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Showing posts from July, 2017

Roger—Roger—Any one hear me? It’s the 8th record title!!

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It is quite possible there is something wrong with Roger Federer. Loud snorer? Lousy tipper? Doesn't turn his phone off at the movies? But as the greatest male tennis player of this or any era again suspended disbelief by winning a record eighth Wimbledon title one month before his 36th birthday with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Croatian Marin Cilic, nothing sprang to mind. This, as much as Federer's ornate game, is what continues to make the peerless Swiss a wonderfully refreshing presence in the often rancorous world of professional sport. Because Federer conducts himself in the same sublimely serene way he plays, we have appreciated his incredible talent, his historic achievements and now his unexpected renaissance without being sidetracked by the egocentric strutting and ostentatious trappings adopted by so many superstars. Age, injuries no barrier to Federer That victory was at the start of a tail-wagging season in which Federer has not merely eked out a ...

Mithali Raj---The RUN MACHINE!!

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Hurray!!!! Its proud moment for all of us in India! #Mithali Dorai Raj; the current Indian Women Cricket ODI & Test captain, became the leading run scorer in Women ODI Cricket. She is also the first women individual to surpass the 6000 runs landmark in Women’s ODI History! The 34 year old made her debut against Ireland and had a dream run in 2015 when she was honored with Padma Shri Award & also became the first women to win the Wisden India Cricketer of the year. Not to mention but she also holds Arjun Award. At the age of 19 years she burst to the international area as one of the most accomplished batsman & caught the eye, imagination of millions of cricket lovers when she hit solid 214 against England in the second and final Test; the score still stand as second highest in the ICC Women Test Cricket.   Let’s have a look on the all time ICC ODI Women Cricket’s leading top 10 run scorer along with Mithali Raj’s overall batting record in various formats...

Ravi Shastri Profile: Former India team director is now head coach--The Indian EXPRESS

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Unlike a tracer bullet, after much drama on a Tuesday evening, Ravi Shastri was appointed as team India’s head coach. Known as the man who can wear many hats in the world of cricket- as a commentator, or an administrator or a manager or even a coach, Shastri has performed them with affable ease. But on Tuesday night Shastri added one more feather to his cap as he was announced as the new head coach for the men in blue. Ever since Shastri had his first stint with team India (team manager) in 2007 he has been known as someone who has always backed his boys and asked them to go out and express themselves. Later that year, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed him the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Again in 2014,  Shastri was appointed team director after India had a disastrous foreign tour to England. But from being a stop-gap ‘cricket manager’ Shastri’s journey to lead the Indian team from the dressing room has been an...

Table tennis: New format to be tried out in UTT--TOI

CHENNAI: The inauguration of the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) on Monday here was a star-studded occasion. The tournament, which will start in Chennai on Thursday, will see players like world No. 8 Hong Kong star Wong Chun Ting, No 14 Marcos Freitas -taking part. Both were present on Monday , along with ace Indian paddlers A Sharath Kamal and Soumyajit Ghosh The three-week long league will feature six franchises -Dabang Smashers TTC, RP-SG Mavericks, DHFL Maharashtra United, Falcons TTC, OilmaxStag Yoddhas and Shaze Challengers. The first two legs will be held in Chennai (July 13-20) and Delhi (21-25) before it shifts base to Mumbai (26-30) for the finale. "The UTT is a great initiative to grab Indian audience's attention. I wish this happened 15 years ago, and I wouldn't have gone to Europe to play competitive TT. It's a great opportunity for the youngsters to prove their worth at this level," Sharath Kamal, who represents RP-SG Mavericks, sa...

Wimbledon 2017: Renaissance man Gilles Muller beats Rafael Nadal in marathon match--- The Indian EXPRESS

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It wasn’t that Gilles Muller hadn’t defeated Rafael Nadal before. But it was the wild contrast in the trajectories the two careers traced since that second-round meeting at Wimbledon 2005 that made Monday’s upset more memorable. While Nadal added 14 Grand Slam titles to his first French Open triumph that summer, Muller won his first two ATP titles this year — his 16th year on Tour. Muller, 34, continued his breakthrough season with a 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13 win over Nadal. “Definitely the biggest win… especially at that stage of a Grand Slam, playing one of the guys who is dominating tennis this year again,” said the man from Luxembourg — a country so small you could walk from its capital to Belgium in less than the four hours and 47 minutes it took Muller to overcome the world No. 2. For the longest of times, Muller seemed destined to retire as one of the many talented yet forgettable journeymen who fill up draws, pick up the prize money and move on to the next tournament...

I think this is the first big year for sports beyond cricket: Star India MD!!

New Delhi:  Sanjay Gupta, managing director of leading broadcaster Star India Pvt. Ltd is confident that the business of sport is only going to get “bigger and better” in the coming years. He attributes the success of sporting tournaments like Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) and the Indian Super League (ISL) to a change in the mindsets of audiences. On the sidelines of a sports summit organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Gupta spoke of the rise in sports sponsorship, kabaddi’s role in India’s journey to becoming a multi-sport viewing nation and the likelihood of Star India’s sports business breaking even in the current financial year. Edited Excerpts: In 2013, Star India started to build a national sports network with an investment of $1 billion. What’s changed in the last four years? Two big changes have happened. One at a society level, the number of young kids who are both playing and following sports has grown manifold. It is no longer only about cricket. Toda...

Federer reaches 50th Grand Slam quarter-final!!

LONDON:  Roger Federer  reached his 50th  Grand Slam  quarter-final and 15th at  Wimbledon  on Monday with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win over  Grigor Dimitrov . Seven-time Wimbledon champion Federer will now face  Milos Raonic , the 2016 runner-up, after the sixth-seeded Canadian clinched a 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 win over  Alexander Zverev  of Germany, the 10th seed. Raonic defeated Federer in the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2016. Federer, 35, is also the second oldest man to make the quarter-finals at Wimbledon behind  Ken Rosewall  who was 39 when he reached the last-eight in 1971."I'm thrilled to be back in the quarters again," said Federer who took his record over Dimitrov to 6-0. "It's very special to be in a 15th quarter-final here." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/wimbledon-2017/federer-reaches-50th-grand-slam-quarter-final/articleshow/59534541.cms

This Year's Wimbledon Has Served Up Some of the Largest Fines in the Tournament's History---TIME

Wimbledon is known for rain stopping play, strawberries and cream, and the occasional on-court tantrum. But players at this year's British Grand Slam have racked up some of the largest fines since tournament records began — and there's still about a week left to play. This week, Australia's Bernard Tomic was fined $15,000, the second highest recorded financial penalty in Wimbledon’s history, for "unsportsmanlike conduct,"  according to  Australia's ABC news. (The largest, $20,000 was doled out to Italy's Fabio Fognini in 2014.) Tomic's fine was imposed after the 59th seed — who limped off court at the end of his straight sets loss to Germany's Mischa Zverev — admitted he had faked a back injury. He also said that he'd been bored during the match. "You know I wasn't mentally and physically there, with my mental state to perform and I don't know why," he told reporters soon after. "But I felt a little bit bored ou...

Afgan Cricketer Smashes double ton in just 71 balls!!

The Afghanistan cricketer clobbered 21 sixes and 16 boundaries in his blistering knock. Young sensation Rashid Khan is not the only shining star coming out of Afghanistan cricket at the moment. The relative new boys of international cricket have been creating waves with some brilliant performances in recent time. The likes of Rashid and Mohammed Nabi have already impressed everyone on the big stage and now another cricketer from Afghanistan is taking the world by storm. Wicketkeeper batsman Shafiqullah Shafaq scored a whirlwind 214 off a mere 71 balls in a domestic Twenty20 match to capture the imagination of cricket fans around the world. Shafaq achieved this feat while playing in a local tournament - Paragon Nangarhar Champion Trophy. The Afghanistan cricketer clobbered 21 sixes and 16 boundaries in his blistering knock. His 71-ball carnage helped his team Khateez Cricket Academy put up a massive score of 351 runs in 20 overs. Shafaq was ably supported by his teammate W...

Coach appointment held back until Virat Kohli has his say: Ganguly---TOI

NEW DELHI: The much-awaited appointment of the next coach of the Indian men's cricket team has been deferred to an unconfirmed date, with the BCCI's  Cricket Advisory Committee  comprising  Sachin Tendulkar ,  Sourav Ganguly  and  VVS Laxman  seeking Indian captain  Virat Kohli 's inputs before announcing the man to replace Anil Kumble in the most high-profile coaching role in the sport. Addressing the media soon after the CAC conducted interviews with five candidates inside the corridors of the BCCI headquarters at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Ganguly told reporters that Kohli, who is currently out of the country, had to be apprised of their decision before the next coach could be revealed. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/news/india-coach-appointment-held-back-until-virat-kohli-has-his-say-ganguly/articleshow/59529408.cms "The announcement has been put on hold. We will speak to Virat Kohli first, there is no hurry. Le...