bio-bubble, seeing the same faces -- the bubble will burst.
It's tough for professional players being in the bubble," Shastri said.
India off-spinner R. Ashwin, who won the man-of-the-series award for his 32 wickets and important century in the second Test that he made in the second Test in Chennai, said that getting restricted to hotels has been tough.
They have not been able to move.
According to sources, hotels during the IPL in UAE at least had open spaces.
"There were beaches or some open spaces like that within the hotels during the IPL.
You weren't restricted to your rooms. However, in India and Australia it has been different," said an official in the know of things.
Post the T20I and ODI series, India head to the IPL which again will be held in India with a break of about a fortnight.
The players will once again be restricted to the hotels.
Ashwin elaborated on what Shastri said while speaking to the media.
"I think in terms of empathy, he is talking about the challenging situations in Australia and how we had to deal with what we were presented with there.
Suddenly, from saying that you can head out and be normal to going back into the bubble," said Ashwin while referring to authorities in Australia first allowing them to go out and then changing stance and restricting them to hotels.
"We needed to get some fresh air sometimes.
The hotels can get claustrophobic where you don't even get fresh air. In Australia, there were situations, where you did not have window panes opening and for 14 days or 20 days or 25 days, that can be quite taxing."
England skipper Joe Root said that Covid-19 will stay for a while and they have opted for the rotation policy for a good reason which they don't regret.
Importantly, he said they don't want to make it an excuse.
"You can look for excuses about it. It (Covid-19) is not going to go away. It is really important that we look after our players. It is a big year of cricket. There are three formats to consider. We have to look at what's next but most importantly, look after our players," said Root.
--IANS
kh/kr.
Source: IANS
Only skipper Virat Kohli got a break although that was paternity leave.
Eventually it paid off as India could feature their best side and didn't have to worry about combinations.
Unlike England's controversy over Moeen Ali's departure and criticism that they aren't fielding their best side and getting stuck with combinations that saw them lose crucial phases over the last three Tests, India have had it smooth.
India coach Ravi Shastri on Saturday admitted that the bio-bubble has taken its toll.
"Six months in the bio-bubble, seeing the same faces -- the bubble will burst.
It's tough for professional players being in the bubble," Shastri said.
India off-spinner R. Ashwin, who won the man-of-the-series award for his 32 wickets and important century in the second Test that he made in the second Test in Chennai, said that getting restricted to hotels has been tough.
They have not been able to move.
According to sources, hotels during the IPL in UAE at least had open spaces.
"There were beaches or some open spaces like that within the hotels during the IPL.
You weren't restricted to your rooms. However, in India and Australia it has been different," said an official in the know of things.
Post the T20I and ODI series, India head to the IPL which again will be held in India with a break of about a fortnight.
The players will once again be restricted to the hotels.
Ashwin elaborated on what Shastri said while speaking to the media.
"I think in terms of empathy, he is talking about the challenging situations in Australia and how we had to deal with what we were presented with there.
Suddenly, from saying that you can head out and be normal to going back into the bubble," said Ashwin while referring to authorities in Australia first allowing them to go out and then changing stance and restricting them to hotels.
"We needed to get some fresh air sometimes.
The hotels can get claustrophobic where you don't even get fresh air. In Australia, there were situations, where you did not have window panes opening and for 14 days or 20 days or 25 days, that can be quite taxing."
England skipper Joe Root said that Covid-19 will stay for a while and they have opted for the rotation policy for a good reason which they don't regret.
Importantly, he said they don't want to make it an excuse.
"You can look for excuses about it. It (Covid-19) is not going to go away. It is really important that we look after our players. It is a big year of cricket. There are three formats to consider. We have to look at what's next but most importantly, look after our players," said Root.
--IANS
kh/kr.
Source: IANS
Ahmedabad, March 6 : As soon as the fourth and final Test between India and England finished and the presentation ceremony was over here on Saturday, batsman K.L.
Rahul went to the pitch on which the final Test was played and started smashing a few balls.
Rahul, inducted into the Test squad after the second Test and also capable of batting in the middle-order, was reduced to being almost a traveller as India's batting line-up kept dishing out one batsman after another coming in and rescuing India in the first innings of this Test.
This was nothing new.
Over the last couple of months, in Australia and in India, the Indian middle-order and lower middle-order comprising Hanuma Vihari, R.
Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel have helped India keep up the fight and win series.
A couple of those stars from Australia series - Vihari and Thakur - who did well aren't even in the squad now.
Despite that, India's nos.
6, 8 and 9 showed grit, determination and importantly fearlessness and fought back to help India coast to a match-winning total.
"Our bench-strength is as good as it has ever been and that is a great sign for Indian cricket.
The idea was to have youngsters to come in and perform with fearlessness. It has helped take the situation on. When the transition happens eventually it is not difficult for Indian cricket and the standard doesn't fall below what we have set over the last few years.
These are the kinds of situations where the player makes a mark," said India skipper Virat Kohli after his team sealed the series.
Off-spinner Ashwin, who won the man of the series award, said that the competition for places within the team is tough but the general atmosphere within the camp is one of excellence.
"It is pretty hard for the person who is going through the phase.
You can't take your place for granted and have to keep fighting. General atmosphere in the India camp is open for excellence. The management tries to get the best out of players," said Ashwin while comparing the current Indian team to the Australian team of the early 2000s.
"Indian cricket finds itself in a place where a lot of cricketers are coming and performing," he added.
India's youngsters haven't just showed courage but also plenty of skills.
While there were doubts over Pant's skills as wicketkeeper behind the stumps on Indian pitches or whether Axar Patel will be able to step into the shoes of the injured Ravindra Jadeja, both stepped up.
Patel also performed with the bat, putting up a century partnership with Sundar.
Patel finished with 27 wickets in three Tests with four five-wicket hauls while Pant impressed with his wicketkeeping and batting.
"Axar came to replace Jaddu and I thought he delivered really well, deserved every bit of his success.
I thought his bowling was excellent and accurate for the series," Ashwin said on Patel before praising Pant.
"What Rishabh has gone through in his career over the last year or so, it has been amazing.
He has been under a lot of pressure, being compared to legends of the game," added Ashwin.
It is clear and evident that these youngsters love pressure and perform under it.
--IANS
kh/kr.
Source: IANS
Rahul went to the pitch on which the final Test was played and started smashing a few balls.
Rahul, inducted into the Test squad after the second Test and also capable of batting in the middle-order, was reduced to being almost a traveller as India's batting line-up kept dishing out one batsman after another coming in and rescuing India in the first innings of this Test.
This was nothing new.
Over the last couple of months, in Australia and in India, the Indian middle-order and lower middle-order comprising Hanuma Vihari, R.
Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel have helped India keep up the fight and win series.
A couple of those stars from Australia series - Vihari and Thakur - who did well aren't even in the squad now.
Despite that, India's nos.
6, 8 and 9 showed grit, determination and importantly fearlessness and fought back to help India coast to a match-winning total.
"Our bench-strength is as good as it has ever been and that is a great sign for Indian cricket.
The idea was to have youngsters to come in and perform with fearlessness. It has helped take the situation on. When the transition happens eventually it is not difficult for Indian cricket and the standard doesn't fall below what we have set over the last few years.
These are the kinds of situations where the player makes a mark," said India skipper Virat Kohli after his team sealed the series.
Off-spinner Ashwin, who won the man of the series award, said that the competition for places within the team is tough but the general atmosphere within the camp is one of excellence.
"It is pretty hard for the person who is going through the phase.
You can't take your place for granted and have to keep fighting. General atmosphere in the India camp is open for excellence. The management tries to get the best out of players," said Ashwin while comparing the current Indian team to the Australian team of the early 2000s.
"Indian cricket finds itself in a place where a lot of cricketers are coming and performing," he added.
India's youngsters haven't just showed courage but also plenty of skills.
While there were doubts over Pant's skills as wicketkeeper behind the stumps on Indian pitches or whether Axar Patel will be able to step into the shoes of the injured Ravindra Jadeja, both stepped up.
Patel also performed with the bat, putting up a century partnership with Sundar.
Patel finished with 27 wickets in three Tests with four five-wicket hauls while Pant impressed with his wicketkeeping and batting.
"Axar came to replace Jaddu and I thought he delivered really well, deserved every bit of his success.
I thought his bowling was excellent and accurate for the series," Ashwin said on Patel before praising Pant.
"What Rishabh has gone through in his career over the last year or so, it has been amazing.
He has been under a lot of pressure, being compared to legends of the game," added Ashwin.
It is clear and evident that these youngsters love pressure and perform under it.
--IANS
kh/kr.
Source: IANS
Ahmedabad, March 6 : England were six without loss in their second innings at lunch on the third day of the fourth and final Test against India here on Saturday.
Zak Crawley was batting on five and Dominic Sibley was on one at the break.
England, who conceded a first-innings lead of 160 runs to India, are still 154 runs behind.
Earlier on Saturday, Washington Sundar remained stranded on 96 when he ran out of partners, as India were all out for 365 in their first innings.
England had scored 205 in their first innings.
Sundar faced 174 balls and hit 10 boundaries and one six, and remained unbeaten, missing what would have been his first Test century.
For England, Ben Stokes took four wickets and James Anderson three.
India lead the series 2-1.
Brief scores:
England: 205 and 6/0 (Zak Crawley 5 batting, Dominic Sibley 1); India: 365 all out (Rishabh Pant 101, Washington Sundar 96 not out, Rohit Sharma 49, Axar Patel 43, Ben Stokes 4/89, James Anderson 3/44)
--IANS
qma/pgh.
Source: IANS
Zak Crawley was batting on five and Dominic Sibley was on one at the break.
England, who conceded a first-innings lead of 160 runs to India, are still 154 runs behind.
Earlier on Saturday, Washington Sundar remained stranded on 96 when he ran out of partners, as India were all out for 365 in their first innings.
England had scored 205 in their first innings.
Sundar faced 174 balls and hit 10 boundaries and one six, and remained unbeaten, missing what would have been his first Test century.
For England, Ben Stokes took four wickets and James Anderson three.
India lead the series 2-1.
Brief scores:
England: 205 and 6/0 (Zak Crawley 5 batting, Dominic Sibley 1); India: 365 all out (Rishabh Pant 101, Washington Sundar 96 not out, Rohit Sharma 49, Axar Patel 43, Ben Stokes 4/89, James Anderson 3/44)
--IANS
qma/pgh.
Source: IANS
Ahmedabad, March 5 : India opener Rohit Sharma called Rishabh Pant a "spark" that Indian team needs in the middle-order and has called on people to be more patient with his style of play that sees him get dismissed often in casual manner.
Pant made 101 off 118 deliveries to lead India's revival after they were first struggling at 121 for five and then at 146 for six.
Pant made a patient half-century, scoring his 50 off 82 deliveries and then scored the next fifty off just 33 balls to reach his hundred.
"That is something we need. We need that spark in the middle. He brings that to us. He understand his game really well now. He plays that game," Sharma told the media here on Friday, the second day of the fourth and final Test.
"There are some guys who play respectfully and then you need some who are courageous and are willing to take chances.
Cricket now is different from what it was back in the day. So, you need to be courageous and take chances. As long he gets the job done, it is fine with us," added Sharma.
Pant has been at the receiving end of heavy criticism in the recent past, after he seemed to have squandered his starts away.
He was made to sit out of the white-ball series in Australia and called up from only the second Test onwards.
Since then, his stock has risen as he has played some sensational knocks. He first helped India win Test series in Australia and then put India on the cusp of the World Test Championship final on Friday.
"But there are times when he will get out.
I don't want anyone to get upset with that, because he is a kind of player who can play an innings like that and from a situation where we were struggling, he can suddenly, in a span of one hour, [take you to a position where] your team starts to look different," said Sharma.
Sharma, who is India's leading run-getter in the series, was quite effusive in his praise of the manner in which Pant builds his innings, trusting his defence in the initial phase.
"In the first half, he was quite respectful.
He was trusting his defence. Once we got to 200, he just wanted to take on the bowlers," said Sharma.
"In my opinion, it was probably one of his finest knocks.
He was quite cautious at the beginning and then he actually flourished the way he batted, and put the team into a commanding position," he said.
"People like Pant...you need to back their skills and their ability on how they bat. [Team] management completely understands that. Of course, he has been given that freedom as well."
--IANS
kh/qma.
Source: IANS
Pant made 101 off 118 deliveries to lead India's revival after they were first struggling at 121 for five and then at 146 for six.
Pant made a patient half-century, scoring his 50 off 82 deliveries and then scored the next fifty off just 33 balls to reach his hundred.
"That is something we need. We need that spark in the middle. He brings that to us. He understand his game really well now. He plays that game," Sharma told the media here on Friday, the second day of the fourth and final Test.
"There are some guys who play respectfully and then you need some who are courageous and are willing to take chances.
Cricket now is different from what it was back in the day. So, you need to be courageous and take chances. As long he gets the job done, it is fine with us," added Sharma.
Pant has been at the receiving end of heavy criticism in the recent past, after he seemed to have squandered his starts away.
He was made to sit out of the white-ball series in Australia and called up from only the second Test onwards.
Since then, his stock has risen as he has played some sensational knocks. He first helped India win Test series in Australia and then put India on the cusp of the World Test Championship final on Friday.
"But there are times when he will get out.
I don't want anyone to get upset with that, because he is a kind of player who can play an innings like that and from a situation where we were struggling, he can suddenly, in a span of one hour, [take you to a position where] your team starts to look different," said Sharma.
Sharma, who is India's leading run-getter in the series, was quite effusive in his praise of the manner in which Pant builds his innings, trusting his defence in the initial phase.
"In the first half, he was quite respectful.
He was trusting his defence. Once we got to 200, he just wanted to take on the bowlers," said Sharma.
"In my opinion, it was probably one of his finest knocks.
He was quite cautious at the beginning and then he actually flourished the way he batted, and put the team into a commanding position," he said.
"People like Pant...you need to back their skills and their ability on how they bat. [Team] management completely understands that. Of course, he has been given that freedom as well."
--IANS
kh/qma.
Source: IANS
Patiala, March 5 : Absence of elite women sprinters robbed the sheen off the most glamorous athletics event at the third leg of the Indian Grand Prix (IGP) Athletics event here on Friday, and it was amplified when Assam's Hima Das ran the 100m dash all alone.
Hima, running her first 100-metre race of the season, clocked 11.67 seconds -- and sent a warning to her rivals -- at Patiala's National Institute of Sports.
Hima, 21, the national record holder in the 400m, has switched to shorter sprints as her persistent back injury has restricted her to compete in the one lap race.
In the second IGP held last month at Patiala, she competed in 200m and won the race in 23.31 seconds.
Punjab's Amrit Kaur had sent her entry for the 100m. But she didn't start. West Bengal's Himashree Roy and A.T. Daneshwari of Karnataka were other prominent athletes who didn't compete in the third leg on Friday.
In the opening two legs of the IGP, Odisha's Dutee Chand had dominated the women 100m dash. She didn't compete on Friday. She had clocked 11.51 seconds in the first leg. The 24-year-old sprinter had clocked 11.44 seconds in the second leg.
Hima is one of the athletes being considered by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the national 4x100m women's relay team.
The main target is to achieve an Olympics Games berth. Dutee is the other leading sprinter in the team.
AFI president Adille Sumariwalla said Hima is still on road to recovery. "We will decide in June which event she has to run," he said.
Karnataka's MR Poovamma continued to show her class in the women's 400m.
Her winning time on Friday was 54.11 seconds. She had won the first two legs of the IGP. Tamil Nadu's Subha Venkatesan was second with a time of 55.11 seconds while Kerala's Salini VK posted a time of 56.50 seconds to finish third.
In Friday's race, six athletes had entered their names but three stepped on to the track.
Later in the day, Poovamma also won the women 800m race with a time of 2 minutes 08.60 seconds.
Urvashi of Haryana was second with 2 minutes 18.06 seconds. Rajasthan's Sukhwant Kaur was third in 2 minutes 18.06 seconds.
In the men's 400m event, Delhi's Amoj Jacob clocked 45.70 seconds to stay atop the field.
It was his season's best timing. Sarthak Bhambri of Delhi finished second with a time of 47.11 seconds while Jashanjot Singh of Punjab finished third in 47.59 seconds.
Tamil Nadu's Dharun Ayyasamy continued to tighten his grip over the 400m hurdles.
His winning time was 51.04 seconds. Uttar Pradesh's Aftam Alam was second with a time of 51.60 seconds while Punjab's Joravar Singh was third in 55.83 seconds.
Away from the track, Punjab's Tejinderpal Singh Toor was impressive in shot put.
His winning throw of 20.09m hinted that he is inching closer to his personal best and a national record of 20.90m, set in 2019.
Devinder Singh of Punjab was second with a throw of 18.24m while Sahib Singh of Delhi was third with a distance of 17.52m.
However, it turned out to be a disappointing day for Kerala's Murali Sreeshankar in the jumping pit.
The national record holder winning jump of 7.91m fell short of Tokyo Olympic qualification mark of 8.22m.
Yugant Shekhar Singh of Uttar Pradesh was second with a jump of 7.68m while Muhammed Anees Yahiya of Kerala grabbed third spot with 7.60m.
Annu Rani of Uttar Pradesh was another top athlete whose aim is to achieve Olympic qualification standard of 64m, but her winning throw on Friday was 61.98m.
The Olympic hopeful started with a throw of 56.58m. She recorded a throw of 61.98m in her second attempt, which remained her best of the day.
Sanjana Choudhary of Rajasthan was a distant second with a throw of 52.52m.
Kumari Sharmila of Haryana was third with a throw of 50.77m.
In the men's javelin throw, Neeraj Chopra of Haryana improved his national record with a distance of 88.07m.
Shivpal Singh of Uttar Pradesh was second with a season best of 81.63m while Sahil Silwal of Haryana was third with a throw of 80.65m.
In 3000m steeplechase, Avinash Sable of Maharashtra won gold with 8:24.40 seconds, Naveen Kumar Dagar of Haryana was second in 8:56.36 sec, and Balkishan, also of Haryana, was third in 9:06.69 sec.
Results:
200m: 1.
Muhammed Anas Yahiya (Karnataka) 21.48 seconds; 2. Akshay Prakash Khot (Maharashtra) 22.04; 3. Rahul Ramesh Kadam (Maharashtra) 22.04.
400m: 1. Amoj Jacob (Delhi) 45.70 seconds; 2. Sarthak Bhambri (Delhi) 47.11; 3. Jashanjot Singh (Punjab) 47.59.
800m: 1. Nikesh Dhanraj Rathod (Maharashtra) 1:53.94; 2. Parveen Boora (Haryana) 1:55.03; 3. Arjun Khokhar (Haryana) 1:56.10.
5000m: 1. Kailash Kumar Kumawat (Rajasthan) 20:19.84.
400m Hurdles: Ayyasamy Dharun (Tamil Nadu) 51.04 seconds; 2.
Aftab Alam (Uttar Pradesh) 51.60; 3. Joravar Singh (Punjab) 55.83.
3000m Steeplechase: 1. Avinash Sable (Maharashtra) 8:24.40; 2. Naveen Kumar Dagar (Haryana) 8:56.36; 3. Balkishan (Haryana) 9:06.69.
Long Jump: 1. M Sreeshankar (Kerala) 7.91m; 2. Yugant Shekhar Singh (Uttar Pradesh) 7.68; 3. Muhammed Anees Yahiya (Kerala) 7.60.
Triple Jump: 1. Eldhose Paul (Kerala) 15.80m; 2. Kamal Raj Kanagaraj (Tamil Nadu) 15.67; 3. Punit Sharma (Uttarakhand) 14.17.
Shot Put: 1. Tajinderpal Singh Toor (Punjab) 20.09m; 2. Devinder Singh (Punjab) 18.24; 3. Sahib Singh (Delhi) 17.52.
Javelin Throw: 1. Neeraj Chopa (Haryana) 88.07m (New National Record. Old: 88.06m, Neeraj Chopra, Jakarta, 2018); 2. Shivpal Singh (Uttar Pradesh) 81.63; 3. Sahil Silwal (Haryana) 80.65.
Women
100m: 1. Hima Das (Assam) 11.67 seconds.
400m: MR Povamma (Karnataka) 54.11 seconds; 2. Subha Venkatesan (Tamil Nadu) 55.11; 3. VK Salini (Kerala) 56.50.
800m: 1. MR Poovamma (Karnataka) 2:08.60; 2. Urvashi (Haryana) 2:18.06; 3. Sukhwant Kaur (Rajasthan) 2:18.41.
5000m: 1. Parul Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 15:48.49; 2. Ruby Kashyap (Uttar Pradesh) 18:23.79.
3000m Steeplechase: 1. Chinta Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 10:27.06; 3. Sapna Kishan Singh (Haryana) 13:09.92.
Long Jump: 1. Mareena George (Kerala) 5.97m; 2. Shiwangi Dubey (Uttar Pradesh) 5.76; 3. Sowmiya Murugan (Tamil Nadu) 5.51.
Javelin throw: 1. Annu Rani (Uttar Pradesh) 61.98m; 2. Sanjana Choudhary (Rajasthan) 52.54; 3. Sharmila Kumari (Haryana) 50.77.
Shot put: 1. Shristri Vig (Delhi) 16.06m; 2. Kachnar Chaudhary (Rajasthan) 14.41; 3. Tunlai Sameswar Narzary (Assam) 14.07
--IANS
nns/qma.
Source: IANS
Hima, running her first 100-metre race of the season, clocked 11.67 seconds -- and sent a warning to her rivals -- at Patiala's National Institute of Sports.
Hima, 21, the national record holder in the 400m, has switched to shorter sprints as her persistent back injury has restricted her to compete in the one lap race.
In the second IGP held last month at Patiala, she competed in 200m and won the race in 23.31 seconds.
Punjab's Amrit Kaur had sent her entry for the 100m. But she didn't start. West Bengal's Himashree Roy and A.T. Daneshwari of Karnataka were other prominent athletes who didn't compete in the third leg on Friday.
In the opening two legs of the IGP, Odisha's Dutee Chand had dominated the women 100m dash. She didn't compete on Friday. She had clocked 11.51 seconds in the first leg. The 24-year-old sprinter had clocked 11.44 seconds in the second leg.
Hima is one of the athletes being considered by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the national 4x100m women's relay team.
The main target is to achieve an Olympics Games berth. Dutee is the other leading sprinter in the team.
AFI president Adille Sumariwalla said Hima is still on road to recovery. "We will decide in June which event she has to run," he said.
Karnataka's MR Poovamma continued to show her class in the women's 400m.
Her winning time on Friday was 54.11 seconds. She had won the first two legs of the IGP. Tamil Nadu's Subha Venkatesan was second with a time of 55.11 seconds while Kerala's Salini VK posted a time of 56.50 seconds to finish third.
In Friday's race, six athletes had entered their names but three stepped on to the track.
Later in the day, Poovamma also won the women 800m race with a time of 2 minutes 08.60 seconds.
Urvashi of Haryana was second with 2 minutes 18.06 seconds. Rajasthan's Sukhwant Kaur was third in 2 minutes 18.06 seconds.
In the men's 400m event, Delhi's Amoj Jacob clocked 45.70 seconds to stay atop the field.
It was his season's best timing. Sarthak Bhambri of Delhi finished second with a time of 47.11 seconds while Jashanjot Singh of Punjab finished third in 47.59 seconds.
Tamil Nadu's Dharun Ayyasamy continued to tighten his grip over the 400m hurdles.
His winning time was 51.04 seconds. Uttar Pradesh's Aftam Alam was second with a time of 51.60 seconds while Punjab's Joravar Singh was third in 55.83 seconds.
Away from the track, Punjab's Tejinderpal Singh Toor was impressive in shot put.
His winning throw of 20.09m hinted that he is inching closer to his personal best and a national record of 20.90m, set in 2019.
Devinder Singh of Punjab was second with a throw of 18.24m while Sahib Singh of Delhi was third with a distance of 17.52m.
However, it turned out to be a disappointing day for Kerala's Murali Sreeshankar in the jumping pit.
The national record holder winning jump of 7.91m fell short of Tokyo Olympic qualification mark of 8.22m.
Yugant Shekhar Singh of Uttar Pradesh was second with a jump of 7.68m while Muhammed Anees Yahiya of Kerala grabbed third spot with 7.60m.
Annu Rani of Uttar Pradesh was another top athlete whose aim is to achieve Olympic qualification standard of 64m, but her winning throw on Friday was 61.98m.
The Olympic hopeful started with a throw of 56.58m. She recorded a throw of 61.98m in her second attempt, which remained her best of the day.
Sanjana Choudhary of Rajasthan was a distant second with a throw of 52.52m.
Kumari Sharmila of Haryana was third with a throw of 50.77m.
In the men's javelin throw, Neeraj Chopra of Haryana improved his national record with a distance of 88.07m.
Shivpal Singh of Uttar Pradesh was second with a season best of 81.63m while Sahil Silwal of Haryana was third with a throw of 80.65m.
In 3000m steeplechase, Avinash Sable of Maharashtra won gold with 8:24.40 seconds, Naveen Kumar Dagar of Haryana was second in 8:56.36 sec, and Balkishan, also of Haryana, was third in 9:06.69 sec.
Results:
200m: 1.
Muhammed Anas Yahiya (Karnataka) 21.48 seconds; 2. Akshay Prakash Khot (Maharashtra) 22.04; 3. Rahul Ramesh Kadam (Maharashtra) 22.04.
400m: 1. Amoj Jacob (Delhi) 45.70 seconds; 2. Sarthak Bhambri (Delhi) 47.11; 3. Jashanjot Singh (Punjab) 47.59.
800m: 1. Nikesh Dhanraj Rathod (Maharashtra) 1:53.94; 2. Parveen Boora (Haryana) 1:55.03; 3. Arjun Khokhar (Haryana) 1:56.10.
5000m: 1. Kailash Kumar Kumawat (Rajasthan) 20:19.84.
400m Hurdles: Ayyasamy Dharun (Tamil Nadu) 51.04 seconds; 2.
Aftab Alam (Uttar Pradesh) 51.60; 3. Joravar Singh (Punjab) 55.83.
3000m Steeplechase: 1. Avinash Sable (Maharashtra) 8:24.40; 2. Naveen Kumar Dagar (Haryana) 8:56.36; 3. Balkishan (Haryana) 9:06.69.
Long Jump: 1. M Sreeshankar (Kerala) 7.91m; 2. Yugant Shekhar Singh (Uttar Pradesh) 7.68; 3. Muhammed Anees Yahiya (Kerala) 7.60.
Triple Jump: 1. Eldhose Paul (Kerala) 15.80m; 2. Kamal Raj Kanagaraj (Tamil Nadu) 15.67; 3. Punit Sharma (Uttarakhand) 14.17.
Shot Put: 1. Tajinderpal Singh Toor (Punjab) 20.09m; 2. Devinder Singh (Punjab) 18.24; 3. Sahib Singh (Delhi) 17.52.
Javelin Throw: 1. Neeraj Chopa (Haryana) 88.07m (New National Record. Old: 88.06m, Neeraj Chopra, Jakarta, 2018); 2. Shivpal Singh (Uttar Pradesh) 81.63; 3. Sahil Silwal (Haryana) 80.65.
Women
100m: 1. Hima Das (Assam) 11.67 seconds.
400m: MR Povamma (Karnataka) 54.11 seconds; 2. Subha Venkatesan (Tamil Nadu) 55.11; 3. VK Salini (Kerala) 56.50.
800m: 1. MR Poovamma (Karnataka) 2:08.60; 2. Urvashi (Haryana) 2:18.06; 3. Sukhwant Kaur (Rajasthan) 2:18.41.
5000m: 1. Parul Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 15:48.49; 2. Ruby Kashyap (Uttar Pradesh) 18:23.79.
3000m Steeplechase: 1. Chinta Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 10:27.06; 3. Sapna Kishan Singh (Haryana) 13:09.92.
Long Jump: 1. Mareena George (Kerala) 5.97m; 2. Shiwangi Dubey (Uttar Pradesh) 5.76; 3. Sowmiya Murugan (Tamil Nadu) 5.51.
Javelin throw: 1. Annu Rani (Uttar Pradesh) 61.98m; 2. Sanjana Choudhary (Rajasthan) 52.54; 3. Sharmila Kumari (Haryana) 50.77.
Shot put: 1. Shristri Vig (Delhi) 16.06m; 2. Kachnar Chaudhary (Rajasthan) 14.41; 3. Tunlai Sameswar Narzary (Assam) 14.07
--IANS
nns/qma.
Source: IANS
Ahmedabad, March 5 : Ben Stokes led the way as England continued to chip away at the Indian batting order in the second session of Day 2 of the fourth Test on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
India ended the session on 153/6 with Rishabh Pant (36) and Washington Sundar (1) in the middle.
India lost the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane (27), Rohit Sharma (49) and Ravichandran Ashwin (13).
While Rahane fell to Anderson, Sharma's 144-ball vigil was ended by Stokes with a ball that trapped the right-hander in front of his middle and off stumps.
Ashwin was then dismissed late in the session by Leach.
Brief scores: England 205 all out (Ben Stokes 55, Dan Lawrence 46; Axar Patel 4/68, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/47, Washington Sundar 1/15) vs India 153/6 (Rohit Sharma 49, Rishabh Pant 36 batting; J Anderson 2/19, Ben Stokes 2/33)
--IANS
rkm/in.
Source: IANS
India ended the session on 153/6 with Rishabh Pant (36) and Washington Sundar (1) in the middle.
India lost the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane (27), Rohit Sharma (49) and Ravichandran Ashwin (13).
While Rahane fell to Anderson, Sharma's 144-ball vigil was ended by Stokes with a ball that trapped the right-hander in front of his middle and off stumps.
Ashwin was then dismissed late in the session by Leach.
Brief scores: England 205 all out (Ben Stokes 55, Dan Lawrence 46; Axar Patel 4/68, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/47, Washington Sundar 1/15) vs India 153/6 (Rohit Sharma 49, Rishabh Pant 36 batting; J Anderson 2/19, Ben Stokes 2/33)
--IANS
rkm/in.
Source: IANS