Stockholm, Jun 30 (Sports News) Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra clinched his first top-3 finish at the prestigious Diamond League Meeting with a national record-shattering effort but missed the 90m mark by a whisker in a star-studded field here on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Chopra opened with a stunning throw of 89.94m, just 6cm shy of the 90m mark, the gold standard in the world of javelin throw and that effort eventually turned out to be his best as he finished second.

His other throws measured 84.37m, 87.46m, 84.77m, 86.67 and 86.84m. He bettered his earlier national record of 89.30m, which his spear had travelled while finishing second in the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on June 14.

World champion and season leader Anderson Peters of Grenada won the competition with a best throw of 90.31m which he came up with in this third attempt.

"Today, I feel good and after first throw, I thought I could throw even over 90m today. But it is OK as I have more competitions coming this year," Chopra said after the event.

"I am close to 90m now and I can throw it this year. Despite the fact that I did not win tonight, I feel very good because I did my best." Peters has thrown 90m-plus twice this season -- 93.07m while winning the Doha leg of the Diamond League last month before 90.75m effort at Hengelo in the Netherlands.

Julian Weber of Germany was third with a fifth round throw of 89.08m while Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch (88.59m) of Czech Republic was fourth.

Another Czech athlete and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Vitezslav Vesely was seventh in the eight-man field with 82.57m.

Chopra has beaten Peters twice this month -- in Turku where the athlete from Grenada was third and in the Kuortane Games, also in Finalnd, where the Indian superstar had won gold with a best throw of 86.69m under wet and slippery conditions.

Chopra's first throw had raised hopes of him scripting history of becoming the first Indian to win a Diamond League event. Nonetheless, he became the second Indian to finish in top-three in a Diamond League competition after discus thrower Vikas Gowda.

The 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Gowda, who retired in 2017, had finished in top-three in a Diamond League event four times in his career. He had finished second in 2012 (New York) and 2014 (Doha) and third in Shanghai and Eugene in 2015.

Chopra was making his first Diamond League appearance in four years after his fourth-place finish in Zurich in August 2018. He has taken part in seven Diamond League meets -- three in 2017 and four in 2018.

The prestigious one-day meet at the Swedish capital is Chopra's biggest event ahead of the World Championships in Eugene, USA, from July 15-24.

The next Diamond League Meeting where javelin throw is in the programme is in Monaco on August 10.

It could not be confirmed whether Chopra will take part in it as it will happen just a few days after the Birmingham CWG (July 28 to August 8) where he will be defending his title.

Germany's Johannes Vetter, who has the maximum number of 90-plus throws among the active throwers, continued to be on the sidelines. He is not fully fit and had also missed the German nationals. 

Also Read : Neeraj Chopra to spearhead 22-member Indian athletics team in World Championships

News Source : PTI

Stockholm, Jun 29 (Sports News) Buoyed by a strong start to the season, Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is primed to clinch his maiden Diamond League medal in his first appearance in four years in the prestigious one-day meet here on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Chopra was second in the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku with a big national record throw of 89.30m before winning his event at Kuortane Games with a creditable 86.60m effort under treacherous conditions.

Both the events in Finland had strong fields, though the Turku line-up had more stars than at Kuortane, where Chopra slipped after an awkward release of his spear in his third attempt under slippery conditions due to rains. Luckily, he was up on his feet immediately and won the event without any injury.

This will be Chopra's first competition in a Diamond League meet after his fourth-place finish in Zurich in August 2018 with an effort of 85.73m. He has taken part in seven Diamond League meets -- three in 2017 and four in 2018 -- but is yet to win a medal. He had two fourth-place finishes, the other one being in Doha in May 2018, where he had thrown 87.43m.

The prestigious one-day meet at the Swedish capital will be Chopra's biggest event ahead of the World Championships in Eugene, USA, next month. He will also be facing the toughest field of the season so far with all the three Tokyo Olympics medallists in fray.

Germany's Johannes Vetter, who has the maximum number of 90-plus throws among the active throwers, continues to be in the sidelines. He is not fully fit and also did not take part in the German nationals.

After winning gold at Kuortane where he was earlier based, Chopra has shifted to Uppsala, less than 100km from Stockholm, and will be not be taking part in any event after the Diamond League and before the July 15-24 World Championships. The Indian superstar has beaten reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada twice this month. Peters has seen a dip in form after winning the Doha Diamond League meet with a season-leading throw of 93.07m.

After that, he had thrown 86.60m at Paavo Nurmi Games for a third place and 84.75m in Kuortane Games for another third position.

Peters' fitness could also be a concern as he did not complete all his throws in an event at Orimattila in Finland last week, recording a best throw of 71.94m.

Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic and compatriot Tokyo Games bronze winner Vitezslav Vesely will also be in action. This will be the first time all the Tokyo Olympics medal winners will be in action together this season.

Vadlejch, who was sixth at Paavo Nurmi Games with a best throw of 83.91m, returns after skipping the Kuortane Games.

The same is the case for Germany's Julian Weber, who returns after finishing fifth at Paavo Nurmi Games with 84.02m.

Finland's Oliver Helander, who surprisingly won gold at the Paavo Nurmi Games with a big throw of 89.83m, will also be seen in action after skipping the Kuortane Games.

Another Indian, Murali Sreeshankar was to compete in the meet in long jump, an event which is not included in the Diamond League programme. It is listed as an additional event. But he will not be able to make it to the Swedish capital as his passport is held up at the US Embassy in New Delhi for visa processing for next month's World Championships.

He was to compete with Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Tentoglou Miltiadis of Greece and World Indoor Championships silver winner Thobias Montler. 

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News Source : PTI

(Sports news) This was Neeraj Chopra’s first competitive event after just over 10 months and was nothing short of extraordinary as he nearly touched the 90m mark. India’s first athletic gold medalist in the Olympics Neeraj Chopra made a spectacular return to competition after his gold at Tokyo with a stunning throw of 89.30m shattering his personal best as well as the national record and helped him finish in him second place in a star-studded field at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on Tuesday.

Chopra’s earlier personal best was 88.07m which he had set in Patiala last year. He had won the Tokyo Olympics gold medal with a throw of 87.58m and his first throw was an impressive 86.92m before sending the javelin to 89.30m. His next three attempts were fouls while his last throw was a 85.85m in his sixth throw. Finland’s 25-year-old Oliver Helander, whose personal best was 88.02m and season’s best of 80.36m, surprised the gold winner with a throw of 89.83m which he produced in his second attempt. Chopra’s 89.30m took him to fifth spot in the world season leaders’ list in men's Javelin throw. Reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada was the pre-tournament favourite as he held the current world lead with a monster throw of 93.07m while also winning gold in the Doha Diamond League last month, he subsequently finished third with a best effort of 86.60m. This was Peters’ first defeat after seven tournament wins on-the-trot this season.

The javelin thrower isn't at it current best as he sat out most of the 2021 season but he's not the one to rest on his laurels. Although he is slowly but steadily inching towards his goal of breaching the 90m mark, Neeraj knows himself that there is a lot of work and practice left to be done. Neeraj has a busy schedule coming up in the next two months as he prepares to get in shape for the major tournaments. He will now compete at the Kuortane Games in Finland before playing in the Stockholm Diamond League in Sweden on June 30. He will also have two major championships up his sleeve as  the World Athletics Championships in Eugene and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham are coming up.

“Going forward, I am looking to work on my technique, throw, and overall performance. I am in a happy place at the moment and I just want to do well in the upcoming events."

"This was my first competition since the Tokyo Olympics and it went really well as in the first competition itself, I hit my personal best throw and also won the silver medal. Now I am aiming for the next few events which would be bigger than this and of course the Commonwealth Games, where I will face a lot of competition." Neeraj said

Also read: Since you are born, you will have to achieve something: Aishwarya Babu
 

New Delhi, Jun 14 (Sports News) India's superstar javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra made a spectacular return to competition after his historic gold in the Tokyo Olympics, a stunning throw of 89.30m shattering his national record and placing him second in a star-studded field at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old Chopra's first competitive event after just over 10 months was nothing short of extraordinary as he nearly touched the coveted 90m mark, considered the gold standard in the world of javelin throw.

Chopra's earlier national record was 88.07m which he had set in Patiala in March last year. He had won the Tokyo Olympics gold with a throw of 87.58m on August 7, 2021.

He opened with an impressive 86.92m before sending the spear to 89.30m. His next three attempts were fouls while he came up with 85.85m in his sixth and final throw.

Finland's 25-year-old Oliver Helander, who has a personal best of 88.02m and season's best of 80.36m, was the surprise gold winner with a best throw of 89.83m which he produced in his second attempt.

Chopra's 89.30m effort will take him to fifth spot in the world season leaders' list.

Reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, the pre-event favourite with his world leading monster throw of 93.07m while winning gold in the Doha Diamond League last month, was third with a best effort of 86.60m. This was Peters' first defeat after seven wins on the trot this season.

2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago was fourth with a best throw of 84.02m, followed by Germany's Julian Weber (84.02m) and Czech Republic's Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch (83.91m), who had won silver in Doha with a throw of 90.88m.

Chopra's rival and friend Johannes Vetter of Germany, who has a maximum number of 90m-plus throws among the active javelin throwers, was set to take part in the Paavo Nurmi Games but had withdrawn.

Chopra had said in recent media interactions that he would not put himself under pressure with the thought of throwing beyond 90m and would look to build up gradually to peak during the July 15-24 World Championships in Eugene, USA.

The Paavo Nurmi Games are named after the legendary Finnish middle and long distance runner. It is a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series event, one of the most prestigious competitions outside the Diamond League Meetings.

The competition organisers have provided an extra incentive for the javelin throwers: anyone who throws beyond the Finnish record of 93.09m will win a Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV. Nobody won it on Tuesday though Peters said in a lighter vein on Monday that he would be going for it.

More than 10,000 people turned up to watch the events.

Chopra will next take part in the Kourtane Games in Finland on Saturday where he is currently based. He will feature in the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League on June 30. He had earlier trained in the USA and Turkey before shifting base to Finland last month. 

Also Read : Since you are born, you will have to achieve something: Aishwarya Babu

News Source : PTI

(Football news) In the latest meeting of football’s lawmaking body, the International Football Association Board (Ifab) in Doha, there were talks about introducing ‘kick ins’ in the sport. The idea is amongst the several proposals that were introduced last year with the aim of making the game faster and more entertaining for the audiences. Speaking about kick ins, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said “Proposals were made to test kick-ins. While we may be a bit sceptical on some of these measures... if some proposals are there to help the game, we will not know it before we look into it, so we will look into these proposals as well." 

Kick ins are meant to replace throw ins, which were introduced to football in the 1860’s. According to former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, throw-ins and free-kicks were the "two big time-wasters at the moment.The target is to make the game more spectacular and quicker, and maybe with throw-ins you could play with your feet, in a limit of five seconds for example but it has to be tested and then has to be accepted by the Ifab."

In other reforms, semi-automated video assistant referee (VAR) technology could be used for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has claimed that the decision to implement the technology will be taken before the tournament begins in November while Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the governing body's referees committee said "I'm confident it can go ahead." The new technology will use automated ball detection to highlight offsides within seconds while the use of five substitutes has also been introduced as a permanent feature after initially being trialled during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Chennai, Jun 12 (Sports News) Star sprinter Hima Das is not ruling out a return to 400m, an event which shot her to fame in 2018, and is hoping to make a comeback to the quartermile in the now-postponed Asian Games, which is likely to be held next year.

The 22-year-old 'Dhing Express' last ran a major 400m race during the Asian Championships in Doha in April 2019. She pulled out of that race midway due to a lower back injury.

She later ran two 400m races in low-grade events in Czech Republic in 2019, but since then, has not featured in the one-lap race. She also missed the World Championships in the later part of 2019 due to the back injury.

Hima, who became the first Indian to win a global track event title by clinching gold in the World Junior Championships in 2018, first suffered the injury during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta where she won an individual 400m silver and gold medals in the 4x400m and mixed 4x400m relays.

After returning from the injury lay-off, Hima has been running 100m and 200m. She holds the national record of 50.79 seconds in 400m.

"I have not cut (off) running the 400m. It (recovery from injury) is a long process. During my injury time, I was not being able to run 400m because a lot of pressure developed on the right side of my back," Hima said after winning the 100m gold in the National Inter-Sate Championships here with her personal best time of 10.43s.

"My L4 and L5 (two lowest vertebrae in the lumbar spine) were broken and was in a different position. Whenever I run it affects me. Then I did my physiotherapy and ran 30m, 40m, 50m, 100m and then 200m gradually. Till 300m, I am fine. I ran 300m in Europe sometime earlier.

"You need to pick up speed in the last 100m (of 400m) and when I did that once I had to be taken to the hospital (during a training stint in Poland in 2019)," said the sprinter from Assam.

Asked when she can start running 400m, she said, "Not at this point in time, but will surely do it (in near future).

"It may happen at the end of this year, otherwise I may prepare 400m for the postponed Asian Games because I will get time to prepare (for Asian Games)." Hima had also suffered a hamstring injury during the National Inter-State Championships last year in Patiala. She was forced to pull out of the 100m and 4x100m relay finals due to the injury. She ran in the 200m final but finished fifth to miss out on the Tokyo Olympics.

The Asian Games, earlier scheduled to be held in September this year, have been postponed due to an upsurge in COVID-19 cases in host country China. The Games are likely to be held next year.

When asked if 400m coach Galina Bukharina will recommend her to run it, Hima said, "Galina madam and the federation will take the decision what is to be done for me. I will do whatever the AFI says.

"Galina madam is not only my coach but she is also like my mother. I even told my mother at home in Assam not to get tense thinking about me because I have a mother there (national camp) also." Hima was earlier training at the NIS Patiala before shifting base temporarily to Thiruvananthapuram. She was part of the Indian team that underwent a training-cum-competition tour in Turkey. The team returned home earlier this month.

Asked about the experience of running 100m in the last few years, Hima said, "When I started athletics, I was doing 100m and long jump. It was not going together, so I ran 100m and 200m.

"After I was called for national camp (in 2017 after winning 200m gold in National Open in Chennai), I was doing 200m and 400m. Now again, I am doing 100m and 200m. This is a process.

"You need to be strong to be a sprinter and I had coped with injury since 2018 (Asian Games). It was tough to get over my injury and come back to track. But I learnt a lot during this period. Now it is the best point in my life.

"Sachin (Tendular) sir said that a sportsperson and injury are like friends. How to face that (injury) and move ahead and give result is the challenge you have to overcome. His words inspire me." Hima suffered COVID-19 infection in October last year. Asked about it, she said, "I was about to do die (laughs). It was a severe and dangerous COVID infection." 

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News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) World number 1 Iga Swiatek secured her second Roland Garros title in three years with a 6-1 6-3 win over Coco Gauff in an hour and eight minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier. Having taken over the top spot in WTA rankings following Ashleigh Barty’s shock retirement, Swiatek has been in unstoppable form, matching Venus Williams’ 35 game winning streak, becoming the ninth woman to win multiple Roland Garros titles in the Open era and becoming the fifth No 1 seed to win the French Open in 25 years.

Upon receiving the Suzanne-Lenglen cup, Swiatek said: "First I want to congratulate you [Gauff] because you are doing an amazing job. You are progressing all the time. You will find it and you will be there, I am pretty sure of that. I want to thank my team, you guys, I mean, oh my god, without you I wouldn't be here, I'm sure of that. I'm glad every piece has come together and we can do this. We deserve to be here. Thanks for your full support all the time no matter what. Also to my Dad, I wouldn't be here without him, so I have to thank him for everything. Everyone who is in my box, thank you all." 

The Polish tennis player also extended her support for Ukraine by saying “I would like to say something about Ukraine. Stay strong, the war is still there. Since my first speech in Doha [in February] basically I was hoping when I am doing the next one the situation will be better. But I still have hopes and try to support so thank you guys.” The 21 year old has been seen with a ribbon in Ukrainian colours pinned on her cap throughout the tournament and was watched over by Polish football player Robert Lewandowski as she lifted her title.

Swiatek raced through the opening set against Gauff as the 18 year old made a nervous start with a double fault in the opening game. However, the American saved four breakpoints in her next service game and finally began to give Swiatek a run for her money. Despite her best efforts, Gauff simply couldn’t keep up against her Polish opponent and eventually succumbed to a straight set defeat at the hands of Swiatek. In the post match interview, a tearful Gauff said “Congratulations Iga, what you have done these past few months has been amazing. Hopefully we can play many finals and I can get a win on you one of these days. I'd like to thank my team. I'm sorry I wasn't able to get this one today." 

Also read: Rafael Nadal wins 14th Roland Garros and 22nd Grand Slam title

Kolkata, Jun 3 (Football News) Talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri on Friday dropped yet another hint that his retirement is not far away, saying a FIFA ban on India in the aftermath of Supreme Court's ruling to oust Praful Patel as AIFF president would be catastrophic as he is playing his "last games".

The 37-year-old Chhetri's retirement has been a matter of speculation for some time now and he has said on many occasions that his illustrious career will come to an end soon.

"No matter what is happening on that front, I hope it is under control and the country does not get a ban," the iconic India captain said during a media interaction ahead of the Asian Cup qualifiers final round beginning here on June 8.

"Because, that will be catastrophic, not just for the whole country but for me, because I'm 37. I'm playing my last games. You never know when there's a last game for you.

"So yes... I was scared when the headlines came, it affects you. But with my limited knowledge, when you go into it, you understand that it is not that dangerous and things will subside," he added.

Patel was thrown out of office by the Supreme Court in a May 18 ruling as he has exceeded his tenure as All India Football Federation President. His third term in office was to end in December 2020 but he clung on to a SC case, which remained pending since 2017, to extend his executive committee's term while refusing to hold elections till the issue of a new constitution was settled by the top court.

There were fears in some quarters that the SC ruling could lead to FIFA imposing a ban on India and stripping the country off the hosting rights of Under-17 Women’s World Cup in October. A joint team from FIFA and AFC is slated to visit India to "understand the current situation".

Chhetri made his international comeback after more than six months of injury lay-off during India's 0-2 defeat against Jordan in Doha on May 29, their last preparatory outing ahead of the Asian Cup Qualifiers.

'Can't give you a number about my retirement' ============================ Every time he takes the pitch, there's speculation about his retirement and the Indian captain happily responds with a smile that "I don't know yet".

"Same question was asked before the last Asia Cup (2019) that 'what next' and I said the same thing. Five years have passed. It's the same now. I was 32 then, now I'm 37-38. I don't know, maybe.

"Right now, I'm enjoying it. I enjoy sprinting with Udanta (Singh), enjoying headers with (Sandesh) Jhingan, and scoring against Gurpreet. The day I don't (enjoy), I'll be done, I can't give you a number when.

"It's not easy to get up at 6 o'clock everyday or do a 30-minute yoga session before everyone wakes up. It's a very, very strict life that I live. It's not easy to do it for 21 years." Whether the Asia Cup will be held in 2023 or 2024 is not yet clear after China pulled out of hosting it next year, citing spike in COVID-19 cases, something that may further complicate matters for Chhetri.

"I want to qualify. If I'm not there, my country will be there. If we don't qualify, then no matter who, none of us will be there. We want to be there." Clubbed with lower-ranked opponents in Hong Kong (147), Afghanistan (150) and Cambodia (171), world number 106 India are favourites to make the cut from group D.

After kicking off their campaign against Cambodia on June 8, India take on Afghanistan (June 11) and Hong Kong (June 14) in the round-robin league.

Chhetri said India's opening game against an "unknown" Cambodia would be the toughest match of the qualifiers.

"If we don't do well against Cambodia, you have lost half your battle.

"As of now, we are just thinking about Cambodia. Once we are done with them, we will think about Afghanistan. No doubt, Afghanistan are strong." Chhetri said the inconsistency of the team's performance bothers him a lot.

"The sad part of our team is that in the last four years, we had a very crazy graph which is what bothers me. We had a couple of performances, where we thought wow," he said, referring to India's 1-2 loss to Oman and a goalless draw to Qatar in the World Cup qualifiers.

"Then you come and play against Bangladesh, Afghanistan, the two first games in SAFF. That's what bothers us as a team," he said about the drawn matches against lowly ranked Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"The onus is on us. We have to fix first individually then as a team, there's something wrong with us." 

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News Source : PTI

Doha, May 28 (Football News) India suffered a 0-2 defeat to Jordan in an international football friendly here on Saturday as the return of talisman Sunil Chhetri did not prove to be enough for the Blue Tigers.

The 91st-ranked West Asian side left it late as Monther Abu Amara (75th minute) and Abu Zraiq (90+4) found the net while India, placed at 106th in the FIFA rankings, barely managed a shot on target at the Qatar Sports Club.

India, who are preparing for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup final round qualifiers, will take on Cambodia on June 8 in Kolkata in a Group D match.

The match was India's last preparatory outing ahead of the Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Having gone into the breather goal-less, substitute Monther Abu Amara put Jordan in front when he found the top corner of the net with a first time shot from the edge of the 18-yard-box.

Abu Amara then turned provider as he received the ball from Mohammad Abu Zraiq and then pushed it back to the latter, whose attempt went past Indian custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who was left with barely any support at the back.

The higher ranked team in the match, Jordan looked marginally better than the Indian side going forward with Sandhu called into action late in the half to thwart a delivery that bounced just in front of him.

To start with, Jordan created the first two chances of the game -- a free-kick and a shot -- but both went wide.

Even as Jordan looked to score, the Indian defence stood firm. Jordan came closest to scoring in the first half when forward Mahmoud Almardi's volley landed on top of the net.

But in the end, India suffered yet another defeat in the international area.

The 37-year-old Chhetri last played for India during their 3-0 win over Nepal in the SAFF Championships final in October 2021. 

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News Source : PTI

New Delhi, May 28 (Sports News) A World Championships medal is definitely in his mind, but star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Saturday said he will go into the showpiece in July without taking too much pressure, which did the trick for him during the Tokyo Olympics.

The 24-year-old Chopra said thinking too much about a World Championships medal could be counterproductive though such a feat is within his reach if he gives his best on the day of competition.

"During Olympics last year, I did not take any pressure, was not thinking that I shall have to win a gold. With that, I did well and won gold. My approach has been to do my best on the day according to the situation. I am satisfied if I do my best and learn and improve for the future," Chopra told PTI in an interview from his training base in Finland.

"I will do the same during the World Championships and see whatever is the result, whether I win a medal. It's not like I won gold in Olympics last year, so I have to win a medal in World Championships this year. I will see what improvement I can make in future," said Chopra.

He recently launched a contest on YouTube Shorts to promote javelin throw among youngsters.

"A little bit of pressure is there, it is natural, but I always try to be relaxed, not to think about result too much, and stay as normal as possible while going into a big event." Age is on his side. Chopra, however, would look to make amends for his 2017 London World Championships disappointing show, where he failed to qualify for the final round. He did not take part in the 2019 World Championships in Doha as he was recuperating from an elbow surgery.

"I was not in the best of my fitness in London World Championships and I have played many competitions by then that season. I could not do well," said Chopra who created history by winning the javelin gold in Tokyo with a throw of 87.58m.

Chopra is currently training at Kuortane Olympic Training Centre in Finland, where he reached on Thursday after shifting base from Turkey. He will train at Kuortane till June 22 as part of preparations for the Worlds (July 14-25) in Eugene, USA, and Commonwealth Games (July 28 to August 8) in Birmingham.

His first competition will be at Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku in Finland on June 14. The likes of Johannes Vetter of Germany, who has thrown 90m-plus the most among active athletes, as well as reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, who has begun the season with a massive 93.07m effort at the Doha Diamond League on May 1, will feature in the event.

"My main targets this year are World Championships, CWG and Diamond League Finals and I will try to give my best. I will enter the season gradually and whatever result... hopefully I will do well as I am preparing well.

"Remaining things will depend on the conditions of the day and how my body will respond. I will not take any competition pressure." In Turkey, Chopra had not done much of throwing practice but was doing other things, like lifting of weight, running, strength building, etc. But now the focus will be more on throwing.

"There will be all other things also but there will be more focus on throw, on technical things and on distance-wise. I have to set my run-up, how many metres it will be and where to start and cross it and where to stop, etc.

"We have started on all these things. There is less than three weeks but all these things are going on well." Like many of the Indian athletes training abroad, Chopra also cooked food and washed his clothes. He said he enjoyed doing those things as he had learnt them in childhood.

"In many training centres, there are no washing machines, we have to wash our clothes. Many a times, we felt we should have Indian food cooked by ourselves. So we go to the supermarket and buy food stuffs, vegetables and others.

"So we have to do those things, the simple way of living. When I stared playing sport, for 4-5 years, I washed my own clothes and cooked my own food. These days also, if we get a chance or we are under compulsion or under pressure to do all these things, I do them with pleasure," the champion athlete said.

Chopra recently launched an exciting challenge exclusively on YouTube Shorts. Fans can join him by doing the #JavRun and replicating his distinctive run-up before he throws the javelin.

Modelled on Chopra's medal-winning throwing technique, fans can create a 15-second YouTube Short from the YouTube mobile app and add their own touch of creativity to the challenge.

"Most of the people use YouTube and I thought my training videos can be reached by them through YouTube. When I started the sport in my childhood, I also used to watch a lot of videos of top throwers available on YouTube on how to throw the javelin.

"If children watch my training videos and if they like the videos, they can learn javelin. I want to inspire the kids and youngsters.

"After the Olympics, a lot of children want to start javelin throw but they don't know how training is done. Now, on my YouTube channel, people will know how javelin training is done, what exercises are done, etc.

"Mostly, I will upload my training-related, sports-related videos as of now. Going ahead, I can upload other things, like if I go abroad for training in a new city, I can add the videos also. The response (from the public) has been good so far." 

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News Source : PTI

Doha, May 27 (Football News) Upbeat with the return of talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri in their ranks, India still have a tough task at hand when they face higher-ranked Jordan in an international football friendly match here on Saturday.

The 37-year-old Chhetri last played for India during their 3-0 win over Nepal in the SAFF Championships final in October 2021, but since then was side-lined due to injuries.

The match is India's last preparatory outing ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers which kicks off in Kolkata from June 8.

Jordan is placed at 91st as against 106th of India in the FIFA rankings.

"Another game against a stronger team will always help," head coach Igor Stimac said about which team which reached here on Wednesday.

"It's our last friendly game prior to qualifiers, and we need to get final answers on certain questions. Some of our youngsters will have a great opportunity to gain more experience at international level," he added.

The squad has been in a preparatory camp for over a month, first in Bellary in Karnataka and then in Kolkata, and the coach said that the fitness levels of his players "are quite good".

"We have another 10 days (before the Asian Cup qualifiers), and it should be perfect. The boys have done a great job, and they need to be rewarded with some good results in the Qualifiers," Stimac said.

About Jordan as an opposition team, the coach said: "Jordan are ranked better than Belarus (FIFA Ranking 93) but are not as physical as Belarus. So for us, it should be a bit easier in regards to the build-up and ball possession.” The 'Blue Tigers' had played against Belarus in the FIFA International window in March, a match where they went down 0-3.

The Indian squad has been bolstered by the joining of the ATK Mohun Bagan players, who missed the preparatory camp owing to their club commitments in the AFC Cup.

"They came very late (on May 26, 2022 morning) after playing 3 games in 7 days, and hence, we need to be careful with them. We still have over 36 hours ahead for them to recover and I will be making a decision whether to field them or not on 28th morning," Stimac said.

Match Starts at 9:30pm IST. 

 

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New Delhi, May 23 (Football News) Talismanic Sunil Chhetri on Tuesday returned to the Indian football team after a hiatus of six months when he was named in the 25-member squad for the international friendly against Jordan in Doha on May 28.

The 37-year-old Chhetri last played for India during their 3-0 win over Nepal in the SAFF Championships final in October but since then was sidelined due to injuries.

The squad, announced by national coach Igor Stimac, was picked from an extended training camp in Kolkata.

Besides Chhetri, Ishan Pandita has also made a comeback in the forwardline at the cost of VP Suhair and injured Rahim Ali.

In the midfield, Glan Martins, Ritwik Das, Udanta Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Wangjam and Aashique Kuriniyan have been included with Pronay Halder and Danish Bhat being the notable omissions.

The defence include the likes of Rahul Bheke, Akash Mishra, Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Roshan Singh, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhashish Bose and Pritam Kotal.

While Gupreet Singh Sandhu and Amrinder Singh remains a constant under the crossbar, Laxmikath Kattimani replaced Prabhsukhan Singh Gill following his heroics in the ISL final.

The Blue Tigers, as part of their preparation for the AFC Asian Cup final round qualifiers, had been camping in Bellary and Kolkata. They have played practice matches against ATK Mohun Bagan, the Hero I-League and Hero Santosh Trophy All-Stars team and the West Bengal team.

The Blue Tigers will leave for Doha on May 25, where they will continue their training before taking on Jordan.

After the friendly, the team is set to return to Kolkata on May 30, before resuming their training for the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

The 25-member Squad: Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Laxmikanth Kattimani, Amrinder Singh. Defenders: Rahul Bheke, Akash Mishra, Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Roshan Singh, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhashish Bose, Pritam Kotal.

Midfielders: Jeakson Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Glan Martins, Brandon Fernandes, Ritwik Das, Udanta Singh, Yasir Mohammad, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Wangjam, Ashique Kuruniyan, Liston Colaco.

Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh. 

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New Delhi, May 21 (Sports News) Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is not losing sleep over some of his top international rivals producing big early season performances but made it clear that he would want to join the 90m club this year.

Reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and Tokyo Olympics silver winner Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic had come up with 93.07m and 90.88m throws respectively in the Doha Diamond League on May 13.

But Chopra is not the one to take pressure, thinking about somebody's performance.

"I don't take pressure of distance. Peters and Valdech must be working hard and so doing well. It is also my dream to cross 90m and will try to do that this year in some competition," Chopra said at a virtual interaction from his training base in Turkey.

"I know competition is tough and growing. It also depends on the day's performance, weather and other conditions, how we manage them. I normally don't think about surpassing anybody's performance or record. I just go out to give my best." The 24-year-old Chopra is currently training at the Gloria Sports Arena in Antalya, Turkey along with his coach Klaus Bartonietz. He has a personal best of 88.07m and won gold in Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.58m.

His first competition of the season will be in Turku, Finland at the Paavo Nurmi Games where he will face Peters, another top thrower Johannes Vetter of Germany who has thrown over 90m several times.

"I don't have to hit 90m straightway, 86 or 87m at the start of season will be fine," said Chopra who will be taking the field for the first time after 10 months since winning gold in Tokyo on August 7 last year.

His next event will be on June 18 at Kuortane Games in Finland where he had finished third last year with Vetter taking the gold before the Tokyo Olympics.

Chopra is planning to feature in the top-flight Diamond League Meeting in Stockholm on June 30 before heading for the June 15-24 World Championships in Eugene, USA.

Vetter, however, flopped during the Olympics after he produced a series 90m-plus throws in the lead-up to the Games in Tokyo. He was eliminated after the first three throws in the final.

"My main target this year is to do well in World Championships. Then there is the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (July 28 to August 8) where I will defend my gold (won in 2018 CWG)." He had earlier said that winning a medal in the World Championships will be his main target this year. Chopra said he may or may not take part in the Monaco Diamond League (August 10) which happens just a couple of days after the CWG. He will also decide whether to take part in the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League on August 26.

"We will take a call after the CWG whether to take part in Monaco Diamond League or not, whether to go for (Diamond League) points or not.

"We had planned earlier considering the Asian Games. As the Asian Games are postponed we may rework our plans." Then, there is Diamond League Final in Zurich on September 7 and 8, if Chopra qualifies.

"My aim is also to end season injury free. I am starting 40-45 days before the World Championships so that I can peak there. I am going to have three events next month in the space of just over two weeks.

"Initially, I had planned to compete in Doha Diamond League (May 13) but dropped later. I could have started a bit early had we known that Asian Games would be postponed." Asked about his training and preparations for the season ahead, he said, "The off season was good. I have started throwing training, two throwing sessions in a week. I also do sprinting, lifting weight etc. I have started working on my technique, on my runway, picking up speed and blocking.

"I don't need to make major changes, mostly focussing on my technique, which angle I have to throw, on my blocking, from where I have to start my runway. I don't want to get injured while doing major changes." Chopra had the likes of Vetter and 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist Thomas Rohler for company at Antalya for a few days. Javelin world record holder Jan Zelezny of Czech Republic was also there for some time.

"I had interactions with them but not much. We generally talked about the state of javelin throw in the world and in India. Sometimes, we also speak about our technique.

"I don't feel like a star in front of Zelezny. They came for training and had left now. Not many people know us here." Two top Indian athletes failed dope tests recently and Chopra urged the youngsters to shun shortcut to success.

"My message is don't go for short cut to success. Work hard with patience. You will achieve your dream with time.

"I am not talking about any individual here but you can take care of things you can control like having good food, proper rest and sleep, hard work and belief in yourself." 

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New Delhi, May 13 (Football News) The Indian men's football team will play an international friendly against higher-ranked Zambia in Doha on May 25, the sport's apex body said on Friday.

The match is part of India's preparation for the forthcoming AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers Final Round scheduled to be held in Kolkata from June 8.

The Indian senior team is ranked 106th in the FIFA chart, 19 places below the 87th ranked African nation.

"All India Football Federation confirms a friendly match for the Blue Tigers against Zambia in Doha on May 25," the AIFF said in a release.

The match comes close on the heels of the international friendlies in March when India had played against Bahrain and Belarus in Bahrain.

The Blue Tigers have been camping since April 23 -- first in Bellary, and then in Kolkata where the national squad will also be playing two more friendly matches -- one against a combined All-Star XI from the I-League and the other with the Bengal Santosh Trophy contingent.

The Blue Tigers have already played ATK Mohun Bagan in another friendly match on May 11, which they lost 1-2.

The Asian Cup Qualifiers Final Round will be held across three match days on June 8, 11 and 14, with the group winners and the best five second-placed teams earning a ticket to the main tournament in China which is slated to kick off on June 16 next year. 

 

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Kolkata, May 11 (Football News) The Talismanic Sunil Chhetri returned to action with delightful strike but it was not enough as India went down 1-2 to Indian Super League side ATK Mohun Bagan in a practice match at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Wednesday.

Returning to action after a seven-month injury layoff, the 37-year-old India captain was in his element as he utilised a Glan Martins cross to give India a perfect start.

But the Indian backline -- minus star centre forward Sandesh Jhingan and the dependable Pritam Kota who played for ATK Mohun Bagan -- crumbled soon after with Liston Colaco and rising youngster Kiyan Nassiri scoring a goal each in the space of seven minutes.

It was a rude reality check for the Igor Stimac-coached side that starts as overwhelming favourites in the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers.

The margin of defeat could have been worse as ATKMB missed a flurry of chances with Colaco, David Williams and Kauko squandering easy opportunities.

Jhingan also returned to action after sitting out ATKMB's AFC Cup matches last month and played for 10 minutes in the second-half before pulling out after a suspected injury.

The details of the injury are unknown and it remains to be seen whether he will be available for ATKMB's AFC Cup Group league opener against Gokulam Kerala here on May 18.

In a keenly-contested match, the 106th ranked India dominated up front before the Mariners seized the momentum with Colaco's strike in the 30th minute.

Colaco then set up the winning goal for Nassiri in the 37th minute.

In the absence of an injured Rahim Ali, Chhetri started out with VP Suhair up front as Stimac also tried out the likes of Udanta Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Asish Rao, Akash Mishra, Jeakson Singh.

The Juan Ferrando-coached ATKMB also played their main team players in the first-half before giving chances to the juniors after the break.

It was India's first of the two practice matches in build-up to next month's Asian Cup qualifiers.

The second match is against 'I-League All Stars' which is scheduled to be played on May 17.

India next fly to Doha to play two more friendlies against Zambia (May 25) and Jordan (May 28) before they take on Cambodia (June 8) here at the Salt Lake Stadium. 

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Kolkata, May 10 (Football News) Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri will return to the national team during next month's Asian Cup qualifiers and head coach Igor Stimac is confident that the country will win the tournament and book a ticket for the continental showpiece in China next year.

The 37-year-old Chhetri will return to action after six months, having last played for India during their 3-0 win over Nepal in the SAFF Championships final in October.

Stimac said Chhetri is back to his full fitness and will be the "main force and strength" of the team.

"Sunil is still here, he's still in great shape," Stimac said when asked how long Chhetri can prolong his career.

"We didn't involve him in Bahrain and Belarus games because he needed time to recover from some minor problems he was facing throughout the last couple of years.

"That time has served very well to Sunil. He has recovered very well. He's showing that on the training pitch every day and still at this point he will be the main force and strength of the Indian national team up front." Chhetri had suffered minor niggles and missed out of the friendlies against Belarus and Bahrain in March.

Stimac also said young forward Rahim Ali, who will be out of action for at least six weeks due to an injury, will be a big loss.

"I feel very sorry that Rahim Ali who in the recent past created a great partnership with Sunil. He was someone who was making Sunil's life much easier up front and doing a great job to be honest, bringing players to his back and leaving Sunil open and free there on the other side," he said. "He was showing great game improvement. Most of the last season he played with this injury on his abductors and now that became chronic and that will keep him out for six-seven weeks." Focus would be on Stimac after his contract was extended till September 2022 with an eye on the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

"Expectations are always there. I'm very confident that the work we are providing here and at least this time, we had enough time to prepare well, never mind that some of the players are not with us," the 54-year-old said during a virtual interaction.

"We have enough quality in our team with the players who are here with us to make sure that India qualifies and that's what we're going to do. I see India in the final stages and there is no doubt about it. We're going to have great support in the stands here." India will now play two practice games -- against ATK Mohun Bagan (Wednesday) and I-League all stars (May 17) before flying to Doha to play two more friendlies against Zambia (May 25) and Jordan (May 28) in the build up to the Asian qualifiers.

"This is a far better situation than in the previous games when we got the players one or two days prior to the games then there is nothing you can do there.

"This is finally something which is giving me as a coach the opportunity to prepare well for the games you know which was not the case in the previous cases," Stimac said.

India, who are the highest-ranked side (106) in group D, will face Hong Kong (147), Afghanistan (150) and Cambodia (171) in a one-legged final round of qualifiers beginning here on June 8.

"That (ranking) doesn't mean anything. Whatever is there you need to earn it on the pitch throughout 90 minutes. The way you prepare your team mentally and physically that will make the difference when the day comes," he said.

Thirteen teams have already qualified and another 11 spots -- six group toppers and five best runners-up -- are up for grabs during the final phase in June.

"... I'm interested in the final result in a way that we qualify for the Asian Cup. That's our aim. I don't mind how many points or how many goals we score. Our aim is to qualify.

"Of course, if we make it if we make three wins, that would be fantastic. That's what we are aiming for. But my aim is to qualify." On Sandesh Jhingan's availability, Stimac said they would monitor the progress of the star India central defender during ATK Mohun Bagan's AFC Cup group matches beginning on May 18.

"We're going to follow ATK (Mohun Bagan) players throughout the competition and we'll see who is in form and who is not.

"The competition in the team is strong. I strongly believe that we have enough quality here and whoever is here we're going to make our job done," he concluded. 

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New Delhi, Apr 5 (TableTennis News) Indian women's doubles pair of Manika Batra and Archana Girish Kamath jumped two places to break into the top-5 in the latest rankings, released by the ITTF.

The duo now occupies the fourth spot with 1501 points.

Batra and Kamath had claimed the bronze medal at the WTT Star Contender Doha 2022 after losing the semifinals to the Chinese Taipei's pair of Li Yu-Jhun and Cheng I-Ching, last week.

The Chinese pair of Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha is sitting atop the chart with 4289 points, followed by Japanese combination of Mima Ito and Hina Hayata and Luxembourg's Xia Lian Ni and Sarah de Nutte. 

Also Read : Manika-Archana pair settles for bronze in WTT Star Contender

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Kozhikode, Apr 2 (Sports News) Long distance runners Kartik Kumar and Sanjivani Jadhav as well as pole vaulter Rosy Meena Paul produced personal best efforts to claim gold medals on an action-packed opening day of the Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships here on Saturday.

In the other events of the day, Aishwarya Mishra ran an impressive race to clock a personal best time of 52.41 seconds en route to women's 400m final, while national record holder long jumper M Sreeshankar crossed 8m mark yet again.

Aishwarya of Maharashtra shaved 2.19 seconds off her previous best time of 54.60 to win her heat race and qualify as the top-ranked athlete for the final.

However, the much-anticipated 100m clash between Dutee Chand and Hima Das will not happen as the latter pulled out of the heat races over the distance to concentrate on World Championships qualification in 200m.

Hima had entered her name for the 100m as well as 200m races. But, Saturday's 100m start list did not have the Assamese runner's name in it.

National record holder Dutee qualified for 100m final, winning heat number one in a time of 11.51. She did not enter her name in 200m.

"There is no issue with Hima Das. She did not run in 100m heats today because she wanted to concentrate on World Championships qualification in 200m. She will run in 200m," Indian athletics chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair told PTI.

Hima has a personal best time of 22.88 seconds in 200m which she ran in 2021 while the qualification time for World Championships in Eugene, USA, is 22.80 seconds. She will have to break Saraswati Saha's 22.82 second national record if she has to qualify for the World Championships.

Nair also said that officials from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) have arrived here from New Delhi to collect dope samples from the athletes. In the 10000m race final, Kumar, a bronze medallist at the Asian Junior Championships in 2018, established himself as one of India's brightest long distance runners with a maiden Federation Cup 10000m gold medal by clocking 29:20.21s.

The Services runner produced the fastest time by an Indian in AFI competitions since Murli Kumar Gavit's 28:38.34 in the 2019 Asian Championships in Doha.

The 22-year-old positioned himself in the lead bunch through the race, pulling away with four laps to go and building a sufficient lead to hold back a late sprint by Sawan Barwal (Himachal Pradesh).

In the women's 10000m, Sanjivani Jadhav pulled away from Seema (Himachal Pradesh) after 10 laps to get a personal best time of 33:13.07.

The 25-year-old finished 1 minute 3 seconds off the 32:10.18 set by the AFI as the Asian Games qualifying mark.

Rosy Meena of Tamil Nadu became only the fifth Indian woman pole vaulter to clear 4.00m to win gold from her team-mate Baranica Elangovan by 10cm. Haryana’s Pooja cleared 3.80m to take the bronze.

Aishwarya's 400m heat time on Saturday earned her place among the top 10 Indian women quartermilers in the past decade and is the second fastest this year behind the 52.37 that Priya Mohan clocked in the Indian Grand Prix 1 in Thiruvananthapuram last month.

The experienced MR Poovamma held her own as she won her heat race with a measure of comfort, clocking 53.83 seconds.

Amoj Jacob (Delhi), Muhammed Ajmal (Kerala) and two Tamil Nadu athletes Rajesh Ramesh and T Santhosh Kumar produced sub-47-second times, while Noah Nirmal Tom (Kerala) came home in 47.00 in the 400m semifinals to raise expectations of a keen contest for the men’s quarter-mile medals.

The seasoned Arokia Rajiv missed out on a place in the final.

Sreeshankar (Kerala) laid down the gauntlet in the men's long jump qualifying round with a leap of 8.09m. Jeswin Aldrin, jumping with a 2.4mps wind assisting him, hit sand at 7.94m to raise expectations of a thrilling final on Sunday afternoon.

The morning session was marked by Tamil Nadu's A Vignesh and G Kathiravan leaving the established sprinter Gurindervir Singh in third place in the 100m heats.

Gurindervir did not start the semifinals where another Tamil Nadu sprinter B Siva Kumar emerged the fastest of the qualifiers with a time of 10.47 seconds.

Stalin Joes (Tamil Nadu) rode on his sprinting skills to hold a slender four-point lead over Boota Singh (Haryana) at the end of five events in Decathlon.

With a 11.24 second 100m dash, a 6.95m long jump and a 51.96 second 400m run, he was able to paper over a 10.31m shot put effort that set him back considerably. He also had a 1.77m effort in high jump.

More than 500 athletes, including 158 women, are vying for top honours in the five-day event, the season's first major domestic championships with the Commonwealth Games, World Championships and Asian Games lining up later in the season.

The AFI has laid down qualifying standards for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in Hangzhou.

The Results (finals): Men: 10000m: 1. Kartik Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) 29:20.21; 2. Sawan Barwal (Himachal Pradesh) 29:21.29; 3. Gulveer Singh (Uttar Pradesh) 29:22.44.

Women: 10000m: 1. Sanjivani Babur Jadhav (Maharashtra) 33:13.07; 2. Seema (Himachal Pradesh) 34:31.44; 3. Kavita Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 34:56.42.

Pole Vault: 1. Rosy Meena Paulraj (Tamil Nadu) 4.00m; 2. Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 3.90; 3. Pooja (Haryana) 3.80. 

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Doha, Mar 30 (Table Tennis News) India's Manika Batra and Archana Kamath signed off with a bronze medal after losing the women's doubles semifinals to Li Yu-Jhun and Cheng I-Ching at the WTT Star Contender Doha 2022 here on Wednesday.

The higher-ranked Indian duo failed to reproduce the form they showed on Tuesday and lost to Li and Cheng 8-11, 6-11, 7-11.

Both Manika and Archana, ranked 6th, did well in the first game to stretch the Chinese Tapei duo a little longer, but once the latter had the measure of the Indians, they combined splendidly to shut them out in the second and third game without much ado.

Both G. Sathiyan and Manika also lost their respective singles in the pre-quarterfinals to end India's campaign in the Star Contender events.

Sathiyan lost to Kristian Karlsson of Sweden 11-5, 8-11, 7-11, 4-11 in the men's singles pre-quarterfinals.

Sathiyan began on a confident note but he could not match up with the Swede who was nimble-footed and attacked with pace.

Manika, too, lost her women's singles pre-quarters to Ying Han of Germany meekly.

The 48-ranked Indian was no match for the 17-ranked player of Chinese origin, who won 11-5, 11-2, 11-4. 

Also Read : Manika-Archana pair enters medal round in WTT Star Contender

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(Football news) Goals by Robert Lewandowski and Piotr Zieliński ensured that Poland progressed to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with a 2-0 win over Sweden at the Silesian Stadium. After a scoreless first half, Lewandowski broke the deadlock in the 49th minute after Jesper Karlstrom fouled Grzegorz Krychowiak. Zieliński doubled the advantage for the hosts in the 72nd minute by taking advantage of a defensive lapse to assure Poland a place in Qatar.

The draw for the World Cup will take place this Friday in Doha and the World Cup will be underway from 21st November. It will be the first time that the World Cup will take place in winter months instead of the traditional summer window and club football will come to a standstill in that period to accommodate the tournament. As expected, Robert Lewandowski proved yet again why age is just a number as he played an integral part in Poland’s victory and subsequent qualification in the World Cup.

Speaking after the match, Lewandowski said “We had many problems before this match. A lot of our players were injured, including me - I had a problem with my knee. We suffered, but now we can celebrate. I am proud and happy." Defender Kamil Glik, who played with a muscle injury, said: "It was new for all of us - for me, for Robert [Lewandowski], who had played many matches but he hadn't played one like this, none of us had. I wasn't interested in what would happen tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, next week, next year. All that mattered was the here and now."

It’s fair to say that Sweden were the better side in the first half, but couldn’t capitalize on their best opportunity when Emil Forsberg couldn’t defeat Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny. After trailing 1-0, the visitors tried to level the advantage as Forsberg once again attempted to score but their lack of finishing cost them dearly as poor control from Marcus Danielson allowed Zieliński to double Poland’s advantage. With ten minutes left on the clock, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was introduced but the 40 year old couldn’t make a significant impact and has probably played his last World Cup fixture in his career.

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Doha, Mar 29 (Table Tennis News) India's Manika Batra and Archana Kamath entered the medal round of the women's doubles in the WTT Star Contender event after beating Soo Wai Yam Minnie and Lee Ho Ching of Hong Kong 3-1 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

The match picked up momentum in the first game itself. The Indians, ranked sixth, fought well to win it on extended points. But in the next, they lost after gaining a slender lead.

Nevertheless, the duo did exceedingly well to put the loss behind and went 2-1 up before winning the fourth in what was a repeat of the first game.

The Indian pair, which won 13-11 8-11 11-5 13-11, will take on Taipei's Li Yu-Jhun and Cheng I-Ching in the semifinals.

Unfortunately, Manika and G. Sathiyan failed to go past the first round when they lost 1-3 (7-11, 11-9, 7-11, 5-11) to Spaniards Maria Xiao and Alvaro Robles last night. The Indian mixed pair is ranked seventh while the Spaniards are 12 places behind them.

Earlier, Sharath Kamal and Manav Vikas Thakkar lost 1-3 their men's doubles to Robles of Spain and Ovidiu Ionescu of Romania.

Sharath lost his second-round match to Dang Qiu of Germany after leading 2-0 in the men's singles. The German player of Chinese origin won 7-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-7.

In contrast, G. Sathiyan, trailing 0-2, overcame Mattias Falck of Sweden to enter the pre-quarterfinals. The highest-ranked Indian won 8-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-6. In the pre-quarterfinals, Sathiyan will clash with another Swede, Kristian Karlsson. Manika accounted for Germany's Xiaona Shan, ranked 26th, in the round of 32 to advance to the next round. The Indian, ranked 48th, won 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9.

Manika showed great character to come back after the first game’s loss and fought back with the higher-ranked German. Manika proved her mettle in the fourth game as she held on courageously to win the close fourth game.

She will next take on German Ying Han, who is ranked 17, in the pre-quarterfinals. 

Also Read : WTT Contender Doha: Silver for Sathiyan-Manika pair, Sharath earns bronze

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Doha, Mar 25 (Golf News) India's Shubhankar Sharma, who was bogey free on the first day, witnessed an up-and-down outing in round two as he shot one-over 73 to slip to tied-10th from second position at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at the Doha Golf Club here on Friday.

Sharma was three-over at one stage with bogeys on eighth, 13th and 14th, but birdies on 15th and 16th helped him recover to some extent.

Pablo Larrazabal displayed a superb back nine fightback to retain the lead at the halfway stage.

The Spaniard leads by one on nine-under par after posting a one-under par round of 71 on day two, but the 38-year-old's second round was truly a tale of two nines.

The overnight leader made the turn at four-over par following a double bogey on the par five ninth, but immediately responded with an eagle at the tenth.

Three additional birdies put the finishing touches to a five-under par back nine to complete a return to the top of the leader board on a windy day here.

The six-time DP World Tour winner is closely followed by Chase Hanna of the United States, Poland's Adrian Meronk and South African Wilco Nienaber, who all share the second place on eight-under par, with Romain Langasque of France a shot further back on seven-under par.

Scotland's Ewen Ferguson, English duo of Daniel Gavins and Matthew Jordan, and Austrian Lukas Nemecz share the sixth place on six-under par, while Sweden's Marcus Kinhult, whose seven-under par round of 65 was the lowest round of the day, is part of the group in a tie for the 10th spot at five-under par. 

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Doha, Mar 24 (Table Tennis News) India paddlers finished the WTT Contender Doha 2022 with two medals, including a singles bronze won by Achanta Sharath Kamal, as seniors showed the way on the concluding day of the competition.

As expected, G Sathiyan and Manika Batra settled for the silver, capitulating in the final of the mixed doubles against the top-seeded Chinese Taipei pair of Lin Yun-Ju and Cheng I-Ching. The Indians lost 4-11, 5-11, 3-11.

Sharath Kamal, on the other hand, failed to up the ante from an advantageous position in the sixth game and went down fighting 3-4 (5-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, 10-12, 9-11 in the semifinals of the men’s singles against Yuan Licen of China.

This was the first medal for Sharath in two years. The Indian veteran had won a gold in the Oman Open in 2020.

The No. 7 Indian mixed pair found the going tough against the Taipei combine right from the start. Their troubles only multiplied when Sathiyan and Manika failed to comprehend the left-right combination that went about the task clinically.

Yet, it was creditable for the Indians to resist as much as they could before eventually surrendering to the Taipei paddlers.

But Sharath will rue his missed opportunity on a day when he had the rhythm and form on his side. Trailing 1-2, the higher-ranked Indian (No. 41) came back strongly to go 3-2 up against the Chinese, ranked 264.

In the sixth game, Sharath was up 9-7 but frittered away his chances and let Licen off the hook. The Chinese not only reduced the margin but was on game-point. Sharath managed to deuce but failed to hold his serve, allowing his opponent to level the score.

In the decider, Sharath once again led 6-4. But he could not maintain it and the Chinese, gaining confidence, kept the lead before completing the task without giving any opportunity to his rival.

"I should have wrapped it up in the sixth game itself," admitted Sharath, who has had a knee procedure done some time ago. But Sharath was happy with his form, especially his backhand coming off well.

"I am glad I finished on the podium (bronze) and carry the form from here to the next tournament," he added. 

Also Read : Sharath Kamal sails into semifinals at WTT Contender Doha

News Source : PTI

Doha, Mar 23 (Table Tennis News) Veteran Sharath Kamal finally made the men's singles medal round in a major championship when he entered the semifinals of the WTT Contender Doha here on Wednesday.

He was the lone Indian, ranked No. 41, in the fray after beating Tomislav Pucar of Croatia 11-8, 11-7, 11-4, following the exit of G Sathiyan, in the first round.

However, Sathiyan and Manika Batra combined well to reach the final of the mixed doubles. The pair, ranked No. 7 in the world, accounted for Hong Kong's Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Ken 3-2.

The Croat, just a place ahead of Sharath in the world rankings, failed to contend with the Indian onslaught in the quarterfinals and was error-prone on the day.

The closest he came to Sharath was in the first game in which he managed eight points, and one less in the second. However, in the third, Sharath ran into a sizable lead and maintained it throughout to win it in style.

In the semifinals, Sharath will take on Chinese Yuan Licen, who is ranked 264. But it was the same Chinese who accounted for Sathiyan on Monday when he decimated the Indian 11-5, 11-6, 14-12.

Other men's paddlers that could not make it to the main draw of the men's singles included Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, SFR Snehit and Mudit Dani.

The win in the semifinals by the mixed duo against the world No. 4 pair was indeed creditable, particularly after the way the Indians kept their hopes alive when the Hong Kong pair levelled the score 2-2, taking the issue to the decider.

In the crucial fifth game, they stopped their opponents well short to win the match 13-11, 9-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8. In the final on Thursday, they will meet the top seeded pair from Taipei -- Cheng I-Ching and Lin Yun-Ju.

In the women's singles, Manika Batra tasted defeat in the first round of the main draw, bowing out to Chinese Fan Siqi 7-11, 5-11, 6-11. Ranked 81, the Chinese proved to be a tough nut to crack for the 48th ranked Indian.

Among the women paddlers, except for Archana Kamath and Sutirtha Mukherjee, all others folded in earlier rounds, including Sreeja Akula, Krittwika Sinha Roy and Prapti Sen. 

Also Read : India's mixed and women's doubles pairs win silver medals at WTT Contender Muscat

News Source : PTI

Doha, Mar 19 (Sports News) Ace Indian cuiest Pankaj Advani brushed aside stiff challenge from Pauk Sa of Myanmar to enter the final of Asian Billiards Championship here on Saturday.

In the first game of the semifinal match, Advani missed after scoring 18 points and Pauk Sa imposed a well-crafted break of 71 points. Advani, however, secured the first game by having a counter break of 82 points.

In the second game, Advani sent a century break to obtain a 2-0 lead. He was moving ahead with 30 points in the third frame when Pauk Sa took control and crafted a break of 70 points to cut the deficit.

That win put the Myanmar player in a commanding position and in the next game, he made an uninterrupted century break to level the match.

However, multiple-time world champion Advani countered his opponent with a break of 101 to take the lead.

Pauk Sa made another strong comeback but before he could level again, he missed on 97 and Advani recovered to obtain a 4-2 lead.

In the next two games, Pauk Sa made decent breaks of 61 and 67 points to level the match and take Advani to the decider.

In the deciding game, Pauk Sa was in control initially but when he missed after 48 points, Advani showed his class and returned with an uninterrupted break of 100 points to win the match and secure his final berth.

“So far, it has been full of unpredictable moments. All my competitors have demonstrated their best efforts in it. I’ve so far tried to focus on my individual game and hoping for the best to come out in the finals," Advani said in a media release. 

Also Read : Dutee Chand fails to qualify for semifinals of World Indoor Athletics Championships

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) Rafael Nadal is having the best start to the 2022 season with a hat trick of titles and 15 consecutive match wins. The Spaniard became the fourth player in ATP history to have won more than 90 career titles in singles, he is three short of Ivan Lendl’s record and will most likely overtake the former player.

 

Nadal had ended the 2021 season with a foot injury but his comeback has been highlighted by a record 21st Grand Slam title and for the time in his career has won two titles at Australia. The left hander also became the second player on the ATP tour after Novak Djokovic to win all the four Grand Slams more than once. The former world number 1 also defeated Danill Medevedev twice this season, he defeated the Russian in straight sets at Acapulco.

 

The world number 4 is a thousand points behind Alexander Zverev in terms of rankings and was last ranked in the top three in August. Nadal so far has been the top player in the first two months of the season, his form last week suggested it will be tough for Djokovic and Medvedev to battle for two Masters 1000 titles this month.

 

The current world number 1 will need to fend off challenges by Djokovic and Nadal to keep a stable lead at top. The next gen has got hold off the rankings as of now, two consecutive losses to Nadal will definitely be in Medvedev’s head when the pair meets next. The 26 year old needs to improve his form on clay in the coming months as he will be expected to battle against Nadal and it will be their first meeting on the surface. It will be tough for any player to beat the veteran as April and May have clay events lined up and the surface has been ruled by Nadal since 2005.

 

Nadal had a 11 match inning streak in 2014 which was his personal best while starting a season, this time he has added four matches and is yet to play on a clay event. The Monte Carlo Masters, Barcelona and Rome Open have been his favourite as he has won each event at least 10 times. The 35 year old will also be seeking revenge for the semi final defeat at Roland Garros last year to Djokovic, Nadal can add to his Grand Slam tally when he triumphs for the 14th time.

 

Also read: Anett Kontaveit snaps Jelena Ostapenko’s winning streak in Doha

(Tennis news) Anett Kontaveit put an end to Jelena Ostapenko’s 9 match winning streak in the semifinals of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. Kontaveit has now reached 7 finals in the last 6 months and will face Iga Swiatek in the championship match. The Estonian will play her second career WTA 1000 final and her first one in 4 years. Kontaveit made the breakthrough early on in the match as she was carried forward by the Latvian’s 20 unforced errors to take the first set.

 

In the second set, the 26 year old began with a 3-0 lead as Ostapenko started her fightback with fiery winners from the forehand and backhand. The unforced errors came down and Kontaveit looked in trouble at 5-4 when saving two breakpoints in which one was a lucky net cord. In her second matchpoint, the world number 7 secured a straight set victory to advance to the final match. Kontaveit defeated Ostapenko 6-1, 6-4.

 

"She can outplay anyone, and then she might not find the consistency sometimes, so you have to be ready for that," Kontaveit added in the press conference. "I was trying to play a consistent match and just do my best on my serve and hold on to it, especially in the second set when I was broken. Sometimes when she's on fire, her returns are unplayable and it's just very difficult.

 

Iga Swiatek had never taken a set off Maria Sakkari in their previous three meetings, the pair had met a few months in the WTA finals where Sakkari only lost 6 games on her way to victory. This time not only the Polish player got her first victory over the 26 year old but also picked up a straight set win to reach the final stage at Doha. The 20 year old was down 1-3 but with constructive net play and strong backhands she outsmarted Sakkari who clearly was more powerful.

 

In the second set, the world number 8 managed to hit flat groundstrokes as the top seed could not bring out as much defense from the first set. Although Sakkari broke early in the match, there was no chance for taking a lead with Swiatek responding immediately and it was the 2020 Roland Garros winner who emerged victorious. Swiatek defeated Sakkari 6-4, 6-3.

 

"Really excited," Swiatek said in her post-match press conference. "For sure I showed consistency throughout the whole tournament, and I'm really happy that I could keep my level of tennis at a really high level."

 

Also read: Swiatek topples seed at Doha, Ostapenko extends winning streak

(Tennis news) Iga Swiatek reached the last four for the first time at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha. Swiatek had lost her only previous meeting against Aryna Sabalenka but this time it was a formidable performance as she will face Maria Sakkari for a place in the final.

 

The top seed lost the first three games of the match, she seemed motivated even though she was down 2-4 as there was no halt on celebrations. The 20 year old on the other side was not very vocal when winning points as a clenched fist was more than enough, Swiatek had steady groundstrokes which was not fast but was very effective. Sabalenka did crush some of the groundstrokes but it came to use once or twice in a game.

 

In the second set, the world number 2 took the first three games with her hard hitting groundstrokes which affected her rival’s game for the first time in the match. Sabalenka’s sliced strokes were consistently getting hit for winners by Swiatek even from her backhand, the Belarusian could not never anticipate where the ball was going to go after slicing it. The world number 8 started hitting more and more winners as the match went in her favour as she took the next 6 games for the win. Swiatek defeated Sabalenka 6-2, 6-3.

 

"This match is going to give me a lot of confidence," Swiatek said in her post-match press conference. "I'm very happy that tactically I did a great job, and my mental game was also on point. That's the most important thing for me, because from the beginning I wanted to be aggressive and to be focusing on myself and on my game."

 

Jelena Ostapenko was playing against Garbine Muguruza for the 5th time in her career and had only one victory which was in 2017. Ostapenko had only taken two sets in their previous meetings but was on a 8 match winning streak that started at Dubai and it did continue at Doha. There were rarely long rallies in the match as it was either a winner from Ostapenko or an unforced error from her as it was the Latvian who ended most of the rallies.

 

In the first set, the Spaniard was struggling to stop Ostapenko from attacking every possible ball as there was a slight comeback from Muguruza when she took 2 straight games. Other than the minor lag there was nothing to block the 24 year old who finished the set by hitting 2 return winners. In the second set, there was no fight from the former world number 1 as Ostapenko gave no chances to survive her onslaught. In total, the world number 13 hit 39 winners in the match while Muguruza hit 5 of them. Ostapenko defeated Muguruza 6-2, 6-2.

 

Also read: Ostapenko sets up rematch with Krejcikova at Doha, Kvitova issues walkover

(Tennis news) Rafael Nadal extended his unbeaten run to 12 matches as he defeated Stefan Kozlov 6-0 6-3 to progress into the quarterfinals of the Mexico Open. It has been the Spaniard’s best start to a season since 2014 when he was unbeaten for 11 games before falling to Stan Wawrinka in the finals of the Australian Open. 

The 35 year old will be facing Tommy Paul for a place in the semifinals of the tournament after which he could potentially face world number 2 Daniil Medvedev who he defeated in the finals at Melbourne in January. Speaking after his 76 minute match against Kozlov, Nadal said “It's always important to win as quick as possible but the most important thing is to win. Tonight has been straight sets - that's great news, and I'll try to be ready for tomorrow against a tough opponent." 

Meanwhile, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev defeated Spain's Pablo Andujar 6-1 6-2 in just 64 minutes to progress into the quarterfinals. Medvedev will face Yoshihito Nishioka in the next match and will aim to win the tournament and progress to the top spot in the world rankings at the expense of Novak Djokovic by winning the title. 

Britain’s Cameron Norrie was also one of the victors as he defeated America’s John Isner 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-4. Norrie will face Germany's Peter Gojowczyk in the quarterfinals. World number four Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated American qualifier JJ Wolf 6-1 6-0 in just 47 minutes to progress into the quarterfinals where he will face America’s Marcos Giron. 

One of the controversial moments from the tournament has been when world number three Alexander Zverev was thrown out of the Mexico Open due to ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’ when the German attacked the umpire’s chair at the end of a doubles match. A statement released by the ATP said “Due to unsportsmanlike conduct at the conclusion of his doubles match on Tuesday night, Alexander Zverev has been withdrawn from the tournament in Acapulco”. 

As a result, Zverev’s opponent Peter Gojowczyk will be given a walkover in the third round. The 24 year old German took to Instagram to apologise for his actions, calling his behaviour “unacceptable”. Zverev said he had "privately apologised" to umpire Alessandro Germani and that he was “disappointed in myself”. He wrote “As you know, I leave everything on the court. Yesterday, I left too much. I am going to take the coming days to reflect - on my actions and how I can ensure that it will not happen again." 

Also read: Ostapenko sets up rematch with Krejcikova at Doha, Kvitova issues walkover

(Tennis news) Two former champions issued walkovers on day 5 of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. Two time champion Victoria Azarenka did not play a single point in her second round match against Madison Brengle, Azarenka is suffering from a hip injury as Brengle will now face Garbine Muguruza in the next match.

 

Petra Kvitova also had to leave in between the match as she was down with a wrist injury in her match against Elise Mertens. Kvitova is the defending champion and had won the title in 2018; in the first set Mertens took the lead and was 1-2 in the second set before the Czech player decided to end the match. Mertens defeated Kvitova 7-5, 1-2.

 

Jelena Ostapenko needed an hour and 40 minutes against Amanda Anisimova in their second round clash. Anisimova had to move around the court a lot while losing the first set as it became worse at the end of the match. In the second set, with quick serves the 20 year old took control of the match as she pounced on the returns by Ostapenko. In the decider, the match was back in the court of the Latvian as her powerful groundstrokes made a comeback to advance to the next round.

 

Ostapenko recorded her 7th win in a row as she will next face Barbora Krejcikova, the pair had met a month earlier at the Australian which Krejcikova won and now Ostapenko seems to be the favourite. Ostapenko defeated Anisimova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

 

Krejcikova was using her service games against Magda Linette to push her way through the second round. Linette had two chances of breaking serve in the match but could not make it through and the second seed broke serve four times to take a comfortable lead in both sets. Although the 30 year old landed more first serves in the second set, it was still not enough to hold a lead. Krejcikova defeated Linette 6-1, 6-3.

 

Paula Badosa completed the fastest match of the day when she beat Clara Tauson to progress to the round of 16. Tauson could only win 16 points in the 69 minute match, she won 9 points of her serve and 7 of Badosa’s serve. The Spaniard had lost to teenager last year in the semifinals at Lyon and this time only lost three points on first serve and had 9 aces to complete a well all round victory. The world number 4 had set points at 5-0 as she was a shot away from securing a bagel but Tauson recovered from her brave forehands to save 4 set points in the first set and avoid a bagel. Badosa defeated Tauson 6-1, 6-2.

 

Also read: Halep suffers earliest exit in 5 years at Doha, Svitolina falls to Martincova

(Tennis news) Simona Halep had to return without a win at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, Doha. Halep had lost in the opening round in 2016 to Elena Vesnina which was her only first round exit at the event, the Romanian was playing for the 7th year after making her debut in 2012. The former world number 1 had reached the final in 2019 and won the title in 2014 but this time she was beaten by Caroline Garcia.

 

The pair was meeting for the 9th time on tour, Garcia only had a single victory against Halep which came at Beijing in 2014. Halep’s form and her record should have taken her through but the 28 year old saved 9 breakpoints while converting 2 of her own to take the lead in both the sets. The world number 76 had a much more aggressive forehand and at the same time used dropshots which landed perfectly at the other end of the court. Garcia defeated Halep 6-4, 6-3.

 

Elina Svitolina was the next high profile player to make an early exit at Doha. Svitolina fell in the first round for the third time in 8 appearances, although it took 3 hours for Tereza Martincova to avenge her defeat at the Indian Wells last year. The Ukrainian had the edge in the shorter rallies in the opening set and in the tiebreak played breathtaking tennis to take the lead.

 

In the second set, Martincova’s backhand was no match for her opponent as it did the trick during breakpoints. While the 10th seed finished points at the net and the baseline for the world number 42, it was the baseline that helped her take the second set. In the decider, the 16 tour winner took a 5-3 lead and began playing more aggressively. In the 9th game, after an excellent defensive battle the Czech player hit a forehand pass shot which gave her the break and it was the turning point of the match.

 

In the tiebreak, the former world number 40 maintained her good record at tie breaks by changing the direction of the ball during the rallies. Martincova did not allow Svitolina to rest for one moment as the rallies were becoming more physical for the world number 15 and it took a toll on her in the end. Svitolina saved 12 of the 22 breakpoints she faced as Martincova saved 1 out of 10, both players could not do justice to their service but were successful while returning serve. Martincova defeated Svitolina 6-7(2-7), 7-5, 7-6(7-5).

 

Also read: Jelena Ostapenko overwhelms Veronika Kudermetova in Dubai final

(Tennis news) Jelena Ostapenko has had an arduous draw at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Ostapenko lost the first set for the third time in a row as she has one straight set victory in the last 4 matches, the Latvian has spent almost 8 hours on her way to the final.

 

In the semifinal, Ostapenko was against Simona Halep, an opponent who she has faced twice. Both their meetings were in 2017, the first one was in the Roland Garros final where Ostapenko won the title and next in Beijing where Halep won to reach the final. This time the 24 year old gathered extra strength for hard hitting winners as she hit 36 winners in the match whereas Halep could only manage a handful.

 

In the first set, it was Ostapenko going for winners straight away as the former world number could not get her racquet to most of them. The unforced errors were more in number for the world number 21 as she lost the first set. In the second set, the winners increased in intensity from Ostapenko as Halep’s defence was in no state to counter punch and in the last 34 points it was the younger player who took 27 of them. In the deciding set, the 2020 champion here simply had to retreat from the court as the groundstrokes were unplayable and for the first time the 2017 Roland Garros champion bageled the two time Grand Slam winner. Ostapenko defeated Halep 2-6, 7-6(7-0), 6-0.

 

"I knew I had to play aggressively no matter what the score was," Ostapenko said afterwards. "She really doesn't like to play against players who play aggressive and take time away from her.

 

Veronika Kudermetova will feel energised when she plays in the final against Ostapenko as she received a walkover from Marketa Vondrousova in the other semifinal. Kudermetova has spent 6 hours on court so far, she defeated Victoria Azarenka and Garbine Muguruza in the first two matches. The Russian entered the semifinal by beating Jil Teichmann and will be playing Ostapenko for the first time.

 

"The injury started a few days ago and I've played so many matches here which has aggravated it," Vondrousova said in a statement. "I'm really sad to leave the tournament this way but I've still enjoyed a great week and am proud of how I've played. I will travel to Doha and see how the injury is. I've played six amazing matches this week having come through qualifying and proud of my performances so it's unfortunate this has happened. Health is the priority for me."

 

Also read: Jelena Ostapenko bounces back to beat Petra Kvitova at Dubai

Bengaluru, Feb 4 (Hockey News) The Indian men's hockey team left for Johannesburg on Friday for its FIH Pro League showdowns against South Africa and France from February 8 to 13 with senior forward Lalit Kumar Upadhyay and mid-fielder Jaskaran Singh ruled out at the last minute due to "illness".

The Manpreet Singh-led squad will arrive in Johannesburg via Doha. They will play France in the first match on February 8 and take on South Africa on February 9.

They will again play France on February 12 and hosts South Africa on the following day.

While the team is upbeat and eager to begin their FIH Pro League campaign on a positive note, it received a minor setback with two senior players replaced due to illness.

"India forward Lalit Kumar Upadhyay and Jaskaran Singh will not be joining the team for South Africa. Standbys Sumit will replace Jaskaran in the mid-field and Gursahibjit Singh will replace Lalit," chief coach Graham Reid said in a statement issued by Hockey India.

"Though it is a minor setback for us, we were always prepared for such a scenario and had the option of having five standbys," he explained.

Sixteen of the 33-strong core group had tested positive for COVID-19 a few weeks back in January and it is not clear whether Upadhyay and Singh are in any way affected by that outbreak. The federation did not specify the exact nature of the duo's illness.

Reid said core group has enough depth and options with players who are capable of performing at the international level.

"This is the best part about having a group of 33 players who are all capable of putting up a good show on any given day. They are able to step up and perform for the team.

"We continue to remain upbeat about our campaign and look forward to some good hockey in Johannesburg," added Reid.

Skipper Manpreet said the side is capable of upsetting any big team in the tournament.

"I think we are all thrilled to be travelling again for some good International hockey. While we will miss Lalit and Jaskaran, the team is well prepared and most importantly we are all hungry for some good matches against South Africa and France," he said.

"Both South Africa and France are very capable of upsetting any big team of the world and we can't take them lightly. It will be interesting to see how well we will execute our plans which we have been trying out at the national camp." The Indian Team: =========== Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, Krishan Pathak.

Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh.

Mid-fielders: Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Sumit, Shamsher Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad.

Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Gursabjit Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Dilpreet Singh, Abhishek. 

Also Read : WC medal is my next target, says hockey goalkeeper Sreejesh after Tokyo high

News Source : PTI

It would require an entire book to list the number of achievements Pankaj Advani has accomplished in billiards and snooker. The 36 year old is a 24 time World Champion, 15 times winner of the IBSF World Billiards Championship, three times winner of the IBSF World Snooker Championship and is the only cueist to have won the Asian and World Championships in all formats of billiards and snooker. He has also been bestowed the Arjuna Award in 2004, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2006, Padma Shri in 2009 and Padma Bhushan in 2018 by the Government of India.
 
In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, The Prince of India - Pankaj Advani reflects upon his formative years and his journey, the role of Arvind Savur in his development, his most memorable achievements, facing and overcoming challenges in his career, advice to aspiring players, future goals and more!
 
Q 1) Tell us about your formative years and your journey towards becoming the poster boy of Indian snooker.
 
As a youngster, I was exposed to sports like badminton, cricket, table tennis and basketball. Our family was based in Kuwait but because of the Gulf War, we shifted to India! My older brother Shree used to play snooker in a small club near our home in Bangalore. I was fascinated with the coloured balls, the technique and rules of the sport just by watching him and his friends play. 
 
After 3 weeks of observing them, I finally tried my hand at it and in the first go, I pocketed the ball to my surprise and delight! I was very passionate right from the start. I attended summer coaching camps in the Karnataka State Billiards Association to hone my skills and compete with better players. I never knew how far I’d go but I knew I wanted to do something with the talent I had. My school, college and family supported me and that really helped in taking cue sports as a career. At age 18, I won my first World Title in China against a Pakistani player Md. Saleh in the final, a moment I’ll never forget. There was no looking back after that.  
 
Q 2) How important of a role did former national Snooker champion Arvind Savur play in your early snooker development? What are some of the valuable lessons you learnt from him?
 
He refused me initially because I was too short. When we eventually started working together, my game and level improved rapidly. I started winning titles at an early age and I guess the reason for winning consistently is because of Mr Savur’s contribution to my career. He never ever charged me a single penny because he wanted to create a World Champion and realize his dream through me. He was a semifinalist himself years ago. He’s a father figure, philosopher and guide to me. One of the most generous kind hearted people I’ve ever known.  
 
Q 3) You have a number of achievements in your illustrious career so far, which one do you consider the most special and why?
 
There are many highs, especially my World Championship Gold Medals. It is difficult to pick one out of them. I’ve always felt I wanted to do something different in cue sport. I managed to win both the Billiards and Snooker IBSF World Championships in Doha in 2017. 99.9 % of cueists specialize in either billiards or snooker. I believed I could do it in both and excel and win titles. The dual fear in 2017 was a record! One of my biggest achievements in my cue sports career.
 
Also read: My aim is to win gold for India at the 2022 Asian Games - Golfer Avani Prashanth
 
Q 4) You are also the first player to hold the world title and the continental title at the same time, how proud are you of that achievement?
 
The nature of snooker is unpredictable compared to billiards. To win both Asian and World Titles in Snooker and that too in the shortest format - 6 reds, is truly a special and wonderful feeling. Very difficult to repeat for me.

 
Q 5) Despite the immense success that you have accomplished, what are some of the challenges you have faced in your career and how did you overcome them?
 
As an athlete in India, you get support once you start performing and doing well.  Initially I remember my mother had to break an FD to send me to the UK for my first ever international competition. My father passed away when I was 6 years old. Those were tough times. I was also not taken seriously because of my height when I began my journey in cue sport. I only believed in one thing - let your performance do the talking. 
 
Q6) What would you want to say to young aspiring players, who look up to you and want to make it big on the world stage? Do you have any tips for them?
 
Be patient, nothing comes on a platter! Work towards your goals and be disciplined but always be open minded to learning something new everyday. I believe I still have so much to learn even after 20 years of competitive billiards and snooker! 
 
Q 7) Having achieved nearly everything there is to accomplish, what are the next steps in your career?
 
I love playing. I love competing and I love representing my country at the international stage. Currently, I am preparing for the IBSF World Snooker Championships to be held in Doha in March. I would love to see our great sport on television and for fans to understand it and appreciate what we do on the table.
 

(Cricket news) Qatar will host a three match ODI series between Afghanistan and Netherlands starting from 21st January. All the matches will be played in West End Park International Cricket Stadium at Doha, the stadium has so far hosted 6 T20 matches and this will be the first 50 over game in the venue. Both teams will play each other after a decade long gap, the last time these sides met was in 2012 at Sharjah which Afghanistan won. They have played 6 matches overall in which Afghanistan leads with four victories. The players should be ready to start the season with a victory as Netherlands will also be seeking a win. Here are the top four players from Afghanistan to watch out for in the series.

 

Rashid Khan

 

Rashid is the leading wicket taker for the side in all the formats. The spinner will be leading the attack and will make sure the pitch is ready for some magical deliveries. The 23 year old is 10 wickets away from becoming the first bowler from his side to take 150 wickets in ODI’s or any in format. If he manages to do it in the first two matches then he can break Mitchell Starc’s record of 150 wickets in 77 matches, Rashid has 140 in 74 matches.

 

Mujeeb Ur Rahman

 

The finger spinner has been the next superstar after Rashid, Rahman is the fourth highest wicket taker for the side and had made his debut four years ago. He is the youngest player to pick up a five wicket haul in the 50 over format. The 20 year old can pick up wickets every time he bowls and has a lethal carrom ball which can put the batters in a maze.

 

Hashmatullah Shahidi

 

Shahidi will be leading the side in the series for the first time and has led the side through the batting exploits. The left hander usually bats in at number 4 or 3 and can stay in the crease until the team is out of danger. The team is fielding youngsters as Mohammad Nabi is also not playing, it will be a tough first assignment for Shahidi as he will try to inspire his teammates to get going during the matches.

 

Rahmat Shah

 

Rahmat has been the best batter for the side in recent times, the 28 year old has scored 5 centuries in the format which is only 1 behind Mohammad Shahzad who leads the list. Rahmat has been a consistent batter and has been involved in four of the seven 150 plus partnerships in the team’s ODI history. The right hander walks in at number 3 and can form a heavy run scoring partnership with Shahidi just like they did against Ireland last year.

 

Also read: On this day a year ago, India conquered fortress Gabba against all the odds

New Delhi, Jan 11 (Badminton News) Young Indian shuttler Ashmita Chaliha recorded the first upset of the tournament when she stunned fifth seed Evgeniya Kosetskaya while top seed PV Sindhu also sailed into the women's singles second round of the India Open, here on Tuesday.

Unseeded Chaliha took just 31 minutes to get the better world number 28 Russian 24-22 21-16, while double Olympic medallist Sindhu cruised past compatriot Sri Krishna Priya Kudaravalli 21-5 21-16 in her opening round.

However, it was curtains for Chirag Sen as he lost 8-21 7-21 to Soong Joo Ven of Malaysia in the men's singles opening round.

In her opener, Chaliha began strongly by employing her down the line smashes to open up an 11-5 lead, looking comfortable against the tall Russian. However, the Indian then made a lot of errors after the break and Kosetsyaka pounced on the opportunity to first level the score at 14-14 and then again fought back from 16-19 to earn her first game point.

But the girl from Guwahati, who had lost to the Russian in their earlier encounter back in 2019, managed to regroup to force her opponent to make an unforced error and then saved two more game points before clinching the opener with a smash.

The second game followed a similar trajectory as Chaliha opened up an 11-4 lead, only for the Russian to close in to 19-16. However, the Indian was more in control this time around and kept her cool under pressure to finish off the match in 31 minutes.

"I haven't played a lot of matches in the last few years. So, I was nervous and that affected me midway in the opening game. But once I won the first game, I was more confident and so I was relaxed in the second game," Chaliha said after the match.

"It is a big event and I was looking forward to playing the Russian but I played safe and it helped to pull out the match.

"This was one of my biggest wins. I played her before in I had lost to her in straight games so it was my biggest win," she told reporters in a virtual press conference.

Chaliha will now face France's Yaelle Hoyaux, who defeated India's Riya Mookerjee 14-21 13-21.

Sindhu will next play the winner of the match between Egypt's Hany Doha and India's Ira Sharma.

In the other matches of the opening session, mixed doubles pair of K Sai Prateekh and Gayatri Gopichand defeated Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Castro 21-16 16-21 21-17.

The men's doubles top seeds Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia got their campaign off to a winning start by beating India's Prem Singh Chouhan and Rajesh Verma 21-18 21-10. 

Also Read : World champion Loh keen on starting New Year on winning note

News Source : PTI

(Sports news) The World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold at Millrose will be held next month as the big names will compete with each other in the 60m field. Trayvon Bromell has been the fastest man this season in the 100m, he will be competing alongside Christian Coleman who is the current world champion in the 100m.

 

Christian Coleman will make a comeback as he has been off tracks because of the doping controversy. The US sprinter had missed three out of competition drug tests in a period of twelve months which invited a ban of 2 years but has been reduced. The ban did not allow him to compete at the Tokyo Olympics as he was considered a gold medal contender, the 25 year old has the joint 6th fastest time in history. Coleman had clocked 9.76 secs while winning the World Championship at Doha two years ago, since then he has been widely recognized as the next big sprinter after Usain Bolt but the doping controversy made him sit out of major events as the other athletes took over the podium this year.

 

Bromell has been the fastest athlete this year although he failed to reach the final of the 100m event at Tokyo. The 26 year old was the first junior to break the 10 second barrier, he had a timing of 9.97 secs in 2014 at 19 years of age. A serious heel injury caused him to lose a few years in the sport but has made a major impact this year with his timings.

 

Both the athletes have the same personal bests, Bromell clocked 9.76 secs at Nairobi in September which put him on top this year and alongside Coleman for the 6th fastest time overall. Bromell has the chance to shine in the shorter event as he has been quicker in recent times, his best timing in the 60m indoor is 6.47 secs in 2016 which puts him in 20th position of all time.

 

Coleman holds the record for the fastest time ever in the 60m event. He was timed at 6.34 secs in 2018 which again puts him in top position but he has not competed in the last few months which is a major disadvantage as many other athletes have now come up with timings close to the record. It will be a battle of the next superstar in the making but both the athletes have an equal chance of finishing first, prediction is for Bromell to reach the finish line first but if Coleman passes first then it will be a treat to watch him in the 100m event too.

 

Also read: Legendary NFL coach, commentator and video game icon John Madden passes away

New Delhi, Dec 23 (Sports News) Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said that the World Anti-Doping Agency has restored the accreditation of the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), which was suspended in 2019 because of its failure to meet global standards.

The NDTL is based in the national capital.

"National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) regains the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accreditation," Thakur posted on his official Twitter page.

"Restoration of accreditation is a boost to India's efforts to achieve the highest global standards of excellence in sport. This is the result of untiring efforts by GOI (Government of India)," he added.

India is currently third in the WADA's global list of dope violators led by Russia.

"Last week in Parliament, we introduced 'The National Anti-Doping Bill 2021', which is another step in India's quest to become a sporting powerhouse," Thakur said referring to the legislation which give the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)powers to conduct raids to nab dope offenders.

The suspension of the NDTL had prohibited it from carrying out any anti-doping activities, including all analysis of urine and blood samples.

The WADA first suspended NDTL in August 2019 for a period of six months and extended the de-recognition period after its inspections showed that non-conformities still existed.

The laboratory's non-conformities pertained to the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL) identified during a WADA site visit, including the isotope ratio mass spectrometry — the analytical technique of choice for confirmation of prohibited substances.

During the suspension period, urine samples collected by NADA were being sent primarily to the WADA-accredited lab in Doha.

The process had made the anti-doping programme very expensive for the country because of the significant cost involved in sending samples abroad.

The COVID-19 pandemic also contributed in slowing down the anti-doping activities in India with NADA admitting to have collected a lesser volume of samples.

After outstanding non-conformities were not addressed to WADA's satisfaction, its Laboratory Expert Group (LabEG) recommended the initiation of further disciplinary proceedings against NDTL in January this year.

The disciplinary committee that was mandated to make a recommendation to the WADA chair then asked for an extension in suspension.

Because of the suspension, NDTL could not carry out any testing before Tokyo Olympics in this year.

"Sending of samples for analysis to Qatar lab involves cost and also delays the result management process," lawyer Parth Goswami, who regularly handles doping related cases, had said in an interview to PTI earlier this year. 

Also Read : Asia’s fastest athlete Su Bingtian flying high after Tokyo final

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) The ATP year awards came to an end with the final award winner being Rafael Nadal who won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship for the fourth consecutive time. He first won it in 2010 and then has been the winner since 2018. Nadal played 29 matches this year and won titles at Rome and Barcelona.

Nadal last played at Washington after which he ended the season early in August. He is currently recovering from a foot injury, the Spaniard will be seen in action in the first week of January at Melbourne. This year marked his 20th year on tour with his entry coming as a teeanger, he even won the ATP newcomer award in 2003 and 2 years later he won the most improved player of the year title.

“I can’t be happier to receive the Sportsmanship Award one more time from my colleagues on the Tour,” Nadal said. “It means a lot to me, so thanks a lot to every player that thinks that I am the right one to receive this award.

 

"Honestly, it means a lot to me because I try to always be correct on court. Thanks for believing in me and I wish all the very best for the 2022 season to all my colleagues on the Tour and I hope to see you soon.”

 

The ATP also announced the best tournaments of the year from the 250, 500 and Masters 1000 series. Qatar ExxonMobil Open was the winner in the 250 series, having won the title in 2015, 2017 and 2019. It is held in Doha at the start of the year and is played on hardcourts. Roger Federer has won it thrice with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray winning it twice. Nadal has won the singles title once and has been a winner in doubles on four occasions. 

 

The Erste Bank Open which has been held since 1974 won the best event in the 500 series for the first time. It is held at Vienna in October and is played on hardcourts; Alexander Zverev won the title as there have been 7 different winners in as many years. Andy Murray has won the title twice with his last title coming 2016 and Djokovic’s lone win came 14 years back. Federer had won the 2002, 2003 in which he also won the doubles in 2003.

 

The BNP Paribas Open also known as Indian Wells Open since it is played at Indian Wells garden. It is the first event among the nine Masters 1000 series as it is held in March but this year it was held in October due to the pandemic. It has been winning the title since 2014 except in 2020 as the event was not held for the first time because of the pandemic. Federer and Djokovic lead with 5 titles each. Nadal has won the singles event thrice and the doubles event twice with Marc Lopez.

 

Also read: Jenson Brooksby wins Newcomer of the year award as Federer is fan favorite

(Tennis news) The ATP announced the winners in two more categories on Wednesday as Aslan Karatsev won the most improved player of the year award and the doubles pair of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut won the Fans’ Favorite doubles team.

Aslan Karatsev had a breakthrough season by becoming the first man in the Open Era to reach a semifinal on his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open. He started the year ranked 112 and reached his career best of 15 in November, he is currently ranked 18. Karatsev won titles at Moscow and Dubai, he also reached the finals at Belgrade. Karatsev had won 34 matches this year and reached the third round at the US Open. He last played at the Davis Cup, partnering with Karen Khachanov against Germany in the doubles match and last played a singles match at Paris Masters 1000 where lost the opening match to Sebastian Korda.

Karatsev had immense success in singles but in doubles he was ranked 422 at the start of the season and now is ranked 91. He won the doubles title at Doha with Andrey Rublev and the pair reached the finals at Indian Wells.

 “I am really happy to win this award,” Karatsev said. “It means a lot to me and I am really happy to get this. Thank you very much.”

The doubles pair of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut won the Fans’ Favorite doubles team of the year award. The pair had reached 5 finals this year, they won three of them including the Nitto ATP finals and the Roland Garros title. They became the eighth pair to complete the career by winning the 2019 Australian Open and have been playing together since 2015.

“Just want to thank all of you who voted for us,” said Mahut. “Winning on the court is a personal accomplishment, but receiving the Fans’ Favorite Award is a different kind of pride. Pierre-Hugues and I are very touched and hope to share some great moments next year together and with you. Thanks again and see you next year.”

 

Herbert added: “It’s the first time we've won this award. We had an amazing year and we’re so happy and so proud about it. We hope to be back next year, enjoying on the court and on the ATP Tour.”

 

Also read: Mackenzie McDonald and Marcus Daniell win ATP player awards

(Tennis news) The 2022 season is only 23 days away as many stars had to take leave early this season due to injuries. Bianca Andreescu, Serena Williams and Roger Federer have already said that they won’t be playing the Australian Open next year. The calendar for next also has seen some changes in the order of events as it is tightly packed especially in the first half with the inclusion of the ATP Cup. Many top players did not play the entire 2021 season and given below are the top four players who withdrew early from the ATP tour this year.

 

Roger Federer

Federer has only played 13 matches this year with Wimbledon being his last tournament. The 20 time Grand Slam winner is 40 years old and one of the oldest players on tour. He underwent a third knee surgery in August after having two of them done last year. He also won’t be playing at the 2022 Australian Open and will mostly return mid season. He is currently ranked 16 having last won a title two years ago in Basel.

 

Rafael Nadal

Nadal played 29 matches this year and lost just five of them. He last played at Washington, losing to Lloyd Harris in the fourth round and then underwent treatment in his foot as he called off the season. The Spaniard won two titles this year and will next be seen at the Australian Open where he and Novak Djokovic will be battling for a record 21st Grand Slam title.

 

Dominic Thiem

The 28 year old had a disappointing season having played 18 matches and missing out on the second half of the ATP calendar. Thiem last played at Mallorca Open where he suffered a wrist injury which led him to retire in the first round against Adrian Mannarino. He had won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open last year, becoming the first player born in the 90’s to do so. Thiem is expected to return at the 2022 Australian Open, he was the runner up last year losing to Djokovic.

 

Stan Wawrinka

Wawrinka has a lot to cover next year as his ranking dropped to 64 places and is currently ranked 82 in the world. He played 6 matches this year and was seen at Doha in March after undergoing a surgery on his foot. Wawrinka again had to undergo a surgery in June and his name was not on the list for Australian Open 2022. It is not sure when Wawrinka will make his comeback on tour as the three time Grand Slam champion will be waiting to set loose his backhand on court.

Also read: AITA begins process to identify venue for Davis Cup tie against Denmark

Kabul, Dec 8 (Cricket news) Afghanistan will host their three-match ODI series against Netherlands in Doha, Qatar in January next year, the country's cricket board (ACB) said on Wednesday.

"The three-match ODI series will begin on January 21st, with the second and third game set to be played on January 23rd and 25th respectively. All three games will be staged at Asian Town Cricket Stadium, Doha, Qatar," ACB said in a statement.

Afghanistan grabbed 30 points after whitewashing Ireland 3-0 in the first series in January under the ODI Super League, which counts towards qualification for the 2023 World Cup.

The series against Netherlands will be the second assignment followed by the third in Zimbabwe between January and February.

Afghanistan is scheduled to host Australia & Pakistan and will then travel to India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in their away three series at the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League till 2023.

The ICC Cricket World Cup Super League is a 13-team tournament that will take place across two years and will determine which teams qualify to the CWC 2023.

India, who are the hosts in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, and the other top seven teams from the super league, will qualify automatically for the World Cup.

Also Read : Will England survive to regret not playing Stuart Broad and James Anderson in the 1st Ashes Test at the Gabba?

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) Aslan Karatsev had three tour level victories before playing this year and now he has ended with 37 career wins. He started the season at No. 112 in the rankings and is currently ranked 18. The 28-year-old Russian created a sensation by reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open as a qualifier, becoming the first man in the open era to reach the last four in a Grand Slam debut. He defeated Diego Schwartzman, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Grigor Dimitrov on his way to the semifinal where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

 

Karatsev is a right hander with a two handed backhand, his aggressive style makes him lethal in hardcourts. Since he is a risk taker in most of the matches the unforced errors are winners are more. Karatsev hits the ball flat but hard down the court and at times finishes with a well set up volley. He takes the ball on the rise and does not give the opponent much time to move around the court. Karatsev is not the fastest mover on the court but has groundstrokes from both the ends which can give him winners.

 

While winning the title in Dubai, Karatsev earned his second top 10 win when he defeated Andrey Rublev in the semifinals. His biggest win came at Belgrade where he defeated Novak Djokovic to reach the final and lost in the final to Matteo Berrettini. He also beat Daniil Medvedev in their only career meeting at Rome Masters 1000 in the third round, Karatsev had a 16-3 win/loss record on hard courts in the first quarter of the season. In the next 12 events, he failed to reach the quarterfinals until at San Diego where lost to Dimitorv in the last eight and then won at Moscow defeating Marin Cilic in the final.

 

Karatsev is nominated in the most improved player of the year along with Carlos Alcaraz, Cameron Norrie and Casper Ruud. Karatsev is the oldest of the four as he is 28 but along with two singles titles and a runner up, he also won one doubles title at Doha along with a runner up finish in Indian Wells all with Andrey Rublev. The ATP cup was also won by Russia where Karatsev played in the doubles but lost all the three matches he played.

 

Karatsev is currently playing doubles at the Davis Cup for Russia and has won all the three matches he has played so far with Rublev. Russia will be playing against Germany today in the semifinals of the Davis Cup and will look to win a third title. It has been a great year for Russian tennis fans as there are two players in the top five and a total of four players in the top 30.

 

Also read: Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic steer Croatia into the final of the Davis Cup

(Tennis news) Kosmos, a company whose founder, CEO and President is Barcelona defender Gerard Pique and the capital of the United Arab Emirates have reached a multimillion-dollar agreement to bring the Davis Cup to Abu Dhabi for the next five years. The 2022 event is said to be held across multiple venues in Abu Dhabi and would be played across 12 days, however the decision to hold the Davis Cup in the Middle East has met with criticism from players who are apprehensive about travelling to the UAE capital so late in the year.

This year, the group stage of the Davis Cup is being held across three cities, namely Turin, Innsbruck and Madrid with the Spanish capital hosting the last five days of the tournament as per an agreement between the ITF and Kosmos for $3bn in 2018. The inaugural event was held two years ago in Madrid where Spain were crowned winners and at this year’s finals, the winners will receive $20m prize money. However, there are definite concerns that if top players refuse to attend the Davis Cup in Abu Dhabi next year, it would result in less attendance from fans, with stands virtually empty for the World Athletics Championship in Doha nearby and poor attendance for international cricket.

On the plus side, the revenue generated from having the Davis Cup in Abu Dhabi will bring some much needed stability, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the ATP Cup may get subsumed into the Davis Cup by the end of the five year deal as conversations are already taking place between the ATP and the ITF to combine the two events into one but as of now, the ATP Cup will be held in Australia, four weeks after the conclusion of the Davis Cup.

Also read: Alexander Zverev claims his second ATP Finals title after defeating Daniil Medvedev

(Motorsport) On the outskirts of Doha, the Losail International Circuit will be the venue for a Formula 1 weekend for the first time ever as the 2021 season concludes in the Middle East over the next four weeks. The title race became much more interesting at the Sao Paulo GP last week when Lewis Hamilton finished first despite being disqualified in the qualification and incurring a five place grid penalty for an engine change. 

The gap between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton has been reduced to 14 points but the real gap was there for all to see in Brazil as the seven time World Champion finished over 10 seconds faster than the Dutch racing driver, an indication of what’s to come in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Things are looking even better for Mercedes in the Constructors Championship as the Silver Arrows are 11 points ahead of Red Bull after the events in Brazil and there is definitely tension between the two camps in one of the closest title races in the last few years.

Despite there being no possibility of the championship being won in Qatar, there are many points up for grab, 25 to be exact for a race win and 1 point for the fastest lap which means that if Verstappen wins the Qatar GP, the Dutchman can then afford to finish second in the final two races and still win the World Championship for the first time in his career. However, both Red Bull and Verstappen will undoubtedly be wary of Mercedes’ pace at the 5.4 km Losail International Circuit which is regarded as a fast and flowing track with medium and high-speed corners.

Heading into the weekend, Verstappen said “We still have a good points lead, it was damage limitation on a weekend where it was a bit difficult for us, but I'm confident we will bounce back. It [the title race] has been like this the whole year. It went up, came down, went behind, I'm back in front, so a lot of things can still happen." In other rivalries on the grid, Ferrari are currently in third place at the Constructors Standings with 287.5 points while McLaren have 256 points. The Italian team will hope that both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz outperform Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo in Qatar to ensure the most successful team in F1 history finish higher than their British counterparts this season.

Also read: Mercedes request a right of review after controversial Verstappen-Hamilton incident at the São Paulo GP

Belgrade, Nov 2 (Boxing news) Five-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg) stood just one win away from becoming the first Indian male boxer to claim two world championship medals after he advanced to the quarterfinals of the ongoing edition here.

The 27-year-old from Assam defeated France's Lounes Hamraoui 4-1 in a late night pre-quarterfinal bout on Monday to move ahead. Thapa had claimed a bronze medal in the 2015 edition of the tournament in Doha He was the only Indian boxer to register a win on Monday after four others, including Asian silver-medallist Deepak Bohria (51kg), bowed out of the competition.

Thapa will square off against Turkey's Kerem Oezmen in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night.

Monday night's victory was also revenge for Thapa, who had lost to Hamraoui at the Alexis Vastine Memorial Tournament in Nantes, France last year.

Apart from Thapa, four others Indian will also be fighting their quarterfinal bouts this evening.

Akash Kumar (54kg) will face Venezuela's Yoel Finol. Narender Berwal (+92kg) will go up against Azerbaijan's Mahammad Abdullayev, while Nishant Dev (71kg) will take on Russia's Vadim Musaev.

Reigning Asian champion Sanjeet (92kg), who was a quarterfinalist in the event's last edition, will face Italian Aziz Abbes Mouhiidine. The gold winners at the showpiece will walk away with a prize money of USD 100,000.

The silver medallists are to be given USD 50,000, and both bronze-medallists will be awarded USD 25,000 each. The total prize purse stands at a whopping USD 2.6 million.

India are being represented by its reigning national champions across weight categories.

Also Read : Boxing World C'ships: Nishant, Sanjeet enter quarters

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Oct 27 (Sports news) Ace cueist and multiple-time world champion Pankaj Advani, who has remained unbeaten in 41 matches since March last year, is keen to continue his winning streak when he takes part in the World Snooker Championships, which will be held in Doha next year.

The 36-year-old Pune-born Advani and another ace cueist Aditya Mehta have qualified for the World Snooker Championships.

“It is always an honour to represent India. I love competing and I love playing for my country and always trying to keep India on top of the world in cue sports," Pankaj told PTI in an interview here on Wednesday.

"The World Championships (has been) postponed a bit this time, it is not going to be happening in this calendar year, but early next year – the IBSF World Snooker. We got the update recently, just a day ago (and) that is likely to take place in January,” He said it was always nice to get into a tournament as India's number one.

“Now that the qualifiers are over and I would maintain a clean slate by winning 12 out of 12 matches, I am happy to remain unbeaten in 12 matches. So, it is always nice to go into a tournament as India number one and still carry forward that winning momentum.

“Just a month ago, we had the Asian Snooker and IBSF World Cup and I won both the Asian Snooker and World Cup back-to-back, so it is an incredible feeling that since March 2020 to remain unbeaten in 41 matches.

"That is a winning streak I really hope to continue. I love for it to continue, at some stage I know it is going to end but I would just love it to continue for now and enjoy the winning momentum and winning streak,” added Advani, who was recently crowned as the Asian snooker champion.

In March, Advani won the National Invitation tournament in Bengaluru and from there, he straight away played two international tournaments. He has remained unbeaten.

Terming cue sports a skill-based and competitive game, which involves a lot of fitness, Pankaj wants to see his sport become more popular.

“I would love to see the game become more popular, more relatable. I know there is work to be done in that department, especially from the federations, the state governments, the authorities, the Sports Authority of India.

"I would love to inspire future generations of cueists to take up the sport because I think one can make a career out of it,” he added.

Advani, who is a 24-time world champion, also spoke about his “healthy rivalry” with Aditya Mehta.

“I wouldn’t have been the snooker player I am, if it wasn’t for him. And I am sure, he would also agree somewhere down the line that it was Pankaj who pushed me to raise my level of the game.

“So that is what we do to each other, we push each other to become better players and that is a great situation to have,” he signed off.

Also Read : Rawat strikes form to score twin wins

News Source :PTI

Mumbai, Oct 25 (Sports news) Ace cuiest Pankaj Advani stamped his supremacy with an all-win record and finished on a high in the GSC World Snooker Qualifiers, clinching the top position in the tournament.

The 36-year-old Pankaj, who had won the World and Asian snooker crown multiple times, maintained his excellent form and succeeded in winning all 12 matches (6 each in the Y-Camp and Z-Camp).

Pankaj accumulated 10,760 points (3,560 National points, 3,600 points each from Y and Z Camps) to take pole position, a media release issued here said on Monday.

National champion Aditya Mehta, who finished with 4 wins and 2 defeats, was placed second with 10,156 points (4000 Nationals, 2916 Y-Camp and 3240 Z-Camp) while in third place was Laxman Rawat (PSPB) with 9,396 points.

Both Pankaj and Aditya have qualified to represent India in the upcoming World Snooker Championship, which is likely to be held in Doha in November or December.

Pankaj asserted his dominance over India number 1 Aditya by recording a 4-1 win against the lanky Mumbai-based cueist in the concluding round Z-Camp match.

Pankaj, who had also won the previous outing 4-1, played steadily. He managed to dictate terms before going on to wrap up the match 80(63)-08, 32-70, 70-00, 86-15 and 68-49.

Pankaj had earlier quashed the challenge from Laxman Rawat by pulling through in six frames in an interesting contest.

He started with a bang, rolling in a neat 139 points break in the first frame and completed a deserving 139-00, 22-61, 84-46, 93-07, 28-74 60-31 victory.

Earlier, Aditya scrapped past Laxman by a tight 4-3 margin to snatch a crucial fifth win.

Also Read : Pankaj Advani shines with 121 points break

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Oct 14 (Sports news) Ace cueist Pankaj Advani, who recently won the Asian Snooker Championship and World 6-Red crown, will be the star attraction in the 'GSC World Snooker Qualifiers', a national selection tournament, that will be played here from Sunday.

The tournament is being hosted by the Goregaon Sports Club (GSC) from October 17 to 27, 2021.

This BSFI selection tournament is being organised by 'The Sportal' and will consist of three events -- men's, women's and boys' under-21, a media release issued here said today.

The matches will be played on a round-robin league format.

According to Indian coach Ashok Shandilya, the competition is expected to be tough as only the top two players from each category will qualify to represent the country in the World Snooker Championship to be played in Doha later this year, either in November or December. The dates are not yet to be finalised.

Advani clinched his 24th world title winning the 6-Red Snooker World Cup in Doha, Qatar last month and had earlier retained his Asian snooker title, also played in the Gulf city.

He is the firm favourite to finish at the top and confirm his place in the Indian team.

Advani (PSPB) will face a strong challenge from Indian number one and current national champion Aditya Mehta.

Meanwhile, India No. 1 and reigning national champion Vidya Pillai (Karnataka) and India No. 2 Amee Kamani (Madhya Pradesh) will spearhead the field in the women's competition.

The participating players: Men: Aditya Mehta (PSPB), Pankaj Advani (PSPB), Laxman Rawat (PSPB), Pushpender Singh (RSPB), Dhvaj Haria (PSPB), Varun Madan (DEL), Himanshu Jain (TEL), Neeraj Kumar (RSPB).

Women: Vidya Pillai (KTK), Amee Kamani (MP), Varsha Sanjeev (TN), Anupama R. (TN), Arantxa Sanchis (MAH), Chitra M. (KTK), Keerath Bhandaal (DEL), Suniti Damani (WB). 

Also Read : I feel there is a larger role to be played by centre, states, NSFs: Anurag Thakur

News Source : PTI

Doha, Oct 1 (Table Tennis news) The Indian men's table tennis team signed off with a bronze medal in the Asian Championships after losing to formidable South Korea 0-3 in the semifinals here on Friday.

The Indian team was on Wednesday assured of a medal after beating Iran 3-1 in the quarterfinals. Both the semifinalists secure a bronze.

In the semifinals, the clinical South Koreans proved too tough for the Indians who failed to win a single tie.

With a medal already in their pocket, the Indian paddlers took on the Koreans head-on. But the rampaging Koreans, also the top seeds, were a far better side.

Starting the match for India, G Sathiyan found himself pushed to the corner straightaway as world No. 12 Korean Woojin Jang brought into focus his backhand game and attacked throughout, often catching the world No. 38 Indian on the wrong foot.

The Korean eventually won 11-5, 10-12, 11-8, 11-5 to provide the lead. Sathiyan was in a good position in his second game but allowed the Korean to take it to deuce before winning it on extended points.

In contrast, A Sharath Kamal began well only to squander the 2-1 advantage. He allowed the world No. 22 Lee Sangsu to come back, especially in the last two games, and post a 7-11, 15-13, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9 triumph.

Though Harmeet Desai did not begin well against Seungmin Cho, he brought back momentum to his game to lead 2-1.

But the world No. 77, five places behind Harmeet, made most of the chances to win some crucial points to level 2-2.

In the decider, none had any noticeable big-lead gain, both winning their service points. At 10-8, Harmeet could not force his opponent into mistakes allowing Cho to deuce.

With service on, the Indian led 11-10, but that was all he could do as the Korean sealed his country's place in the final with three straight points, including a breakpoint. Cho won 11-4, 9-11, 8-11, 11-6, 13-11 in 43 minutes.

The young Indian women's team showed courage and commitment in positions playoff and beating Thailand 3-1 to finish fifth. The mainstay of India's win was Olympian Sutirtha Mukherjee.

Archana Kamath played the opener against the top-ranked Suthsani Sawettabut. The Thai, who is ranked No. 38 in the world, showed good form initially.

But Archana caught up with her soon to level the score at 2-2, as the Indian picked four consecutive points to win. However, the experienced Thai prevailed 11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9 by winning the decider.

Teenager Phantita Pinyopisan was no match for Mukherjee, ranked 97 in the world. The Indian defeated her in 18 minutes to win the contest 11-5, 11-5, 11-6.

Sreeja Akula then clinched her match 11-7, 11-6, 11-2 against another youngster Wirakarn Tayapitak.

Mukherjee returned to the table for her reverse singles and tamed the fighting Sawettabut 11-7, 11-6, 10-12, 117. 

Also Read : Indian paddlers shine in ITTF Kazakhstan Open

News source : PTI

(Motorsport news) The maiden Qatar Grand Prix is set to take place on November 21st at the Losail International Circuit and the country will now have a permanent place in the Formula 1 calendar from 2023.

With the Formula 1 season heating up as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s pursuit for the Drivers Championship becomes more intense than ever before, Doha will be the venue which will fill the spot vacant after the Australian Grand Prix’s cancellation and is first of the three venues in the Middle East to finish the season. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place on December 3rd and 10th respectively.

Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali had this to say upon the confirmation of a 10 year agreement “We are very pleased to welcome Qatar to the Formula 1 calendar this season and for the longer term from 2023. We have shown that we can continue to adapt and there is huge interest in our sport and the hope from many locations to have a Grand Prix. The huge effort from all the teams, F1 and the FIA has made it possible to deliver a 22-race calendar, something that is very impressive during a challenging year and something we can all be proud of."

The country has a longstanding history of hosting MotoGP, being an integral part of their calendar since 2004. Qatar will also be hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022, a year before the 10 year agreement will begin with Formula 1. A statement from Formula 1 said “There was a strong will from Qatar to be helpful to F1, and in the course of this process, the vision for a longer partnership was discussed and agreed for 10 years.

"The step from the gesture to be helpful to F1 in 2021 to a long term strategy was short and simple and the vision for F1 to be the showcase for Qatar after the FIFA World Cup in 2022 was the driving force behind this long term agreement. As part of the longer-term deal, discussions will continue regarding the location for the Grand Prix from 2023 with further details to be provided at a later time."

Also read: Late heartbreak for Lando Norris as Lewis Hamilton wins Russian GP to record 100th F1 victory

New Delhi, Sep 20 (Table Tennis news) The Delhi High Court Monday sought the Centre's stand on a petition by Manika Batra, who was left out of the Indian contingent for the upcoming Asian Table Tennis Championships, assailing Table Tennis Federation of India's (TTFI) mandate of compulsory attendance at the National Coaching Camp in order to be selected.

Justice Rekha Palli granted two days to the central government counsel to take instructions on the petition which alleges that on one occasion, the national coach Soumyadeep Roy “pressurized” Batra to “throw away a match” to enable one of his personal trainees to qualify for the Olympics 2020 and seeks that the Sports Ministry “enquire into the management” of the federation.

The judge said the allegations against the coach were serious and the Centre should be a little proactive.

“There is something to be said. We have a high ranking player. We have to balance... If there are such senior allegations against the coach, Union of India has to be a little bit proactive on this,” said the judge.

“Let them (Centre) come back with instructions. Ultimately she is the highest-ranking player in the country today,” the judge added.

Senior counsel Sachin Dutta, appearing for Batra, said that by virtue of a rule on mandatorily attending the national camp, his client's chance for the 25th ITTF Asian Table Tennis Championships, 2021, which is to be held in Doha from September-October, has been scuttled in spite of her fulfilling all merit-based criteria.

He urged the court to stay the rule to enable her to participate in another international event scheduled for November.

“There is an event in November. This regulation be stayed immediately. It will kill my career,” Dutta said as he highlighted that personal coaching is encouraged in several other sports.

The counsel for the federation denied all allegations and said that the national coach was not even present at the national camp.

In the petition, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Khel Ratna awardee has alleged that the federation was carrying out its selection processes in a non-transparent manner, targeting certain individuals such as herself and acting completely contrary to the interest of sports and sportspersons.

She has asserted that the national coach, in a clear conflict of interest, was running a private table tennis academy simultaneously and on one occasion, “pressurized the Petitioner to throw away a match only with a view to help one of his trainees at his private academy to qualify for the Olympics, 2020”.

“This incident happened on 17.03.2021 in respect of the match to be held on 18.03.2021 at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament, 2021 organized by ATTU. Not only did the Petitioner refuse to comply with such an unethical, illegal and immoral request, but she also immediately communicated this to the Adviser, TTFI, on 18.03.2021,” the plea alleges.

"After conclusion of Olympics, the Respondent No.1 (federation) issued Rules and Regulations dated 04.08.2021 (received by the Petitioner on 27.08.2021) informing her that attending of National Coaching Camp is compulsory, failing which she would not be selected for any upcoming international event," it says.

The plea states that Table Tennis is an individual sport, which requires specialised training with support staff and thus the rule against personal coaching is arbitrary, irrational, absurd and have no nexus with achieving excellence in an individualised sport.

“Only the personal coach would know the strengths, weakness, skills and areas which a player should focus and strengthen. However, these Rules do not permit any personal coach/support staff,” the plea adds.

The matter would be heard next on September 23.

Also read: Manika Batra left out of India squad for Asian TT Championships

News source: PTI 

Kolkata, Sep 17 (Sports news) Battling depression due to a nagging back injury, Asian Games gold medal winning athlete Swapna Barman has decided to call it quits, a formal announcement of which will be made in a few days.

The decision comes less than 24 hours after Swapna, a North East Frontier Railway athlete, won a gold medal in high jump at the 60th National Open Athletics Championships in Warangal.

"My body is not taking the toll anymore. Mentally, I'm very depressed and it's not easy," Swapna told PTI from Warangal.

"I’m a bit confused, but I’ve mentally prepared 80-90 per cent to call it quits. I will make the ‘big’ announcement after reaching Kolkata.

"I never wanted to participate, but because of Railway commitments I had to participate here," Swapna, who skipped her pet heptathlon event in Warangal, said.

After becoming the first Indian heptathlete to win an Asian Games gold in Jakarta 2018, Swapna, who has six toes on each foot, struggled with injuries and won a silver at the Asian Championships in Doha a year later — her last International competition.

The lockdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic meant that Swapna could not take part in any competition in 2020 and while in 2021 she aimed for the Tokyo Games qualifying mark but again injuries and a second wave of the pandemic derailed all her plans.

This year, she took part only in the Federation Cup and at the ongoing Open Nationals.

"It seems I was not destined for it. I tried hard but could not make it and struggled a lot with injuries," she said.

Swapna had delayed the surgery on doctors' advice and relied on rehab but she said she had enough of it.

"Ultimately I have to go for the surgery, even during this meet I was troubled by the back pain. It does not feel well anymore," an emotional Swapna said with a choked voice.

The Jalpaiguri athlete was also mired in controversy last year after her house was raided by forest department officials for alleged illegal possession of timber as there were wide protests in the area. "People are jealous of my achievements and my mother is subjected to a lot of harassment. I can’t take it anymore. I’ve to be with my family and deal with it,” she concluded."

Also read: Ministry directs NRAI to initiate fresh election process

News source: PTI 

Doha, Sep 16 (Snooker news) India's ace cueist Pankaj Advani on Thursday defended his Asian Snooker Championship title defeating Amir Sarkhosh of Iran here.

The Indian great was competing in his first assignment in almost two years due to COVID-19.

Advani had won the title in 2019 before the 2020 edition got scrapped due to the pandemic.

His tally of Asian titles across both snooker and billiards now stands at 11, apart from the two Asian Games golds of 2006 and 2010.

"I’m glad to defend this title and pick up from where I left off before the onset of the pandemic. The gap only increased the drive and hunger to compete and do well on return," said Advani.

In the best-of-eleven final, Advani was up against former winner and a seasoned campaigner Amir who was in formidable form.

It was the Indian though who dictated most of the final in his 6-3 victory. Advani drew first blood by winning the first frame with a 55 break. After that a 50 break in the second and some fine potting in the third made the ultimate winner enjoy a 3-0 lead before the Iranian pulled one back.

At 3-1, the Indian employed his billiards knowledge to give his opponent limited scoring opportunity and capitalised on every opening he got to go 4-1 up. The next two frames were shared by the finalists with a remarkable display of quality potting from both players.

However, just when the Indian was one frame away from getting his hands on the coveted trophy, Amir found his touch and bridged the gap to 5-3.

A fine break of 43 gave Amir the lead in the ninth frame but the crowd got to witness a perfect climax from the 23-time world champion as he pieced together an exquisite championship-winning clearance break of 63 to end the match and a two-year wait for an international title.

Advani will stay back to compete in the IBSF 6-Red Snooker World Cup starting Friday.

Results: Final: Pankaj Advani (India) defeated Amir Sarkhosh (Iran) 6-3 Frame Scores: 72(55)-42, 72(50)-0, 70-49, 41-66, 70-17, 30-68, 34-74, 50-12, 64(63)-44.

Also read: ECB urges government in an open letter for COVID certificates to ensure "great sporting summer" with full grounds

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Sep 15 (Table Tennis News) Star paddler Manika Batra was on Wednesday left out of the India squad for the Asian Championships beginning September 28 in Doha after she did not attend the mandatory national camp in Sonepat.

In the absence of the world number 56th player, 97th-ranked Sutirtha Mukherjee will lead the women's team. The other members are Ayhika Mukherjee (ranked 131) and Archana Kamath (132).

Veteran Sharath Kamal (ranked 33) will spearhead the men's challenge in the company of G Sathiyan (38), Harmeet Desai (72), Manav Thakkar (134) and Sanil Shetty (247).

Powerhouse China is not taking part in the event, raising medal hopes in the men's team event. Singles and doubles competitions will also be conducted.

The Table Tennis Federation of India had made it clear that any player not attending the camp will not be considered for selection. The team was picked on Wednesday and was subsequently published on TTFI website.

The federation had made attendance in camps compulsory following the Tokyo Olympics.

Manika had informed the federation that she would like to continue training with her personal coach in Pune.

The Khel Ratna awardee has also made match fixing allegations against national coach Soumydeep Roy for asking her to throw a match during the Olympic qualifiers. TTFI has formed an inquiry panel to probe the allegations.

Sathiyan, Desai and Sutirtha joined the national camp late due to different reasons. Sathiyan was playing in Poland, Harmeet was in Germany while Sutirtha had fever.

Men's team: Manav Thakkar, Sharath Kamal, G Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, Sanil Shetty.

Men's doubles: Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan; Manav Thakkar and Harmeet Desai.

Women's team: Sutirtha Mukherjee, Sreeja Akula, Ayhika Mukherjee, Archana Kamath.

Women's doubles: Archana Kamath and Sreeja Akula; Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee.

Mixed doubles: Manav Thakkar and Archana Kamath; Harmeet Desai and Sreeja Akula.

Also Read : TTFI calls executive committee meeting to discuss Manika's fixing allegations against national coach

News Source : PTI

Islamabad, Sep 15 (Football News) Thirty-two women football players from Afghanistan, who were facing threats from the Taliban, have reached Pakistan along with their families after the government issued emergency humanitarian visas to evacuate them, according to a media report on Wednesday.

The footballers belonging to the national junior girls' team had been originally due to travel to Qatar, where Afghan refugees have been housed at a facility for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but were left stranded after a bomb blast at the Kabul airport that killed 13 US service members and at least 170 Afghans on August 26.

These women were facing threats from the Taliban due to their involvement in the sport, Dawn newspaper reported.

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August. These women football players had since been in hiding to evade the Taliban, according to the report.

The move to bring the 32 footballers to Pakistan was initiated by British-based NGO Football for Peace in cooperation with the government and the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), which is not recognised by FIFA.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had visited the Afghan refugees during his trip to Doha last week, but the global football body has been criticised for its inaction in aiding the female footballers who were still in Afghanistan.

The footballers will proceed from Peshawar to Lahore where they will be housed at the PFF headquarters.

Also Read : AFC welcomes FIFA initiative on two-year World Cup cycle

News source : PTI

New Delhi, Sep 13 (Tennis news) From arranging vegetarian food to booking practice courts without asking and beefed up security, Pakistan is "going out of their way" to make the eight-member Indian tennis contingent feel "special" in Islamabad, which is playing host to the Asian U-12 ITF regional qualifying event.

A few Indian junior tennis players have competed across the border in individual capacity in different ITF Grade events but it is the first time that a junior national team has travelled to Pakistan for a multi-nation tournament.

The Indian Davis Cup team has not travelled to the neighbouring nation since 1964 and no senior player has competed on the Pakistan soil since the friendship series between the two nations in November 2007 in Lahore.

Obviously, Pakistan is glad to host Indian players even if they are just 12-year-old boys and girls.

Aarav Chawla, Ojas Mehlawat and Rudra Batham feature in the boys team while the girls team has Maaya Revathi, Harithashree Venkatesh and Janhavi Kajla.

Incidentally, former national champion Ashutosh Singh, who was part of the 2007 friendship series, is with the boys team as coach.

Ashutosh says having the India flag on their official jerseys had started to attract attention even before they landed in Pakistan.

"At the Doha airport, a few people noticed the tricolour on our jerseys and they got interested in our group. They belonged to Pakistan and were happy to know that we were headed to Islamabad. If you are an Indian player, they want to talk to you," Ashutosh told PTI from Islamabad.

"Before we reached the immigration desk, the Pakistan Tennis Federation had all the clearances in place. It was clear, they were happy to have us as guests. We also had an escort vehicle till the hotel.

"There were no security concerns. Even the parents of the kids were pretty confident. All the top players of Pakistan like Aqeel Khan are our good friends. They always keep tennis away from politics." Namita Bal, who is the coach the girls team, was overwhelmed by the special treatment they are receiving.

Also read: Daniil Medvedev’s groundbreaking run at the US Open gives hope to the next generation of stars

"They are taking care of our tiniest of things. Janhavi is the lone vegetarian in our group but they are arranging vegetarian food for her everyday. We are supposed to book our courts and arrange for water but they are taking care of everything," chuckled Namita.

"Not only this, we arrived a day earlier (Saturday) than the scheduled time and were supposed to pay for our hotel but we were told that we don't need to pay. We are overwhelmed by the warmth, love and respect we are receiving in Pakistan," added Namita.

"They are making sure we don't feel as if we are enemies. They are calling us 10 times a day to ask if we need anything. They are going out of their way to make us feel comfortable." The India boys and girls are favourites to win their respective events at the ITF Asia 12 & Under Team Competition, which is a South Asia Regional Qualifying event. The top two teams will make it to the next round, which be held in Kazakhstan in November.

The Indian boys team blanked Nepal 3-0 and the girls team beat Pakistan 2-1 to start their campaign on a good note on Monday.

Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) President Salim Saifullah Khan told PTI that they would "love to host the senior Indian teams as well." "India has some really strong players and playing with them will benefit our players. It will be a good experience for our boys and girls to play against these Indian kids.

"Our agencies, the special police force are alert and taking extra care of the Indian squad. All we want us is that they inform us, if they are going anywhere. They must inform us," he said.

"The junior Indian players used to come here for ITF Grade 4-5 events but now they don't come. We want that Indian players come here and Pakistan players compete in India," said Khan, who last came to India in 2005 when her mother underwent an eye surgery in Mumbai.

India's number one U12 player Aarav's father Jitender Chawla, who works in corporate world, said he had no apprehensions in sending his son to Pakistan. "People say a lot of things but when the players are there as national guest I don't feel there should be any problem. If something has to happen can happen anywhere. Aarav was pretty excited to go there.

Aarav trains with Aditya Sachdeva, who heads the training program at Roundglass sport in Chandigarh.

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Sep 9 (Table Tennis news): The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has called its executive committee meeting on Saturday to discuss star player Manika Batra's allegations of match-fixing against national coach Soumyadeep Roy. After Manika's allegation, in response to the TTFI's showcause notice, that the national coach had asked her to throw a match during the Olympic qualifiers in March, the federation had asked Roy for a written response which he has submitted.

"Both Manika and Roy will be heard in the meeting and inquiry panel will be formed," TTFI secretary Arun Banerjee told PTI on Thursday.

National camp in Sonepat ================ On the ongoing national camp in Sonepat, Banerjee said most of the players have reported barring Manika. G Sathiyan, who had wanted to train in Poland instead, is also expected to reach in a day or two.

The federation recently made camp attendance compulsory for players to be eligible for big events, including the Asian Championships in Doha later this month.

Sutirtha Mukherjee, who did not report to Sonepat at the start of the camp, has also reached after recovering from fever, said Banerjee.

"The rules are pretty clear. You have to attend the camp to be eligible for selection," he said. No full-time coach since 2018 Asian Games =========================== The federation, which has not managed to rope in a foreign coach in more than three years due to COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons, is looking to hire one at the earliest.

Former Spanish player Alfredo Carneros has emerged as one of the candidates. India veteran Sharath Kamal had defeated him in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"We lost a lot of time due to COVID. We are on the lookout and are talking to a few coaches. A decision will be made soon," added Banerjee.

Also read: Manika rubbishes TTFI's claim that she did not report Roy's alleged fixing offer in March

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 6 (Table tennis news) Star player Manika Batra on Sunday dismissed TTFI's "false" claim that she did not report the matter to the national federation when national coach Soumyadeep Roy allegedly asked her to throw a match during the Olympic qualifier in March.

Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) secretary Arun Banerjee has questioned the timing of Manika's allegations against Roy.

However, the leading India player, in her response to federation's showcause notice over not taking Roy's help during the recently held Tokyo Olympics, stated that the national coach asked her to fix a match in Doha and she had "promptly" reported the matter to TTFI which did not take any action. It was also the reason she could not take Roy's help in Tokyo.

She reiterated the same to PTI on Sunday: "I just wish to say it's clearly stated in my written reply to the notice and letter to TTFI that I had reported about the matter to them long back (in March) .

"I don't know why the false claim is made now of me not reporting it for five months. My reply to the notice clearly claims of my prompt reporting of it." TTFI has asked Roy to present his side of the story in a written reply.

"From my side, I did not promise to oblige him and promptly reported this matter to a TTFI official. I decided not to obey the unethical command of the national coach.

Also read: Manika alleges national coach Roy asked her to fix match in Olympic qualifiers

"I have been falsely charged with ''bringing disrepute to the country by the sight of an empty chair of the coach''.

"But the truth is that the ''empty chair'' was the result of the national coach's pressure tactics for match fixing and TTFI's inaction to act on my prompt reporting of that incident and not the result of my so called indiscipline," Manika had stated in her response to the notice.

She is also unlikely to attend the national camp underway in Sonepat ahead of the Asian Championships later this month. TTFI has made it clear that any player missing the camp will not be considered for national selection.

Star male player G Sathiyan has decided to cut short his training and competition stint in Poland and is set to join the camp on September 10 or 11. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 3 (Table Tennis news): Table tennis star Manika Batra has alleged that national coach Soumyadeep Roy asked her to throw a match during the Olympic qualifiers in March and that was the main reason she refused his help in the singles competition of the Tokyo Games.

Responding to Table Tennis Federation of India's show cause notice, Manika strongly denied that she brought disrepute to the game by refusing Roy's help.

According to TTFI sources, the world number 56 stated she would not have been able to focus on her match if someone who asked to her indulge in match-fixing months earlier was sitting by her side.

"Besides the need to avoid disturbance due to his last minute intervention, there was an additional and much more serious reason behind my preference to play without the national coach," the Khel Ratna awardee alleged in her response to TTFI secretary Arun Banerjee.

"The national coach had pressurised me during the qualification tournament in Doha in March 2021 to concede my match to his student to enable her to qualify for Olympics - in short- to indulge in match-fixing," she said.

Despite repeated attempts, Roy was not available for a response to the allegations. The player-turned coach has also not been asked to join the ongoing national camp and has been told by TTFI to present his side of the story.

"The allegations are against Roy. Let him respond and then we will decide future course of action," said Banerjee when asked about Manika's response to the showcause notice.

Roy is a former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist in the team event and also an Arjuna awardee.

Both Manika and Sutirtha Mukherjee, who train in Roy's academy, ended up qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.

"I have evidence of this incident and I am ready to present it to the competent authorities at the appropriate time. For asking me to concede the match, the national coach personally et me in my hotel room and talked to me for nearly 20 minutes," said Manika.

"He tried to promote his own student using unethical means under the pretext of national interest. He was accompanied by his student who trains in the private academy not only run by, but also named after him.

"From my side, I did not promise to oblige him and promptly reported this matter to a TTFI official. I decided not to obey the unethical command of the national coach. But his intimidation and pressure had its effect on my mental frame and consequently my performance.

"During the Olympics, I wanted to keep away from the demoralising effect of such a coach. Because, as a player representing India, it was my duty to serve my country in the best possible way." Manika made history by reaching the third round while Sutirtha also did well to reach the second round.

TTFI had called Manika's refusal to take Roy's advice as an act of indiscipline and showcaused her.

"I strongly deny the charge therein that I brought disrepute to TTFI, Government of India and the country and undermined the appointment of the national coach by playing my singles matches in the Tokyo Olympics without the presence of the national coach in the field of play.

"In fact and on the contrary, I have served my country and TTFI in the best possible way by playing my matches alone," she wrote.

Manika also questioned TTFI for not taking action against Roy.

"I have been falsely charged with 'bringing disrepute to the country by the sight of an empty chair of the coach'. But the truth is that the 'empty chair' was the result of the national coach's pressure tactics for match fixing and TTFI's inaction to act on my prompt reporting of that incident and not the result of my so called 'indiscipline'.

"Unfortunately, when I raised the issue of the match fixing pressure tactics by the national coach again in my e-mail dated 14'th August 2021, TTFI refuted this issue outright without even a preliminary, impartial and transparent inquiry.

"Finally, to reiterate and summarise, I have done nothing wrong in playing my matches alone," she asserted.

Also read: Having personal coach at events not about ego, it's basic requirement of individual sport: Manika

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 11 (Olympic news) Indian shooting could soon reach a point of no return if there is no fairness in selection of coaches and athletes, no fixing of accountability and no discipline, reckons Jaspal Rana.

Dronacharya awardee coach Rana has also revealed that "nobody" wanted him to be a part of the Indian shooting coaching setup except the national federation (NRAI) president Raninder Singh.

Amid the bitter mudslinging in the wake of the Indian shooters' disastrous outing at the Tokyo Olympics, the 1994 Asian Games gold medallist said it's high time the problems facing the sport in the country are fixed.

"We need absolute fairness in selection of both coaches and shooters, fixing of accountability and there cannot be a place for non-performers in the team," Rana told PTI during a chat.

But the 45-year-old former shooter was quick to add that the bunch that failed to deliver in Tokyo comprised mostly youngsters, who will gain in experience and mature by the time the next Olympics come calling.

The young shooters should be backed, he said, as there is no dearth of talent among them.

"We don't need to train them, they already know there game, we need to protect them, which was not there. That's what I think, but then, nobody wanted me in the federation except the president," Rana added.

Indian shooters failed to fire at the Olympics for the second straight time and Rana said it is not fair on the part of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Singh to blame him for the debacle.

Also read: Mirabai Chanu an inspiration for the future generations to come

Reacting to the failures of top medal prospects such as Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary at the Olympics, Raninder had said there was "just one negative factor in the whole thing (wrangling within the team)." "I am referring to Jaspal Rana," the NRAI chief had said referring to the internal dispute among coaches in the pistol squad prior to leaving for the long training-cum-competition tour of Croatia.

Rana said the problem started after pistol shooter Chinki Yadav secured India a quota place during the Asian Championship in Doha in 2019.

While Rana was vocal about not being in favour of Manu competing in three events at the Olympics -- 10 metre air pistol, mixed team event and 25 metre pistol -- as he felt it was "too much for a young athlete to handle", Manu felt otherwise.

"They are just making me the scapegoat after what happened in Tokyo. They can't just pass the buck to me for Manu Bhaker's failure. What were the coaches doing in Tokyo? I was not there with them at the Olympics," Rana said.

"There was no accountability, so many coaches were there.. you just need one head chef. I don't do personal coaching, Raninder knows everything, people took advantage of the situation.

Regarding Manu's failure at the Games, he said, "I am not blaming that child, she is a kid." The final breaking point between the two came during the New Delhi World Cup in March when the shooter fet "ignored" by Rana and requested the NRAI to change her coach.

On his part, Rana said he was always ready to coach her or any other shooter, provided they listened to his advice.

Despite the bitter fallout and mudslinging over the last few weeks, Rana said he is "always ready to help the shooters out and serve in the best interest of the country."

News source: PTI

(Table Tennis news) Olympic 2021 Live Update: Indian table tennis player Sutirtha Mukherjee had a nail biting fight for the win against Sweden’s Linda Bergström wherein the former was losing 3 games to 1 and made a mindblowing comeback. The two-time national champion put forward an excellent performance against her higher ranked opponent.

Sutirtha secured her ticket to Tokyo by defeating India's No. 1 Manika Batra at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament in Doha. Batra looks to be in form.

After a dismal performance in the Mixed doubles against Lin and Cheng of Chinese Taipei, Batra cruised to victory with the score of 4-0. Manika, the top Indian Table Tennis player is ranked at 63 in the world, beat British paddler TIn TIn Ho.

Also read: Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu becomes first Indian to receive medal at the Tokyo Olympics

Kolkata, Jul 21 (Sports news ) Star Indian defender Sandesh Jhingan, who was named the AIFF Men's Footballer of the Year on Wednesday, said there's a lot of hunger in the national team to qualify for the Asian Cup in China in 2023.

India had a disappointing finish to their 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, finishing third in the group with seven points and failed to advance into the next round.

But, they managed to make the third round of the Asian Cup Qualifiers slated to be held from February to September next year.

"Our aim is to be in the Asian Cup in China. We want to make it better this time, there's a lot of passion, determination, desire and enthusiasm going into this Asian Cup qualifiers," Jhingan, who turned 28 on Wednesday, said during a virtual media conference organised by the AIFF.

India played out a 1-1 draw against Afghanistan to end their 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifying campaign on June 15.

Their biggest result was an historic goal-less draw against Asian champions Qatar in Doha, while they managed a solitary win against Bangladesh by 2-0 margin.

"I'm the first one who raised my hands up and said we did not play to our potential. But we tried our best but the situation was not as it should have been. I'm not using it as an excuse. To sum it up, we should have done better.

"Now it's about doing well in the Asian Qualifiers and then stepping up each time. We want to do really well and play the Asian Cup. We want to do much better than last time and try to qualify from the group and play the knockout stage, that's the plan now," he said.

Jhingan said the COVID-triggered lockdown was the main reason for the lack of preparation.

"There were a lot of obstacles we faced with the COVID-19 thing, we could not train together for a major part of last year. That was the big issue.

"I just hope everything goes easy, no more lockdowns and if everything was nice and safe for everyone, I think we will make the country proud," he said.

Keeping in mind the Asian Cup Qualifiers, India chief coach Igor Stimac's contract has been extended till September 2022, even as his win percentage was just 13.33.

From 15 matches, the Croatian World Cupper managed just two wins, six draws and seven defeats which was a lot poorer than his predecessor Stephen Constantine’s.

Also read: Official logo of the AFC Women's Asian Cup India launched

"He (Stimac) has played at the highest level -- the World Cup, the Premier League. So just being around him is a learning process. He helped me a lot and I'm really happy to have as the national team coach." Asked about Stimac's contract extension, Jhingan said: "It's not my department, it's AIFF's decision. I just have to worry that he picks me for every game, every camp." From battling a career-threatening ACL injury to winning the AIFF Men's Footballer of the Year on his birthday, it's been a roller-coaster journey for Jhingan.

"I was disappointed when I got to know about the ACL. I just went back and kept working. There's always who has achieved more or suffered more than you, whatever happened was nothing. It's nothing compared to the real challenges of life," he said on his comeback.

"This injury or any other injury, everything happens for good, it's about keeping faith in your work and being positive."

News source: PTI 

Doha, Jul 14 (Olympics news) An official of the International Olympic Committee's refugee team has tested positive for COVID-19 here, leading to a delay in their travel plans for the Tokyo Games even though all others have returned negative results for now.

"...the IOC Refugee Olympic Team came together for a 'Welcome Experience' in Doha, Qatar. Twenty-six of the 29 athletes and 11 officials participated," the IOC statement read.

"On taking COVID-19 PCR tests before leaving for Tokyo, the test of an official returned positive. A follow-up test confirmed the result, while the tests of all other members of the team (athletes and officials) returned negative," it added.

Three athletes could not take part in the 'Welcome Experience' in Doha and two of them -- Ahmad Alikaj (judo) and Abdullah Sediqi (taekwondo) -- are due to arrive in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Also read: Interesting facts and trivia about Olympic Games from the past

"They are accompanied by coach Alireza Nassrazadany. All three are coming directly from their respective training camps," the IOC stated.

The official, who has been isolated by the Qatari Public Authorities, is considered asymptomatic and doing well.

"The official was single-vaccinated and followed all COVID-19 countermeasures prior to departure and during the Welcome Experience," the IOC stated.

"As a consequence, it was decided that the team would currently not travel to Tokyo and will continue their training in Doha while being tested daily," it added.

The refugee team in the Olympics was first introduced in the 2016 Rio Games as a tribute to the courage and perseverance of all refugees. News source: PTI

Kuala Lumpur, Jul 8 (Badminton sports) Reigning world champion P V Sindhu and B Sai Praneeth were handed easy group stage outings in the badminton draws unveiled on Thursday for the Tokyo Olympics beginning July 23.

While Rio Games silver-winner Sindhu has been seeded sixth and drawn in Group J of women's singles, Praneeth was seeded 13th in Group D of men's singles competition.

World no 10 men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will be competing in Group A.

Sindhu will face Hong Kong's world number 34 Cheung Ngan Yi and Israel's Ksenia Polikarpova, ranked 58th, in the league stages and is likely to face Denmark's 14th seed Mia Blichfeldt in the pre-quarterfinals.

Praneeth, on the other hand, will have to go past world no 29 Mark Caljouw of the Netherlands and Isreal's Misha Zilberman, ranked 47th.

The 28-year-old from Hyderabad will face the winner of Group C if he tops the group.

Chirag and Satwiksairaj, however, were handed a tough draw which was announced by BWF on Thursday.

The Indian duo will have to compete against top-seeded Indonesian pair of Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, Chinese Taipei's world no 3 Lee yang and Wang Chi Lin and England duo of Ben Lane and Sean Vendy, ranked 18th.

In doubles, the top two teams in the group go through to the quarter-finals.

Chirag and Satwik will meet the Group D runners-up, which has second seeds Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, if they top Group A, while a second place finish will see them take on the winners of Group B, where home favourites Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe have been drawn.

In the singles competition, the top player from each group will qualify for the knock-out stages.

In women's singles, Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu Ying will have to fend off group challengers Thuy Linh Nguyen (Vietnam), Qi Xuefei (France) and Sabrina Jaquet (Switzerland), with the group winner set to have a bye in the first round of the knockout draw.

Tai is in the same quarter as fifth seed Ratchanok Intanon and 14th seed Gregoria Mariska Tunjung.

Egypt's Doha Hany, the only player who is competing in three categories, is drawn with top seed Chen Yu Fei and Turkey's Neslihan Yigit in women's singles Group A.

Among top men's singles players, Olympic bronze medallist Viktor Axelsen, former All England champion Shi Yu Qi and Asian Games gold-medallist Jonatan Christie will be in the same quarter of the knockout draw should they top their groups according to seeding.

Reigning Olympic champion Chen Long, whose group mates are Spain's Pablo Abian and Estonia's Raul Must, is to face All England champion Lee Zii Jia in the first knockout round.

Also read: Olympic-bound shuttler B Sai Praneeth nominated for Khel Ratna with K Srikanth

News spource: PTI

In Sports news, New Delhi, Jun 29 Asian Games bronze medallists Ankita Raina and Prajnesh Gunneswaran have been nominated for the prestigious Arjuna award by the national tennis federation, which has also sent names of Balram Singh and Enrico Piperno for the Dhyanchand honour.

Ankita and Prajnesh both won singles bronze medals at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta and Palembang.

Ankita is now country's best-ranked singles (182) and doubles (95) player and is set to make his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games next month.

"This year we have nominated Ankita and Prajnesh for Arjuna while the names of very respected Balram sir and Enrico Piperno have been sent for life time achievement honour, Dhyanchand," an All Indian Tennis Association (AITA) official told PTI.

The 28-year-old Ankita has been India's key player in the Billie Jean King Cup team for the last three years.

She was nominated for the 'Arjuna' last year also but Asian Games gold medallist Divij Sharan succeeded in bagging the award.

Prajnesh is one of the most mature players in the current Indian generation. Had he not lost five crucial years to knee stress fractures, his career would have been an altogether different story.

The 31-year-old left-hander from Chennai, ranked 148 on the ATP charts, has played five Davis Cup ties for the country.

In the Lifetime achievement category, Balram Singh, who has a 50 year-long association with the Indian tennis, will vie for the honour along with Piperno, who coached the Davis Cup team between 1991-2001 for 27 consecutive ties.

The 73-year-old Balram, one of those extremely shy and non-controversial figures in Indian tennis, coached the Davis Cup teams in 1989 (South Korea) and 1990 (Japan).

He himself reached the junior Wimbledon and junior US Open quarterfinals in 1966.

That he has always preferred to stay away from the limelight and work in the background is evident from the fact that he has applied for an award for the first time.

He also established Balram Singh Trust to support talented junior players. Balram is a member of the senior selection committee and also headed it in the past.

His children -- Ashutosh Singh and Shalini Thakur -- have also played tennis at a good level. While Ashutosh won the Fenesta Nationals and was also a reserve player in the Davis Cup side, Shalini has played the Fed Cup.

The 59-year-old Piperno also has an impressive CV as he himself is an 1982 Asian Games silver medallist was coach of India's first Grand Slam winner Mahesh Bhupathi from 1997 to 2003 and also travelled for with legendary Leander Paes.

He was also coach of Indian Fed Cup team between 2000 and 2012 and the national women team at the Asian Games in in Busan (2002), Doha (2006) and Guangzhou (2010).

Last year former Davis Cup coach Nandan bal had won the Dhyanchand award. News Source: PTI

New Delhi, Jun 15 Olympic-bound Indian table tennis players, including Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra, received a much needed boost as they will have a 19-day camp at Sonepat beginning on Thursday.

Sharath Kamal, Manika and Sutirtha Mukherjee will finally get a chance to train together, while G Sathiyan will continue to train in Chennai under his coach S Raman.

"The camp at DPS (Sonepat) will start on June 17 and end on July 5. The SAI-approved camp is the result of some last-ditch efforts from the TTFI and the players," Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) said in a release.

The Indian players were confined to their homes since qualifying for the Olympics at the Asian Qualification events in March in Doha with the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the country.

While Sharath and Sathiyan were in Chennai, Manika was in Pune and Sutirtha was doing practice in a limited way in Kolkata.

"For one, it will change our mood. All of us have been training individually because of the pandemic. Now we can focus on the job at hand. We will also be able to push our limits with different sparring partners," Sharath said.

Sharath said he and Manika will need to put in long hours of practice ahead of the Tokyo Games.

"We did a three-day session in Chennai, but that was too short for our satisfaction. Then the pandemic prevented us from any further sessions. The fortnight-long camp should help us," he said.

Sathiyan, on the other hand, said that he preferred training in Chennai because he would get to practice on the Sanei table he was procuring.

"I am expecting it (the table) before the end of this month. At the Games, this brand will be in use. My coach and I have chalked out our programme," he said.

Somyadeep Roy, most likely to be named as the team coach for Tokyo Olympics, and Arun Basak will have nine other paddlers to train with the three players.

SAI has also approved a sparring partner in Aakash Pal for Sutirtha, besides a personal coach (Sanmay Paranjape) and physio (Dhanjay Dubey) for Manika.

There will be other support staff, making the Sonepat camp a 20-member strong squad.

Lists of campers: Men: A Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar, Sanil Shetty, Ronit Bhanja, Manush Shah and Payas Jain.

Women: Manika Batra, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Reeth Rishya, Diya Chitale, Prapti Sen and Kaushani Nath.

Coches: Soumyadeep Roy and Arup Basak.

Support staff: Amarjit Singh. News source PTI

Doha, Jun 14 Goal-machine Sunil Chhetri will look to add to his tally and enter the all-time top 10 scorers' list as a buoyant India meet Afghanistan in the joint 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers here on Tuesday.

While the Indian team needs just a draw from their final game against Afghanistan to secure a place in the third round of AFC Asian Cup qualifiers after Oman defeated Afghanistan 2-1 on Friday, a hat-trick for Chhetri will see him equal the iconic Pele in terms of numbers of goals scored in the international arena.

Chhetri is also just one goal off entering the all-time top-10 list of goal-scorers, something he can easily achieve against Afghanistan, if not a hat-trick.

A Chhetri-inspired India ended their winless run in international football when the captain struck a brace against Bangladesh in their previous outing.

The talk since then mostly centered around the Indian talisman surpassing the legendary Lionel Messi as international football's second highest scorer among active players.

A veteran in top-flight at 36, Chhetri played down the comparisons with the Argentine global superstar, but he will certainly look to put his best foot forward come the next match and add to his tally of 74 goals.

If the Blue Tigers can avoid defeat in the upcoming match, they will finish third in their group, an improvement over the fifth-place result during the last campaign.

India are already out of contention to progress further in the World Cup qualifying campaign, and is now looking to secure a berth in 2023 Asian Cup, scheduled to be held in China.

India will enter the game as clear favourites despite Afghanistan's ability to fight it out.

Igor Stimac's men will be high on confidence after thoroughly dominating Bangladesh, against whom they enjoyed nearly 75% possession while completing more than 600 passes.

If they are to repeat that kind of impressive stats, India will need the duo of Chhetri and Manvir Singh to fire upfront, with Brandon Fernandes marshalling the midfield and keeping the supply chain flowing.

With Stimac reposing immense faith in him, Brandon has established himself as one of the country's top players playmakers. He has provided three assists out of the five goals India has scored in the qualifying campaign so far and he would be more than eager to continue in the same vein.

Form and past record both favour India and anything less than a victory for the Blue Tigers will be seen as an upset.

As far as Afghanistan are concerned, they will take heart from their spirited performance in their previous outing against India, who were held to a stalemate at home by their lower-ranked opponents in 2019.

But the recent defeat against Oman means Afghanistan are not among the top fourth-placed teams in the World Cup qualifiers and a failure to win against India would send them to the playoffs just to get into the third round of Asian Cup qualifiers.

Match starts at 7:30PM IST. New source PTI

Doha, Jun 12 Lionel Messi's mesmerizing runs on a football pitch can make a sad Sunil Chhetri happy, the talismanic India captain said on Saturday, and made it clear that comparing him with the Argentine virtuoso is akin to living in a "stupid cocoon".

The 36-year-old Chhetri has more than once brushed aside any comparison with Messi whom he has overtaken to be the second highest international goal-scorer among active players.

"When I am sad, I watch Messi's videos and it makes me happy, so when I meet him, I will tell him I am a fan (of him), give him a nice handshake, and that is about it," Chhetri said in an AIFF interview to mark his 16 years of international career.

"I would say 'Hi, I am Sunil Chhetri and I am a big fan'. I will not trouble him. If I meet him, I will be happy, if I don't, I am still good," he said when asked what he would do if he meets Messi.

Chhetri overtook Messi (72 goals) with his second goal -- and 74th overall -- in India's 2-0 win over Bangladesh in a World Cup qualifying round match on June 7 here.

"Along with everyone else in the world, I am also a huge fan of Messi. There is no comparison whatsoever. I am just happy that I get an opportunity to score for my country and I feel proud.

"(But) I don't get into the stupid cocoon of comparing myself with all those great players. There are thousands of players who are better than me, and all of them are also fans of Lionel Messi. That’s the gap." It was on this day 16 years ago that Chhetri donned the India jersey for the first time, in a match against Pakistan in Quetta under then head coach Sukhwinder Singh.

Since then, he has gone on to play 117 matches for India, scoring 74 goals -- the second-most for an active international player. He is just three goals shy of the great Pele's tally.

"It has been a wonderful and amazing journey. To play for the number of years for the national team, to represent the country the number of times I have, it's been outstanding. It is beyond a dream." When Chhetri came to the scene in the national team, there were stalwarts like Bhaichung Bhutia, Renedy Singh and Mahesh Gawli. Now, at 36, he is the senior-most player and he sometimes feels lonely among the "kids".

"... (it feels like) just yesterday, that these two kids came in - Sandesh (Jhingan) and Gurpreet (Singh). And now those two are the main players here, that’s how time flies.

"There are so many kids who are now calling them 'Sandesh bhai', 'Gurpreet bhai'. The gap is huge now. I don't have anyone even close to my age or era.

"But it's good to be around kids. They teach me a lot of stuff with their excitement and fearlessness. I try to grasp whatever I can from this lot." Chhetri still takes advice from former captain Bhutia who has a huge influence on him.

"Just two days back, I was having a chat with Bhaichung da. I was telling him how I miss the old camp, purely because now I don't hang out with anyone. I'm in my room only.

"I learnt a lot from him. He was relentless in the way he approached a game. His mentality was bulletproof. He was at it, every game. The first challenge, the first tackle was always Bhaichung da.

"The one to fight for lost causes was always Bhaichung da. And when as a senior you saw that our captain, the most senior guy was working so hard, it rubbed on us. There's nobody better than Bhaichung da." Chhetri said his competitive spirit came mostly from his mother, a former Nepal international footballer, who would play with him many indoor and outdoor games during his childhood.

"I remember I always wanted to beat my mum, but till the time I was 13, I could not beat her. And she never wanted to lose either. I think the fact that I don't like losing, a big part of that comes from my mum.

"One day, I was complaining that I had nobody to play with, and my mum came to play with me in the heat of Delhi summer. There would be loo blowing outside. For the whole 10-15 days of summer vacation, I used to play foot tennis with my mum, and that was amazing." New source PTI

Doha, Jun 10 Forward Manvir Singh says the Indian football team needs to sustain the momentum in the upcoming 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifier against Afghanistan, having beaten Bangladesh in the previous outing.

India rode on a Sunil Chhetri brace to down Bangladesh 2-0 here on Monday for their first away win in a World Cup qualifier in 20 years.

"We need to sustain the momentum gathered in the match against Bangladesh and even in the 0-1 loss against Qatar. But everyone is aware that all of that is past," Manvir said.

"The match on 15th is a fresh canvas. We need to paint it the right manner. The coach has been constantly working with us. We need to pay him back," he said.

Manvir says he is always trying to learn from national team captain Sunil Chhetri and his ISL club ATK Mohun Bagan teammate Roy Krishna.

Manvir, who made it to the national team after a successful domestic season, feels nothing is constant as a striker.

"My job becomes easier when I play alongside top strikers. I just watch Sunil-bhai and try to imitate his calm in front of the goal. At the end of the day, that ice-cool head makes all the difference. That's education for me. In a match a striker won't get a million chances," Manvir told AIFF.

"There will be days when you will get just one chance, or maybe a half chance. If you are able to make it count, you have done your job. I also need to mention that I look up to Roy Krishna's calm in front of the goal. They are my heroes." He also spoke about his progress as a striker since the beginning of his journey in competitive football.

"A striker is all about the confidence and that only comes though the game time he gets. The more you get to play, the more mature you become.

"It's all about your intuition, the movements inside the box, sniffing it, and eventually the finishing. I reiterate, you can only get all of that when you get to play. Otherwise, your talent and determination will always be on the bench." The 2022 FIFA World Cup first-leg match against Qatar in 2019 changed the international career of Manvir.

Before that match, the 25-year-old was never a regular starter for India, but the performance against Qatar made him a permanent feature in Igor Stimac's team.

Asked how he describe himself as a player -- a winger or a striker -- and he said, "At the outset, I was an out and out striker. But a player needs to be flexible." "Modern-day football is not just about sticking to one position and role. I have been playing on the wings -- both on the right wing and left wing in recent times.

"I feel that has helped me understand the dynamics of a team's attacking philosophy. It is a plus point for any player." Manvir said his father played against Chhetri and advised to always learn from the Indian talisman.

"My dad Kuldip Singh who played for PSEB as a striker and scored quite a few goals in the Federation Cup, Durand Cup and the IFA Shield besides a host of other tournaments always mentions to me to learn from Sunil-bhai the art of longevity.

"In fact, he had played against him, and always tells me 'when you are seeing him from close, learn as much as you can. Sunil's speciality is that he has been there for so long. And that is extremely hard work'." New source PTI

New Delhi, Jun 9 The never-ending queries on retirement notwithstanding, inspirational Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri on Wednesday said he is not hanging up his boots anytime soon as his hunger to perform is still intact even though finding motivation can be difficult sometimes.

The 36-year-old, who scored two superb goals against Bangladesh to lead India to a 2-0 win in the World Cup qualifier match in Doha on Monday, also refrained from setting any long-term targets.

"I'm not thinking about hanging my boots. I'm not arrogant here. I am enjoying my football. I have never been fitter than now. I am 36 but the zeal and hunger of playing for the country is still there," Chhetri said in an online interaction from Doha.

"A lot of people ask I am 36 and how long I will continue. I am not bothered. People will have opinions and I am fine with that. The day I don't enjoy my football, I will go, I will not be there." He said with age, he is more aware of his game than before and knows exactly what works for him "The only difficult part is the motivation. The older you get and more you achieve, the motivation goes down." India coach Igor Stimac, on Tuesday, lavished praise on Chhetri saying that he trains and plays like a 25-year-old.

Chhetri went past Argentine maestro Lionel Messi as the second most prolific scorer among active footballers with his 74th strike for the country in his 117th match.

But he dismissed any comparison with Messi or any player in that category.

"I am not annoyed with this comparison but my take on it is this: there is no comparison whatsoever with Messi or any player in that category. There are thousands of players better than me. People who understand football, they know it," he said.

"I am proud of scoring 74 goals for my country. Till the last match I play I will give my best." New source PTI 

Doha, Jun 8 Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac says his 36-year-old goal-machine Sunil Chhetri plays and scores like a 25-year-old, evidence of which was his stunning twin strike in a joint 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifier here.

With his twin strikes, the captain led from the front to power India to a 2-0 win over Bangladesh on Monday night, the latest effort helping him surpass Argentina's global superstar Lionel Messi to become the second-highest active international goal-scorer with 74 strikes.

"Many people keep on asking as to when Sunil is going to retire. He works so hard on the pitch, and in every training session, he is by far the best," Stimac said after the match.

"He is in such good shape and is working with such professionalism. He is working as if he is 25, playing as if he is 25, and scoring goals like he is 25," Stimac, a key member of the Croatin "Many people were asking last year or so, 'when is Sunil going to retire?' (If Chhetri retires) what are we going to do then? By far, in every training, he is our best player," Stimac said.

Chhetri scored two goals in a span of 13 minutes to help India seal their first win in a World Cup qualifier away from home since 2001.

Chhetri leads Barcelona superstar Messi by two goals and sits a place above Ali Mabkhout of the UAE, who is third on the list with 73 strikes to his name.

Messi scored his 72nd international goal in a World Cup qualifier against Chile last Thursday, while Mabkhout added to his tally against Malaysia, also last week.

Centre back Sandesh Jhingan felt that Chhetri's name will be remembered even after 100 years.

"Some 100 or 200 years down the line, people will still talk about Sunil Chhetri. As long as there is Indian football, people will remember his name. It's for everyone to see what he does on the field.

"Hence, I would rather like to mention that off the field he is the perfect example for all to follow." Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu expressed," I will keep on mentioning that there's one guy floating in between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi -- and that's my teammate, my captain Sunil Chhetri." "It shows his commitment and how consistent he has been scoring goals -- one after the other. It's simply remarkable," he added.

The win has helped India climb to third place in the group with six points after seven games. Already out of World Cup contention, the result against Bangladesh is a boost to their chances of earning a direct spot in the third round of the Asian Cup qualifiers.

"We presented football as it should be. That's the way we always want to play. Of course, it's not always possible but when we are favourites against a lower-ranked team, it's something that we will like to present," Stimac said.

"The players did everything they could to get the win. So all the credit to them for executing the game plan perfectly," added the 53-year-old.

Chhetri broke the deadlock in the 79th minute when he headed in Ashique Kuruniyan's cross from the left, and then sealed the victory with a swerving shot from top of the box in added time.

Stimac added, "The best defence against lower-ranked teams is attacking -- keeping them away from the ball. Just to explain, if we didn't keep doing what we were doing right throughout the game, we wouldn't have scored the second and allowed Bangladesh to come at us." New source PTI

Doha, Jun 8 Sunil Chhetri has never liked counting his goals and he prefers to keep it that way even after surpassing the great Lionel Messi as the second highest scorer in international football.

The 36-year-old Chhetri achieved his 74th strike with his brace against Bangladesh in the joint preliminary qualifying round match for 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup here on Monday night. Messi has 73 so far.

The skipper said he will get down to counting his goals probably 10 years down the line.

"I do not count the number of goals. 10 years later, we will sit together, have a chat and then count," the veteran said.

The seasoned striker, who helped India register their first win in six years in World Cup qualifiers, now stands only behind Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (103) in the active international goal-scorers' list.

Instead of his goals, Chhetri focussed on the many lessons his team will take home from Monday's game.

"We were guilty of missing a lot of chances. We could have done better. It has been a topsy-turvy qualifying campaign. Looking back, we understand that we could have done a lot better.

"We will talk about it but I am happy that we got three points," Chhetri said.

On Monday, Chhetri broke the deadlock in the 79th minute when he headed in Ashique Kuruniyan's cross from the left, and then sealed the victory by curling in a shot from long range in added time.

When queries veered towards his goals again, Chhetri brushed them aside as a thing of past for him now.

"You know what. All of this is past. We play Afghanistan, and we have to be at our best. It will be a new day, a new canvas. And it is up to us to paint it the manner we want to," he asserted.

The India captain is just a goal away from entering world football's all-time top-10.

He is behind Hungary's Sandor Kocsis, Japan's Kunishige Kamamoto, and Kuwait's Bashar Abdullah, who all have 75 goals.

"Congratulations to @chetrisunil11 for overtaking Messi to become 2nd highest active international Goal-scorer! I enjoyed his brilliant 2 goals against Bangladesh which secured a win for India and put him on to 74 international goals," tweeted sports minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday. New source PTI 

Doha, Jun 8 Talismanic Sunil Chhetri won't miss if you give him the opportunity to score, says Bangladesh coach Jamie Day after the Indian captain led his side to a 2-0 win in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

The 36-year-old Chhetri scored a second-half brace against Bangladesh to hand India their first win in the joint preliminary qualifying round match on Monday night.

Chhetri surpassed Argentina's global superstar Lionel Messi to become the second-highest active international goal-scorer with 74 strikes, adding another feather to his illustrious career.

"For a long period, we did well, we had a couple of half-chances. But if you give Chhetri a chance, he scores like he showed tonight. He had two chances in the last 20 minutes, and he took them," Day was quoted as saying by goal.com.

The Englishman rued that his players were guilty of giving away the ball far too cheaply to the Indians as Bangladesh suffered their fifth defeat in their seventh Group E game of the joint qualifiers.

"For 80 minutes, we competed very well. The shape was nice and difficult to break down. You see the difference in quality between the players when they were in possession. One of the disappointments was that we gave the ball away too much and gave possession back to India," he assessed.

"Our players were fantastic. They work their socks off, give their best every day. We just couldn't keep the ball and that shows in games where you give possession away too much. And if you do that against better teams and better players, then at some stage they'll punish you," he explained.

"You can't defend for 90 minutes against international teams, but again I can't fault their effort. They worked hard. We just need to be better on the ball but that's a long-term plan, not a short-term plan." New source PTI 

Doha, Jun 8 Indian football talisman Sunil Chhetri has surpassed Argentina's global superstar Lionel Messi to become the second-highest active international goal-scorer with 74 strikes, adding another feather to his illustrious career.

The 36-year-old Chhetri achieved the staggering feat with his brace against against Bangladesh in the joint preliminary qualifying round match for 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup here on Monday night.

The seasoned striker, who helped India register their first win in six years in World Cup qualifiers, now stands only behind Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (103) in the active international goal-scorer list.

Chhetri leads Barcelona star Messi by two goals and sits a place above Ali Mabkhout of the UAE, who is third on the list with 73 strikes to his name.

Messi scored his 72nd international goal in a World Cup qualifier against Chile last Thursday, while Mabkhout added to his tally against Malaysia, also last week.

At the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Monday, Chhetri broke the deadlock in the 79th minute when he headed in Ashique Kuruniyan's cross from the left, and then sealed the victory by curling in a shot from long range in added time.

The India captain is also just goal away from entering world football's all-time top-10. He is behind Hungary's Sandor Kocsis, Japan's Kunishige Kamamoto, and Kuwait’s Bashar Abdullah, who all have 75 goals.

Delighted with the team's victory and Chhetri's record, All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel lauded the captain for leading from the front.

"Our @IndianFootball skipper Sunil Chhetri adds another feather to his illustrious cap as he overtook Lionel Messi to become the second-highest active international goalscorer with 74 goals.

"A big congratulations to Captain Fantastic & wishing him many more accolades in the future," Patel tweeted.

The AIFF boss also praised the team on the convincing win that was built on Chhetri's brilliance.

"Congratulations #BlueTigers on an awesome win over Bangladesh today & fabulous performance by skipper @chetrisunil11 who lead from the front & paved the path to victory.

"Your hard work & determination was visible on the field. Wishing you all the very best in the upcoming game!" Chhetri's twin strikes meant India registered their first win in what was turning out to be a forgettable World Cup qualifying campaign in many years. It was also India's first victory in World Cup qualifiers away from home in 20 years.

With the win, India rose to the third spot in Group E with six points from seven games.

India will next lock horns against Afghanistan in the qualifiers on June 15.

The side is already out of contention to qualify for World Cup 2022, but the Blue Tigers can still can make it to the Asian Cup in China. News source: PTI 

Doha, Jun 5 The fighting loss to Qatar done and dusted with, Indian footballers are now looking forward to their next match against Bangladesh in the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Playing with 10 men for a major part of the match, India went down 0-1 to Asian champions and FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar in their previous outing in the joint preliminary qualification round on Thursday.

Out of reckoning for next round of World Cup qualifiers but still hoping to make the continental showpiece in China in two years' time, mid-fielder said Brandon Fernandes said the upcoming fixture is extremely crucial for the Blue Tigers, who are going through one of their longest winless streaks of all time.

"We are moving as a team and we need to back each other. We are aware that we have specific roles in the team. The next match is extremely crucial as we need to sustain the momentum gained in the first match. The first match is history," Fernandes was quoted as saying by All India Football Federation.

India are above Bangladesh in rankings but defender Subhashish Bose acknowledged their opponents' quality, having chosen to ignore the FIFA peking order.

"We are aware of the quality of the Bangladesh team. They are a side that plays a lot of counter-attacking football, and that is very dangerous. India versus Bangladesh have always been exciting and close matches. We have huge respect for Bangladesh," Bose said.

India's match against Bangladesh is scheduled for June 7.

In their previous match, Bangladesh came back from behind to hold Afghanistan 1-1 and earn a point.

"I am very pleased with the performance against Afghanistan. The players worked extremely hard. It reflects the attitude which this team possesses -- to come back from behind and get back into the game," Bangladesh coach Jamie Day said.

Captain Jamal Bhuyan, who had played for Mohammedan Sporting in the Hero I-League, feels it's "going to be an intense match" when the two teams take the field.

"It will be intense -- with a lot of battles. It's a beautiful match to be a part of. Last time in Kolkata, we were disappointed not to get the 3 points as India scored very late in the game. We have that hunger in us, and we know we can do some damage," he said.

"The confidence in our team is good at the moment. We had our chance of winning against Afghanistan. We take that confidence with us into the India game," Jamal added.

Day pointed out the difference in the ranking between the two teams.

"India are a very good team. They are a much higher-ranked team than us who should be beating the likes of Bangladesh. The difference in ranking and quality is huge.

"In Kolkata, we did play very well. I look back and feel that India had an off-day on that night at the majestic YBK," he said.

"You look at India's last match against Qatar -- with 10 men they fought like warriors and lost 0-1.

"It only depicts the quality in their side. We are looking forward to the game. We are aware that we need to play to our maximum, and hope India have another off-day." Meanwhile, Jamal said that there are talks of him playing in the ISL but added that "nothing is concrete as yet".

"At the moment, there is nothing concrete. But I think if I join the ISL it would be a good move, and also there would be a huge following into the ISL from Bangladesh fans because they are crazy about football." New source PTI 

Mumbai, Jun 5 Midfielder Rowlin Borges has extended his contract with reigning Indian Super League champions Mumbai City FC by three years and will stay with the club until May 2024.

The agreement signed between the two parties also has a clause that Borges can opt to further extend his contract by one more year.

The 28-year-old was a vital cog in the Mumbai City squad that clinched the unique double in the 2020/21 season, winning the ISL League Winners' Shield and the ISL Trophy.

The Goan midfield lynchpin made 20 appearances for the Islanders in the 2020/21 season, scoring twice and providing one assist.

With 1124 completed passes Borges also finished the season in the top three passers of the league list.

Borges is currently in Doha with national team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualifiers.

"This team, this club, it is my family. I am delighted to commit my future here, with Mumbai City. The last two years of my career have been an incredible learning curve for me and especially the last season - it was nothing short of a dream for all of us," Borges said in a statement.

"Coach Sergio Lobera's style is very unique, and it's the style I enjoy the most. I have evolved both as a player and as a person under him, and it's a great moment for me to be able to continue here at Mumbai City for the best years of my career. Last season's trophies was just the beginning for us." Mumbai City head coach Sergio Lobera added: "As I have said before, to win trophies you need to have good Indian players and I think Rowllin is the best in his position.

"He has consistently shown his quality and he proved it again last season in particularly tough circumstances. He is a figure of inspiration for his teammates and everyone in the group. It's really good to have him around." New source PTI 

Doha, Jun 4 India must learn to capitalise on their chances when up against big teams, said a gutted Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, whose goalkeeping heroics could not prevent a 0-1 defeat to Qatar in their FIFA World Cup Qualifier here.

Just 33 minutes into their joint 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup Qualifier, Asian champions Qatar were a goal and a man up in their own den, but India fought valiantly till the end to avoid losing by a bigger margin on Thursday night.

"I think we were very unfortunate with the result. Everybody in the pitch gave their everything and that's what we need. Very very unfortunate not to get something out of this game," he said in a video shared by All India Football Federation (AIFF) on its Twitter handle.

"I think everyone is gutted because the way we played, we deserved something out of it. But things happen in football and we now move on to the next game." India were down to 10 men very early after Rahul Bheke was given the marching orders for handling the ball outside the box.

"Going a man down in the first half is always hard against a very good opposition like Qatar. I think we had our chances, we just should learn how to take them because against good opposition such chances come very rare," Sandhu said.

India may have suffered a bigger defeat had it not been for Sandhu, who pulled off as many as nine saves in the group E match.

India had managed to play out a goal-less draw in their first leg match here in September 2019, largely due to Sandhu's impressive show under the bar that time as well.

Asked about his saves, Sandhu said: "I honestly didn't (count the number of saves), but I think it was more than last time." India will play Bangladesh in their next match on June 7. New source PTI

Doha, Jun 3 A 10-man India defended creditably well as they suffered a 0-1 defeat to Asian champions Qatar in their World Cup qualifying round match here on Thursday.

Abdel Aziz scored in the 33rd minute in a match completely dominated by the Qataris. The two sides had played out a goal-less draw in their first leg match here in September 2019.

Group toppers Qatar, who are yet to lose a match, had waves of attacks with their eight to nine players in the Indian half for most of the time. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu had to pull off a series of saves to keep the margin of loss small.

India, however, played with 10 men from the 17th minute onwards after defender Rahul Bheke was red carded after a second booking. He had earlier received a yellow card in the ninth minute.

India did have two good moves in the match from counter attacks with Manvir Singh in the thick of things on both occasions.

India captain Sunil Chhetri, who returned to the team after recovering from COVID-19 infection, was replaced by Udanta Singh at the resumption of second half.

A winless India remained in fourth spot in Group E with three points from six matches.

Igor Stimac's men are two points behind Afghanistan (third with five points) who played out a 1-1 draw against Bangladesh earlier in the day.

India play Bangladesh on June 7 in their next match. New source PTI 

Doha, Jun 2 Their preparation was far from ideal but India would take inspiration from the draw against Asian champions Qatar in 2019 when they face the same opponents in the second-leg match of the joint World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers, here on Thursday.

India had held mighty Qatar 0-0 in September 2019 here, a result considered as one of the best for the side in recent times.

But India are playing their home match here as the Qatari capital was chosen as the centralised venue for all the remaining Group E matches after the qualifiers were halted last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India's performance, however, has gone south since then while Qatar, the group toppers, have come into Thursday match on a high.

They beat Luxembourg (1-0) and Azerbaijan (2-1) and played out a 1-1 draw against Ireland in the international friendly matches in March.

India are coming into this match after a demoralising 0-6 drubbing against the UAE in an international friendly in March.

On top of that, India's preparation has been hit hard as they had to cancel a national camp scheduled in early May in Kolkata. The team reached here on May 19 only to find that the players would not get the facilities they would have wanted.

Stimac himself had expressed the frustration, saying that it was "not an ideal preparation" for the World Cup qualifiers.

On the positive side, Stimac will have the chance to field a full strength Indian team after a long time with all the core players available for selection and without injury concern.

That 2019 match against Qatar did not have talisman Sunil Chhteri due to a viral fever and his return will surely boost the confidence of the young Indian side.

Chhetri also missed the two international friendlies in March, including the one against UAE, as he was recovering from COVID-19 infection.

But there will be gulf is class between the two sides. Qatar are ranked 58th in the FIFA chart against India's 105th.

"Qatar are one of the top teams in Asia. They have had some decent results against top European and South American teams in the recent past," Chhetri said.

"The last time we took a point against them makes us confident as a team. We understand that they will come out all guns blazing at us, and we need to stick together as a team." In that drawn game in 2019 also, Qatar dominated throughout with waves of attacks on the Indian citadel. It was to the credit of goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan-led defence that stood tall to deny the Qataris a win.

Currently fourth in Group E with three points from five matches, India are already out of reckoning for a World Cup berth but still in contention for the 2023 Asian Cup.

Qatar have won five out of their six matches in these qualifiers.

Boasting of a lethal attacking line-up with top striker Almoez Ali and Hasan Al-Haydos leading the pack, Qatar would be looking at nothing less than a convincing win.

India (From): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh, Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Narender Gehlot, Chinglensana Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Adil Khan, Akash Mishra, Subhashish Bose, Udanta Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Rowllin Borges, Glan Martins, Anirudh Thapa, Pronoy Halder, Suresh Singh, Lalengmawia Ralte, Abdul Sahal, Yasir Mohammad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan, Ishan Pandita, Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh.

Match Startss: 10:30pm IST. New source PTI 

Doha, Jun 1 Indian players should be brave enough to accept that the national football team did not play to its potential during the 2022 FIFIA World Cup qualifiers, experienced defender Sandesh Jhingan said on Tuesday.

Already out of reckoning for a place in the next round of the World Cup qualifiers, India are currently placed fourth in the group with three points from five matches.

From the remaining fixtures, the side will hope to collect as many points as possible and finish third so that it can seal automatic qualification for the 2023 Asian Cup qualifying third round.

India are scheduled to play Asian champions Qatar on June 3, Bangladesh on June 7, and Afghanistan on June 15 with all three matches to be played at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium here.

"We can never take things for granted. The team needs to stay focussed on the job at hand. It hasn't gone the way it should have," said Jhingan, who has returned to the national team after more than seven months.

"I will be the first one to raise my hand and say that we haven't been able to play to our potential. It's not gone the way we all would have wanted it to go - especially after such a promising start.

"We need to be brave enough, raise our hand and take the blame for it. I reiterate, we haven't played to our potential." Jhingan is back to the scheme of things after recovering from his knee injury.

"It's a relief. I am happy that I have been able to get back after the injury lay-off. A man's greatest honour is to represent his country. In that sense, I am lucky, grateful and thankful whenever I get a call-up. " Jhingan had been sidelined by the injury since October last year, which forced him to miss the entire ISL season for Kerala Blasters FC. He sustained the injury ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bangladesh in October 15 last year.

The talismanic India footballer said the team needs to learn from its mistakes going forward.

"It's a human tendency to remember and talk about the negatives. In Dubai, we drew Oman who are such a good side -- that too with 10 debutants. People don't talk about how we came back from behind, and had it been a little longer, we could have won.

"I am a person who has believed in the process and the roadmap which (coach) Igor (Stimac) has laid down for us. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But right through my career I have learnt that you learn more from your failures. You just need to stay positive and keep going," he said.

Asked about India's preparation for the upcoming matches, Jhingan said: "Anyone who understands football will know the importance of a proper preparatory camp, and how important a friendly match is in preparation for a major tournament." "Owing to the pandemic we lost out on friendly matches in Dubai which isn't ideal. But there are always two ways of looking at things. The easier option could have been to throw in the towel but the great squad which we have – we are there to fight." By his own admission, he draws a lot of inspiration from the admiration he gets from coach Stimac, who considers him as an "Ironman".

"As an individual it means a lot when you get so much confidence from your coach. Every time I have tried to improve as a player, he has always helped me. It motivates me to work hard. But it also hurts me that I couldn't play a part. " Jhingan said spending time in bio-bubble in the times of COVID-19 pandemic is tough, but for him national duty is paramount than anything else.

"After all, we are also human beings and not robots. Our families are back in India. But the call of the nation supersedes everything. As professional players when we signed contracts, we were aware of the obstacles that could have come our way," he concluded. New source PTI 

Mumbai, May 31 India goalkeeper Amrinder Singh on Monday joined ATK Mohun Bagan on a five-year deal after leaving reigning Indian Super League champions Mumbai City FC.

The 27-year-old, who is currently in Doha as part of the national team for the upcoming World Cup qualifying round matches, was with the then ATK on loan in 2015-16 season, featuring in 13 matches.

"Even though I played in Kolkata before, it was for a very short time. This joining, of course, is going to be a new chapter in my football career," Amrinder, who has turned out for India in six matches, said.

"Winning all the trophies for Mumbai last year was a memorable event in my life. I want the same success in the Green-Maroon jersey next season.” Earlier in the day, Mumbai City FC confirmed the departure of Amrinder after an association of five seasons.

He joined the Mumbai club in 2016 initially on loan from Bengaluru FC and made his debut against FC Goa later that year. He penned a three-year extension with the club in March 2018.

In January 4, 2020, Amrinder became the most capped Mumbai City FC player when he led the Islanders against ATK MB, bettering the earlier record of Lucian Goian.

Amrinder made 84 appearances for Mumbai City FC with the last match being the 2020-21 ISL final against ATK Mohun Bagan.

Explaining why he joined ATK Mohun Bagan, Amrinder said, "I played for a while in ISL-2 under the coaching of Habas. Everyone knows about his success in ISL.

"Habas’ football philosophy always draws me. The biggest thing is that he brought out the best game from the Indian footballers. It's great to be a member of this team.

"The support of a huge number of ATK MB supporters, the football philosophy of the principal owner of the team and the glorious history of football of this city (Kolkata) are the reasons." New source PTI

Doha, May 31 India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu says the memorable goalless draw against Asian champions Qatar, in the FIFA World Cup qualifier in September 2019, is not his greatest performance till date.

According to him, he has performed his best, surprisingly, in a 0-4 loss to Iran in a 2018 World Cup qualifier at a packed Azadi Stadium in Tehran, and during a match against China in China.

"Almost everyone I speak to always makes me remember about the Qatar match. But if you ask me, that isn't my best performance so far. I understand that in the Qatar match, we got a result -- and hence, it will always stay a highlight," Gurpreet told the All India Football Federation.

The country's top custodian added, "Rather, I will always pick two other matches ahead of my performance against Qatar. The away match against Iran in the World Cup Russia 2018 Qualifiers in 2016 in front of a packed Azadi Stadium in Tehran, will always remain on top of my list.

"Yeah, we lost 0-4, but I feel there was much more pressure in Tehran, than in Doha.

"The match against China in China also ranks high on my list. It required me to be at my best, and depicted my mentality, like all others." Already out of reckoning for a place in the next round the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, India are still in with a chance to make the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in China with impressive an performance in their upcoming matches of the joint qualifying campaign.

India are scheduled to play Asian champions Qatar on June 3, Bangladesh on June 7, and Afghanistan on June 15 with all three matches to be played at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha.

Gurpreet, who had captained the 'Blue Tigers' against Qatar in the first-leg of the qualifiers, spoke about the belief that helped India to hold the Asian champions Qatar to a stalemate.

"The plan on match day was to make life difficult for Qatar, who are such a talented team. They had won the AFC Asian Cup earlier that year, and were buzzing after playing in the Copa America.

"We had to stay compact against them, and take our chances whenever we smelt a counter. And with that, we had to fight with everything. Everyone was desperate to contribute -- everyone was trying their best.

"As a goalkeeper, it's always so assuring to get the first touch of the ball without committing any mistake. That sets the tone for me, and I guess for all goalkeepers. Hence, I always look forward to getting the feel of the ball early." That showing against Qatar remains by far India's best performance in the qualifying campaign that has otherwise not gone as per plan.

On that game Gurpreet added, "I remember they had a corner and someone at the first post in an attempt to head it out flicked the ball. I lost my cool, shouted at him. But soon realised that he tried his best to jump for that extra inch.

"The clock started ticking, and we started to grow in confidence. The first-half ended goalless. We could gauge the frustrations around as the predictions that we would be whitewashed weren't coming true. It allowed us to breathe a bit more.

"We realised we were heading in the right direction. 'Take some blows guys, we can do it,' was the sentiment. The pressure was huge, but the belief was more." "The dynamics were even better in the second half. Seeing Sahal, Udanta dribble past the best in Asia -- the ones who won the Asian Cup was a message which hit them hard. It was a great boost." New source PTI 

New Delhi, May 29 Indian football team coach Igor Stimac has thanked the Qatar government and its football association for allowing his players to train there ahead of the World Cup and Asian Cup Qualifiers.

India are scheduled to play Asian champions Qatar on June 3, Bangladesh on June 7, and Afghanistan on June 15 with all three matches to be played at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha.

"These are difficult times, and there are a number of safety regulations that have been put in place, which we are working around.

"I would like to extend a big thank you to the Qatari Government for allowing us to train in Doha under such circumstances, and the Qatar FA for hosting us in such difficult times," Stimac said.

"Qatar are the future hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2022 and we are aware that they have some great facilities here for the football teams," the coach added.

Already out of contention for a World Cup berth, India will be aiming to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup in China.

Stimac is confident of a good performance in the upcoming assignments in the Qatari capital.

"We do not have to do anything extra to motivate them. They are all very good professionals and I don't have any problem in lifting their spirits," Stimac said.

"They are well aware of the situation and have shown full commitment on the training ground. I can assure you that they will do everything possible to do well on the pitch." India has been facing a deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and Stimac said these grim times have made the Blue Tigers more resolute in their endeavours.

"They are very much aware of what's happening in India. So many families are suffering right now. We have a chance to make the people of India happy with our performance. We need to take this opportunity and bring back smile to the people's faces," the coach said. New source PTI 

Doha, May 27 Young Dheeraj Singh is ready to learn the tricks of his trade from senior goalkeepers Gurpreet Singh and Amrinder Singh as he seeks improvement in "various areas" to establish himself in the Indian national team.

Dheeraj is one of the three goalkeepers -- along with Gurpreet and Amrinder -- in the India squad which is training here ahead of the joint 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers beginning on June 3.

"It is an honour for me to get this opportunity at a young age. We have Gurpreet paji and Amrinder paji and I am looking forward to learning lots of things from them -- both on and off the pitch," Deeraj told AIFF TV.

"I am very young and have lots of areas that I have to improve upon," said the 20-year-old who had earned accolades for his impressive show under the FC Goa bar in the recent AFC Champions League matches.

The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cupper and former Indian Arrows custodian, who received his first Blue Tigers call-up in November last year, recollected his welcome to the national team 'family' and explained how he has been learning from his seniors.

"I still remember when I got the first call-up for the senior national team –- they (Gurpreet and Amrinder) congratulated me and the team welcomed me like a family member," said Dheeraj who is yet to earn his senior India cap.

"They keep motivating me, help me rectify my mistakes during training and tell me what to do and what not to do. It is something very important and a huge learning for me." He spoke about the strength and depth of the Blue Tigers' goalkeeping department, terming it as a 'tough competition'.

"Honestly speaking, we have very good goalkeepers in India -– in the senior national team and the leagues. We have most clubs playing with Indian goalkeepers domestically.

"It’s a very tough competition and a tough challenge for me and for every goalkeeper as they (senior goalkeepers) have set benchmark for us to try and reach. I am working for that chance and know that I have to use the coming opportunity in the best way." He said for a goalkeeper, it's important to play regularly to gain confidence.

"Training and playing matches are totally different. When you play games, you learn a lot of things and there are many unique situations that come up in the matches.

"It’s a good experience for a goalkeeper to keep on playing matches consistently," Dheeraj signed off. New source PTI 

Doha, May 26 Indian football team stars, including skipper Sunil Chhetri, on Wednesday expressed confidence of doing well in the joint 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers next month, despite their preparations not being ideal owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India are scheduled to play Asian champions Qatar on June 3, Bangladesh on June 7, and Afghanistan on June 15, with all three matches to be played at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium here.

The team is currently stationed in the Qatari capital, preparing for the task ahead.

"We are making the most of the circumstances," Chhetri said during a video conference organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

Top defender Sandesh Jhingan added, "The confidence in the squad is high. We have done it earlier and there's no reason why we can't do it again. We have grown as a team and we need to take it forward together." Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu said, "We understand that the preparations have not been ideal but we are confident in our abilities as a team. We are not scared, and moving into the qualifiers, that's important." AIFF President Praful Patel contacted with the senior members of the team to get a feel of their preparations ahead of the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

The president encouraged the players to stay fit and wished them luck.

"More power to all of you. I wish all of you good health and strength. We are extremely proud of you," Patel said.

"We spoke to the Qatar government and we were lucky that they didn't insist on the 10-day quarantine, and that has allowed the squad to assemble in Doha and begin our training sessions," the president said.

The Indian team, fourth in Group E with three points, is out of contention for a World Cup berth but is still in the reckoning for the 2023 Asian Cup in China.

"This has been a terrible time. We have not had any normalcy as such. The format of the leagues was also different -- all played from inside the bubble. I understand and appreciate the concern of Igor and the entire team arising out of the difficult circumstances," Patel stated.

Head coach Igor Stimac thanked the president for helping the squad arrive early in Doha.

"We are thankful to you Mr. President and all in the AIFF for providing us the opportunity to come earlier, and also taking our cause with the Government of Qatar and arranging for us to train even during quarantine," Stimac said.

Apprising the president about the daily schedule of the squad, the coach added: "The expectations are high but realistically the situation hasn't been ideal." New source PTI

New Delhi, May 26 Young Indian midfielder Anirudh Thapa says he is focussing on improving his goal conversion rate and adapting to different playing circumstances during matches.

The 23-year-old is currently training with the Indian football team in Doha ahead of next month's 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Qatar.

"... I need to improve on a whole lot of aspects. I need to convert more chances. Vision wise, I know I can do better. I need to be adapt to the changing playing circumstances that arise during the match," he said in a release issued by AIFF.

"For example, there may be phases where we need to play direct football during the match. I need to push up front a bit more to help increase the numbers.

"But then, it should never be coming at the cost of me leaving a vacant hole in the midfield. I am learning how to balance it. I need to watch my back and go up." The Indian team, fourth in Group E with three points, is out of contention for a World Cup berth but is still in the reckoning for the 2023 Asian Cup in China.

India's first match is against hosts and Asian champions Qatar on June 3, followed by games against Bangladesh (June 7) and Afghanistan (June 15).

The last time India played Qatar in Qatar, it was a goalless draw.

"That was some 18 months back. It's a different situation right now. But we understand that Qatar are eagerly looking forward to the match. But we know that we will try to do good on the field. We don't want to be disappointed," said Thapa.

"We are not there to make up the numbers. We are confident in our abilities and we are taking it one match at a time." Thapa feels as a senior pro in the team with the recent influx of young talent.

"My role has changed. There are many young players coming in and challenging everyone. My job is to guide them as to what is expected from them in the national team set-up," he said.

"You just cannot be selfish and just help yourself. You need to think about others too." Thapa, a former AIFF Academy cadet, said he was focussing on his fitness when he was at home after the international friendlies in March.

"The primary aim was to stay fit, and in proper condition so that when the National Team call came I would be in my best physical prowess.

"Professor (Luka Radman, fitness coach) has always insisted on building muscle power and strength and I was working relentlessly in the gym.

"But then the second wave struck and I was confined to my home for the last two weeks. From that time onward, I worked mostly on the individual programmes which were sent to me." New source PTI

Doha, May 25 A long preparatory camp would have been ideal for the Indian football team ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers here, feels defender Pritam Kotal.

Kotal, however, said the players will have to be contended with the short two-week camp inside a bio-bubble here in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indian players had already started their preparations after landing here on last Wednesday.

The team was to have a national camp in Kolkata from May 2 before coming here later this month for the Qualifiers beginning on June 3 but the plan had to shelved due to the raging health crisis in India.

"Longer duration camps always help. Most of the boys came from their respective homes where they were in all kind of locked down," Kotal said.

"Majority of us played our last competitive match almost two months back. So a longer camp would have helped. But it is what it is," he was quoted as saying by the official website of All India Football Federation.

India's first match is against hosts Qatar on June 3, followed by games against Bangladesh (June 7) and Afghanistan (June 15).

The 27-year-old Kotal said inspired by the fitness and diet regime of India cricket team captain Virat Kohli, he has become health conscious of late. "We were educated about a sportsman's diet during our AIFF Academy days. Post 2015-16, I took it extremely seriously, that’s when the realisation crept in.

"I read about how Virat Kohli approaches his fitness, his training regime, diet, and how he never ever goes against the roadmap laid down by his personal trainer," said the ATK Mohun Bagan player, who has also donned India jersey in more than 30 matches.

"Having Sunil-bhai (Chhetri) around helped as with his controlled diet plan, Sunil-bhai’s fitness and performances reached a different level. Both Virat and Sunil-bhai are the pioneers." He said the trend (of footballers becoming health conscious) is here to stay.

"It’s all about the diet. Even on a vacation Indian footballers don't eat anything and everything. We have to make sacrifices. The mentality -- you are what you eat -- has sunk in. So no one gives in to the temptation.

"I roped in my personal trainer, set up my personal gym at home, and eventually cut my tongue off." Kotal has not been a first-choice player since the 2019 Asian Cup, and the defender admits there is healthy competition in the team, which augurs well for Indian football.

"Different coaches tend to plan and play football differently. As professional players, it is our responsibility to adapt and (do it) faster.

"This is healthy competition which we all relish. Competition has improved me as a player," he said. New source PTI

New Delhi, May 24 Endeavouring to send the women's national team to the 2027 FIFA World Cup, the All India Football Federation has charted a detailed plan in this regard, which has been "endorsed and supported" by both the Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India.

It is worth mentioning that AIFF president Praful Patel had said that the national women's side can qualify for the FIFA World Cup before the men's team does, despite the less attention given to it.

For a while now, the federation has been working towards all-round development of women's football in the country.

"We have laid a detailed plan for the (current) U-18 girls in our attempt to qualify for the 2027 World Cup. The plan has been endorsed and supported by the Ministry of Sports and SAI, for which we stay eternally grateful," AIFF general secretary Kushal Das told PTI.

Last December, Patel had said the AIFF is hoping for the women's team to qualify for the 2027 World Cup. Supporting his view, the sports ministry had asked the AIFF to prepare a "concrete and actionable" roadmap to work towards the team's qualification in the 2027 edition of the world's biggest football event for women.

The U-17 women's World Cup will be held in India from October 11 to 30 next year, the FIFA Council said last Thursday.

India were scheduled to host the U-17 World Cup last year but it was postponed to 2021 before being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India is also scheduled to host the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2022.

"We want to carry this message to all girls who aspire to play the sport, that the football federation stands by them and wants to see them compete at the highest level," Das said.

"We are confident that the legacy that the U-17 World Cup in 2022 leaves behind, will allow and inspire girls in India to play more. That, in itself, will mark a major shift in the paradigm of sporting culture in India, and the society overall." As the discussion turned to Indian football's talisman Sunil Chhetri, the federation's top official was asked whether he is worried if the men's team would be able to find a successor for the 36-year-old when he decides to retire.

"Sunil is one of the greatest Indian footballers ever, and an inspiration to all generations.

"There are many talented youngsters in the Indian football set-up, some of whom even Sunil is extremely fond of.

"But talent alone doesn't lead you anywhere. The commitment and the sacrifices of a Sunil Chhetri is the way forward for the Apuias, the Udantas, the Thapas, the Sahals, the Brandons, the Manvir's and all others," Das said.

International football's second highest scorer among active players, Chhetri is currently in Doha for the Indian team's remaining joint 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

The team, bolstered by the return of Chhetri, plays its first match on June 3 against hosts Qatar. The other two matches are against Bangladesh (June 7) and Afghanistan (June 15).

The Indian team, fourth in Group E with three points, is already out of contention for a World Cup berth but is still in the reckoning for the 2023 Asian Cup in China. New source PTI

New Delhi, May 22 All the players and support staff of the Indian football team have tested negative for COVID-19 after arrival in Qatar and have also started training ahead of the joint Qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup next month.

The team, which arrived in Doha on Wednesday evening, was under compulsory quarantine and waiting for the results of their RT-PCR tests before starting their preparatory camp.

"Yes, all the 28 players and support staff tested positive in the tests done after their arrival," All India Football Federation General Secretary Kushal Das told PTI.

The team, bolstered by the return of Sunil Chhetri, will have a preparatory camp inside a bio-bubble here before its first match on June 3 against hosts Qatar. The other two matches are against Bangladesh (June 7) and Afghanistan (June 15).

Through the good offices of Qatar Football Association, a 10-day hard quarantine was waived off for the Indians and they began training as soon as they got the COVID-19 negative results.

"Gearing-up for the challenges ahead. The #BlueTigers had their training first training session in Doha, Qatar last night," the AIFF said in a tweet, along with pictures of training of players under head coach Igor Stimac.

The matches are being played in Doha in view of the COVID-19 pandemic which doesn't allow the original format of home and away matches.

The Indian team, fourth in Group E with three points, is already out of contention for a World Cup berth but is still in the reckoning for the 2023 Asian Cup in China.

The Indian players were to have a national camp in Kolkata from May 2 onwards but the raging pandemic in the country led to its cancellation.

The players and the support had left the country on Wednesday after undergoing RT-PCR tests prior to flying off to Doha from New Delhi.

They had arrived in New Delhi on May 15 with mandatory negative RT-PCR test results. News source: PTI 

New Delhi, May 21 Genuine apprehensions preceded the kick-off, but many months, matches and competitions later, the All India Football Federation's COVID-19 bio-bubble remains as impregnable as ever.

It's proud general secretary, Kushal Das, feels their model could be used as a case study for institutions and international sports federations which have seen their bio-bubble being breached by the raging pandemic, leading to cancellations and postponements of matches and events.

In the case of Indian football, no tournament has been cancelled since competitions resumed with the I-league Qualifiers last October.

"Praise came in from FIFA, AFC. Indian football's bio-bubble protocol is a case study for many -- not just in sports management institutions, but across international federations as well," Das told PTI during an interview.

Behind the AIFF's success in hosting competitions amid the pandemic lies a slew of stringent measures it has adopted, including a complete shunning of VIP culture in the stadiums.

Once inside, no one was allowed to come out of the bubble.

"Our biggest success in our bio bubble protocol was that it was unbreachable. We did away with the VIP culture and every operational staff who were part of the bubble were never allowed to move out for the entire duration. No one was allowed to come in either.

"Tests were conducted every 3-4 days, and if anyone tested positive, he was kept in isolation for over 17 days and released only after 3 RT-PCR tests came out to be negative.

"It was hard, and I need to laud the sacrifices of AIFF staff who were there in the bubble throughout. We even had X-ray machines, doctors, physios, masseurs, drivers staying inside the bubble to make it a completely sustainable eco system for our events," Das elaborated.

The top official said his federation was aware about the task at hand, considering the logistical challenges of organising top tournaments amid a constantly evolving pandemic.

"It has without doubt been an extremely difficult phase. But we are dynamic enough to understand the challenge and deal with it as the situation continually changes. There have been quite a few leagues across the globe that were cancelled this season.

"In a country like India with such a huge population, and diverse demographics, execution and implementation was even tougher," Das said.

He stressed that Indian football was able to hold its own in the face of the challenges posed by the extraordinary situation arising out of the unprecedented health crisis.

"Indian Football takes immense pride in leading from the front to bring back live sporting action in India while following the required protocols putting the safety of our athletes first.

"It was Indian football which first executed the concept of a bio bubble with the I-League qualifiers, as a result of which the model was stamped as a standard, and followed by others as well." Thereafter, Indian football successfully executed the bubble for the Hero I-League and the recently concluded AFC Champions League in Goa. Even the Hero ISL was played under the bio bubble.

Besides club football, Das also reminded that the U-16 national team, the women's senior team and the men's national team were also involved in international friendly matches.

"There can never be any compromises with the safety of the players and support staff along with the operational staff. Indian football understands the significance of the bubble, and we have been able to strike a chord with the players, assuring them of their safety as our main motivation." The Indian men's team is leaving for Qatar on Wednesday after the gulf country accepted the AIFF's request to allow its players to train there ahead of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers next month.

Not only that, Qatar has even agreed to the AIFF's request to waive off a mandatory 10-day hard quarantine after reaching there. The players will have a preparatory camp of nearly two weeks in a bio-bubble in Qatar before the first match on June 3.

"The Group E World Cup Qualifiers will be played from inside a secure bio bubble. There are certain health parameters which we need to adhere to after arrival in Doha, and we will complete diligence on the matter.

"The AIFF President Mr. Praful Patel had detailed chats with the President of the Qatar FA who raised our concern with the Prime Minister's Office, after which the 10-day quarantine period was waived off.

"However, all the players and staff have undergone a mandatory isolation in Delhi and RT-PCR tests prior to departure." Out of reckoning for a World Cup berth, Das is optimistic about India securing an entry into the 2023 Asian Cup.

"The AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers China 2023 are to kick off from November 2021 onwards. We need to finish third in the group to get a secured slot in the Qualifiers. This is our main priority to achieve. If not, then we may need to play the play-offs for the Qualifiers," he signed off. News source: PTI 

Doha, May 20 The Indian football team players underwent COVID-19 tests on arrival and are waiting for results before starting their preparatory camp ahead of the joint Qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup.

The 28-member squad and support staff landed here on Wednesday night from New Delhi.

"The 28 players and the support staff are in compulsory quarantine till they receive the test results of the conducted RT-PCR tests in Doha," the All India Football Federation said in a release.

"The squad will, thereafter, be allowed to kick-off their preparatory camp as part of their preparation for the matches." The team, bolstered by the return of Sunil Chhetri, will have a preparatory camp inside a bio-bubble here before its first match on June 3 against hosts Qatar. The other two matches are against Bangladesh (June 7) and Afghanistan (June 15).

The round of matches is being played in Doha in view of the COVID-19 pandemic situation which doesn't allow the original format of home and away matches.

The Indian team, fourth in Group E with three points, is already out of contention for a World Cup berth but it is still in the reckoning for the 2023 Asian Cup in China.

The AIFF thanked Qatar Football Association (QFA) for allowing the team to arrive much before the matches and have a preparatory camp in Doha. QFA also used its good offices to allow the Indians start training without serving 10-day hard quarantine.

"We are extremely grateful and thankful to the Qatar FA for the manner they went out of the way and helped us begin our camp in Qatar early," AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das said.

"The Group E World Cup Qualifiers will be played from inside a secure bio bubble. We understand that there are certain mandatory health parameters which we need to adhere upon arrival in Doha, which we will do with complete diligence." The Indian players were to have a national camp in Kolkata from May 2 onwards but the raging COVID-19 pandemic in the country led to its cancellation.

The Blue Tigers were also to have a friendly match -- not international -- behind closed doors in Dubai as part of the preparation, but even that had to be cancelled.

"The AIFF President Praful Patel had detailed chats with the President of the Qatar FA who raised our concern with the Prime Minister's Office, after which the 10-day quarantine period was waived off," Das said.

The 28-member squad, along with the support staff, flew out from New Delhi where they were in a compulsory isolation upon their arrival from their respective hometowns from May 15 onwards.

The entire contingent had arrived in New Delhi with mandatory negative RT-PCR test results and had undergone another RT-PCR test prior to flying off to Doha. News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, May 19 Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri made a return after recovering from COVID-19 infection as a 28-member Indian football squad leaves for Doha on Wednesday evening for the three upcoming joint 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

The team will have a preparatory camp inside a bio-bubble in Doha before its first match on June 3 against hosts Qatar.

After missing the two international friendly matches against Oman and the UAE in March, Chhetri is set to feature in the forthcoming games.

As per the health parameters required to travel to Qatar, all the players and staff will carry with them negative results from the RT-PCR COVID-19 tests conducted in the last 48 hours.

Prior to their departure, all of them were serving quarantine in the national capital since May 15.

Head coach Igor Stimac stated that although it is not the "ideal situation" ahead of the June Qualifiers, the Blue Tigers will be putting in "intense" sessions during the camp before their matches get underway.

"It's not an ideal situation as we move ahead to the Qualifiers in June. Due to the pandemic, our national camp which was slated to begin in Kolkata at the beginning of May had to get cancelled.

"The pandemic also robbed us of a friendly match in Dubai," Stimac said.

India's fixtures: June 3: India vs Qatar (10.30pm IST).

June 7: Bangladesh vs India (7.30pm IST).

June 15: India vs Afghanistan (7.30pm IST).

The Squad: Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh.

Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Narender Gehlot, Chinglensana Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Adil Khan, Akash Mishra, Subhashish Bose.

Midfoelders: Udanta Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Rowllin Borges, Glan Martins, Anirudh Thapa, Pronoy Halder, Suresh Singh, Lalengmawia Ralte, Abdul Sahal, Yasir Mohammad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan.

Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh.  News Source : PTI

New Delhi, May 18 India midfielder Anirudh Thapa on Tuesday said that head coach Igor Stimac will find it difficult to pick the team for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers in Qatar as there has been very little football in the last two months.

Due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic, only two matches were possible in the last two months -- the international friendlies against Oman and Qatar on March 25 and 29.

"It will be really difficult for the coach to pick the team. We have not played for nearly two months and it will be difficult for us (players) also," Thapa said at a virtual press conference.

"It (not playing for long) could be at the back of our minds, the concerns over injury, how will you react to a given situation, all these could be there," he said.

The players are serving quarantine at a hotel in the national capital and they are expected to leave for Qatar on Wednesday. They are awaiting the results of their RT-PCR tests for COVID-19.

In Qatar, the team will be in a bio-bubble and train before the first game against the host country on June 3. The other matches are on June 7 (against Bangladesh) and June 15 (against Afghanistan).

India, fourth in Group E points table, is out of reckoning for a 2022 World Cup berth but remains in contention for the 2023 Asian Cup.

Thapa said fortunately, the players are fit and in good shape.

"We get fitness programmes everyday and we have been following them. So, we are fit and hoping to give our best. We were also told there could be matches coming up and to be mentally ready.

"World Cup qualifiers are big matches. We are representing the country and that is motivation enough to give our best." The 23-year-old, however, admitted that the players are not immune to the unprecedented chaos and devastation the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon the country.

"We used to hear our near and dear ones passing away. We are also afraid that ourselves or family members may get the infection. So, we are concerned.

"It is difficult times but we have to remain mentally strong," said Thapa who is yet to get his first COVID-19 vaccine jab due to "unavailability of enough doses" at his place.

India played out a 0-0 draw against reigning Asian champions Qatar in Doha in the first leg in 2019. After that impressive show, India could not win against Bangladesh (at home) and Afghanistan (at neutral venue), playing out identical 1-1 stalemates.

Asked about the areas of improvement if the team wants to put up a good show against Qatar in the second leg, Thapa said, "We have to create more scoring chances, score more goals.

"Against Qatar (in first leg), we played a different style of football. Against Afghanistan and Bangladesh, we played possession football but could not create chances and score goals. That is what we are lacking and that is our main concern." Thapa attributed the 0-6 thrashing by UAE, in the international friendly on March 29, to inexperience of the rookie players. Stimac had given debuts to more than 10 players in the two international friendlies in March.

"Nobody was expecting the result. We played well against UAE in 2019 Asian Cup but it was opposite in that (0-6 loss). Coach was disappointed and told us we need to work harder." On the personal front, Thapa said he spent time during lockdown reading books related to environment and football superstars Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar as well on Michelle Obama, the former first lady of the USA.

He said he recently changed his name on his phone and Instagram to 'thapinio' and 'ipadnio' as it is easier for other people to identify, especially European players and coaches. News Source : PTI

Melbourne, May 17 Cricket Australia's interim chief executive Nick Hockley on Monday said he was "grateful" to the BCCI for ensuring a "safe and quick" return of Australia's IPL contingent from India following a stopover in Maldives.

Australian players, including Pat Cummins, David Warner and Steve Smith, arrived in Sydney almost two weeks after the T20 league was indefinitely suspended following a breach in its COVID-19 bio-security bubble.

"We are delighted. We're really grateful to the BCCI for getting them home quickly and safely. I haven't spoken to them since they've landed, but obviously we've been in text exchange and I'm sure they'll be very relieved and very appreciative to be home," Hockey was quoted as saying in Sydney Morning Herald.

A group of 38 Australians, including 14 players, had left for Maldives on May 6 after the suspension of IPL 2021 as their government had banned flights from India till May 15 in the wake of unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases there.

Besides the players, the arriving group included support staff and commentators, who were all flown out of India to the Maldives via chartered planes after the IPL's suspension.

The Australia cricketers, support staff and commentators will undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine across hotels in Sydney before leaving for their respective destinations.

The IPL was suspended 29 matches into the season.

Chennai Super Kings' batting coach Michael Hussey also headed home on Sunday via Doha after testing negative for COVID-19 on Friday. He had tested positive for the virus on May 4 and was brought to Chennai from Delhi in an air ambulance. News Source :  PTI

Melbourne, May 17 Australia's IPL players, including Pat Cummins and Steve Smith, arrived in Sydney on Monday after a stop-over at Maldives due to travel ban from COVID-ravaged India, almost two weeks after the T20 league was suspended due to the health crisis.

Most of the 38 members of the Australian contingent, including players, officials and commentators who participated at the non-suspended league, landed at the Sydney airport this morning after spending 10 days at Maldives.

The lucrative league was indefinitely suspended on May 5 after four players and two coaches from four different teams tested positive inside the bio-bubble.

Australian players, however, couldn't head home immediately as the country had imposed a travel ban from India, which is battling a deadly second wave of the coronavirus.

They will all be spending two weeks in a Sydney hotel for the mandatory quarantine.

According to national broadcaster ABC, Smith, Cummins, batsman David Warner and Ricky Ponting, who coached Delhi Capitals, were among the people on the Air Seychelles flight.

Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey also headed home on Sunday via Doha after testing negative for COVID-19 on Friday. He had tested positive on May 4 and was brought to Chennai from Delhi in an air ambulance.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday said the players and officials were not given any special dispensation.

"They are happy, for them to come in over the cap. That is something we insisted upon and they were to agree with that, Morrison was quoted as saying by ABC.

"They will come back under their own steam, upon their own ticket, and they won't be taking the spot in quarantine of any other Australian who is returning home under the NSW caps." News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, May 7 Leaving no stone unturned for his maiden Olympics, ace Indian paddler G. Sathiyan has requested the government to arrange the table which will be used at the Tokyo Games.

The 28-year-old had notched comfortable win at the Asian Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Doha in March to qualify for his maiden Summer Games.

"I am trying to get a TT table to be used in Olympics so if things can come together, definitely, it'd be one of the best preparations and very intense preparation," said Sathiyan during a virtual press-conference arranged by Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Friday.

"I am planning to get the the San-Ei absolute W advance table, which will be used in the Olympics. I have put up the proposal to TOPS. That is one of the tables which is never used in any of the competitions." Sathiyan's request will be considered under the government's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

He is also working on adding more variety to his game ahead of the mega event.

"We've been working on a lot of technical aspects of course, a lot more into strokes which are more powerful. I think I've been a very good player on the speed practice, but I think I need to put on more power inject more power into the strokes, so working on that.

"I have been working on the variations I think you will be seeing a Sathiyan with a lot of variations on the table...you will be seeing a lot of different kinds of variations in every aspect on my slopes, serves and receives coming into the table, which will give a new flavour when I play the players at the Olympics." Sathiyan, who is training with sparring partner Anirban Ghosh in Chennai until the Olympics, is hopeful of training on the table which will be used in the Olympics.

With widespread travel restrictions on India and several state governments imposing lockdowns, travelling abroad for training or competitions is a difficult task but the world no 38 is content with training at home.

“So we play some practice matches in Chennai, but that's what we're looking at. If there is a mini Indian camp. There's also been talks for a camp to be organized with Sharath (Kamal).

"There's a possibility, things get better if I go in and play some matches, but it's mostly going to be preparation in India." Sathiyan feels playing in the Polish and Japanese leagues helped him lot in the past one year when international events were scarce.

“I went to Poland, beginning of April, played some quality matches three or four quality matches and won it at all. So, that really helps in playing the Olympic qualifiers in the national events because match practice is something very important, especially in a sport like table tennis.” “Playing Japan League and what is league I was really lucky, despite the circumstances I was able to play quality matches, not only matches, but some high intensity training with top players." Indian table tennis has improved leaps and bounds in the past couple of years and Sathiyan feels winning at the Asian Games instilled the belief that India too can challenge traditional powerhouses like Japan.

“The Asian Games I think that is the one event, that changed the overall mindset of the entire Indian TT fraternity. That winning against Japan, a very formidable team in an event like Asian Games, put lot of belief in ourselves in the entire Indian TT community that we can win against the superpowers and that really made a difference." News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, May 7 The Malaysia Open Super 750 tournament, one of badminton's last two Olympic qualifying events, was on Friday postponed due to a recent COVID-19 surge in the host country, dealing a severe blow to the Tokyo hopes of Indian stars like Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth.

The USD 600,000 event was scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur from May 25 to 30.

"All attempts were made by the organisers and BWF to provide a safe tournament environment for all participants, but the recent surge in cases left no choice but to postpone the tournament," Badminton World Federation said in a statement.

"BWF can confirm the rescheduled tournament will no longer take place in the Olympic qualifying window. New tournament dates will be confirmed at a later date." The decision came as a huge setback for London Olympics bronze-medallist Saina and men's star Srikanth's last hopes of Olympic qualification.

Following the postponement of the India Open (May 11-16), Saina and Srikanth's qualification for the Tokyo Games hinged on the Kuala Lumpur event followed by the Singapore Open (June 1-6).

It is highly unlikely that the Indian duo will be able to travel to Singapore as the country has suspended all flights from COVID-ravaged India.

The Badminton Association of India had earlier said that as per the laid-out guidelines, for any Indian to enter Singapore, they have to either be in quarantine in a foreign country other than India for 14 days to be allowed to enter Singapore.

"Alternatively all players have to maintain a 21 days quarantine in Singapore." Malaysia too has banned all flights from India and BAI had been exploring alternative routes to reach there via Doha or Sri Lanka but with the suspension of the Kuala Lumpur event, efforts would now be directed towards Singapore.

Indian shuttlers who have already made the cut for the Olympics include PV Sindhu, B Sai Praneeth and the men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.

Besides the quartet, Srikanth, Saina and the women's doubles pair of N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa were supposed to participate in the two Olympic qualifiers. News Source : PTI 

Rugby is a sport which is not commonly associated with India. There are no All Blacks and their famous Haka to intimidate opponents before the game has even begun. Most people on the streets would never have heard of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Jonah Lomu or Brian O’Driscoll, but the sport is quickly growing, especially in the tier 2 and 3 cities of India. Why is that?

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, we are exploring that question with the CEO of Rugby India, Mr. Nasser Hussain. He’s the former captain of the Indian Rugby team and has featured in the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, XVI Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, XV Asian Games in Doha, Qatar and the Asia Rugby Championships from 2004 to 2013.

How much of an inspiration has your father been in your love for rugby? How was the experience of playing alongside him?

He has undoubtedly been an inspiration and a driving force behind my involvement in the sport. I remember in my early days going to watch him while he played for the club team. I have some recollection of messing around the field with a rugby ball, throwing it around without knowing anything about the game. He encouraged me to play sports in school and take up rugby professionally. I started in 1995 at the age of 15 and there has been no looking back since. I’ve been lucky and privileged to have a father who was involved in the sport and having the opportunity to play alongside him not just for the club team but also for the national team. When India played its very first game internationally, my dad was the captain and I was the youngest player in the team. It wasn’t always easy because of the father and son relationship, because I had to do extra compared to other players but looking back, they are fond memories and will stay with me and my dad as well.

How has the interest in rugby grown from 1998 when you made your debut for India until today? What do you consider the reason for this?

There have been massive strides, back in the day it was only played by a few clubs in Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta and Bangalore so there were only a handful of teams and only one major tournament in a year. Since then, there has been tremendous growth in the game and one of the major driving forces behind this has been the National Governing Body for the sport in India i.e. the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU) aka Rugby India as they are popularly called. Their strategic focus and vision has contributed to the growth, especially at the grassroot level since the last decade. Reaching out to the youth and the masses has been significant and successful and we have managed to get the sport included in the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) at the Under 14, 17 and 19 level for boys and girls. Multiple national level tournaments are held across the country throughout the year so there has been huge strides that the sport has taken which is largely due to the IRFU Board members and other stakeholders who are driving it forward.

How challenging has it been to promote rugby in India? How can those challenges be overcome?

It has been a challenge and continues to be. Being a sport that’s not popular in terms of following and understanding, educating the masses has been a challenge which we are addressing. There is a usual mix-up between Rugby and American-Football and there is a misconception that it’s a dangerous sport and we are trying to change that mindset. Yes, it’s a contact sport but not necessarily a dangerous sport. We have had to be creative and innovative in terms of our approach such as reaching out to schools with the non-contact ‘Touch Rugby’ version of the sport. It follows the same fabric of the game but looks at various aspects such as teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership, decision making and respect which are the core values of rugby. In the last 4-5 years we’ve rolled out the ‘Get Into Rugby’ (GIR) programme, a World Rugby initiative towards growing the game and we have incorporated it with Touch Rugby to make it easier for schools, teachers, parents to accept rugby because it’s the non-contact version and once the athlete/participant is ‘Rugby Ready’, they will progress and move on to the contact version of the sport. World Rugby carries out an annual review for GIR and in 2019, India ranked number 1 globally, in terms of participation reach through the GIR programme and has been number 1 in Asia consecutively over the last three years. I can confidently say that the Get Into Rugby programme has played a significant role in introducing the sport and had a massive impact in growing the game in India.



What has been the response in promoting rugby for women? Where do you get most of the talent from?

Women's rugby got introduced only in 2009, it's been only ten years that they have been involved in the sport, the response we have received has been overwhelming and exceptional, it's something that we did not envisage. To be honest, we were quite weary when we were introducing women's rugby but we have been proven wrong and the kind of response and hunger we see amongst the women to learn and be involved is fantastic.

Surprisingly a lot of interest comes from tier two cities, smaller towns and villages. A lot of our players are from rural and tribal India and it's been amazing to stumble upon this. What we have realised is the lack of opportunity available to women in sports, especially a team sport and we have managed to address that and provide the girls of our country a structured programme which they are more than willing to participate in it. The hotbeds for women's rugby are Odisha, Bihar, remote areas of West Bengal, districts of Maharashtra, likes of Delhi, Haryana as well as Kerala from South India. Also, something that we as Rugby India have stressed upon is that all our programmes, at least in the last 5-7 years are gender inclusive. There is no programme, event tournament or initiative that we would do only for men, it has to have women and girls involved as well and the numbers are increasing day by day. In our National level tournaments we get 24 to 25 states in the men and close to about 21 -22 states in the women that participate, so they are pretty much at par and considering they have been only involved in the last ten years, that's quite significant.

How realistic are the aspirations to make it to the 2024 Summer Olympics? What needs to be done to achieve that goal?

Honestly, it's quite tough for 2024. We have in our internal planning looked at L.A 2028 and are trying to work towards that. We have also made a presentation to that effect to the Ministry of Sport as well and they have been very receptive of it and positive in terms of the feedback that we have got. No doubt we will still strive to be part of 2024 but realistically I think 2028 is something we should be focusing on. Yes we can use the milestones in between; be it the Commonwealth Games or the Asian Games that fall from between now and 2028 as the events or stepping stones towards the Olympics. There are a couple of things that we have actually highlighted and one of the reasons we reached out to the Ministry of Sports was the re-categorisation of rugby. Currently rugby is categorized by the Ministry under ‘Other Sports’, the lowest category, and we have tried to make a case for this to be reviewed and the category changes to ‘Priority’, which is one level higher and being an Olympic sport, one would fall into that category. The minute that happens, we will get a lot more support from the Ministry in terms of the annual calendar, training and competition and the support towards facilities and infrastructure which probably are our major challenges that we face currently. If we manage to address this, it would free up a bit of resources that we can focus on the high-performance side and directly on our Olympics target.

What are your goals from Rugby in India in the future? How do you plan to achieve them?

It's been a good journey and we are going through an exciting time at the moment. I would personally want to see the sport getting the recognition that is due from the ministry and enhanced visibility from a broadcasting standpoint. We are also seeing corporates taking notice and one worth mentioning is Societe Generale, who are our current partners of Rugby India. Not only have Societe Generale invested in the National teams and top end of the sport but also supported the grassroots development. Investing towards both ends of the sport is testament to their long-term relationship and commitment towards growing the game. I think we need to get more corporations taking notice and looking at investing with a long-term perspective. From an achievements point of view, I think it's only a matter of time to break into top 3 or top 5 in Asia. That's something we could probably do in the next 5 years if we were given the right support, resources and backing in terms of infrastructure as well.
 

New Delhi, May 6 Hockey India (HI) on Thursday said it will transfer Rs five lakh to help in the treatment of former India player and coach M K Kaushik who is fighting the battle against COVID-19 in a city nursing home here.

The 66-year-old Kaushik, a member of the 1980 Moscow Olympics gold-medal winning Indian team, had tested positive for the dreaded virus last month.

"Hockey India will transfer Rs 5.00 Lacs to the Hospital where Mr M K Kaushik Hockey Olympian is being treated in Delhi on opening of Lockdown in Delhi on Monday 10th May, Mr Eshan Kaushik Son of Mr M K Kaushik has been told about it on phone," HI said in a statement.

Despite showing symptoms, Kaushik's RTPCR and RAT tests had returned negative on April 17. However, a CT scan on chest on and pneumonia due to COVID was detected a week later.

"Since then he has been hospitalized and his condition is between, neither stable nor serious. His oxygen level drops drastically at night which is a major issue," Eshan had told PTI.

Kaushik had coached both the senior men and women teams. Under his coaching, India men's team had won an Asian Games in Bangkok in 1998.

Also, Indian women team had won bronze medal at the Doha Asian Games in 2006 under his coaching.

He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1998, before being bestowed with the Dronacharya award in 2002.

India is battling a devastating second wave of COVID-19 pandemic which has been killing over 3,000 people everyday. News Source : PTI

Mangal Singh is an Indian archer who has represented India in many International tournaments. He has won medals at the Asian Games, World Cups, Archery Championships and has even represented the country at the Olympics. 

In an exclusive interview with SPOGO, Mangal Singh spoke about his career so far, his inspirations, the importance of mental health, challenges faced by archers and promoting the sport at the grassroot level. 
When were you first introduced to archery? When did you realize that it’s a sport you can pursue professionally?

I had heard about archery during the 1992 Olympics while Limba Ram sir was playing. My elder brother told me about him and the Olympic games. In 1993, the Sports Authority of India were carrying out selection trials in our school and that’s how I got formally introduced to the sport. I was selected for the SAI after the trails and went to Ranchi, Jharkhand. In the same year, we participated in the state championship. I was extremely impressed by the new ground, top archers and the atmosphere there. I really thought I could play like them. So that's how it started.



Who have been some of the most influential people in your journey so far?

Limba Ram sir, Japan's Olympic medalist Yamamoto and Olympic Champion Justin Huish. I saw him a couple of times on my TV and I also had his video cassette, which I would ardently watch to make a note of his shooting style and all the preparations he did. I have also met Yamamoto a couple of times. They were my idols and motivated me in my career.

What is the most memorable moment of your career?

It has to be the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar, Doha where we won the very first medal for the country as India hadn't won any medals in the Asian games. That was my biggest and most memorable achievement.



In 2009, you received the Arjuna Award by the President of India. How proud are you of that achievement?

I'm very proud. Especially for all the hard work and training my coaches put in me and I could live up to their expectations. I'm proud of myself and my coaches. I put up relentless hard work for it. By the time I was honoured with the Arjuna award, I had played in the Olympics, earned medals at Asian Games, World Cup, Commonwealth and at state levels. I’m proud that I could do it for my country and got rewarded for the same.



What do you think of India’s chances of winning medals at archery in the Tokyo Olympics?

Yes I definitely believe India can win medals at archery. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the players in training camps will not have distractions and can only focus on the preparations. They are not even allowed to go outside or get holidays during the weekends. I think it’s a good time to prepare since they can focus all their attention to archery. I have big hopes pinned on them for the upcoming Olympic games.



What can be done to promote archery at the grassroot level? 

The first thing I would like to say is that archery academies should be opened at the village level and archers at every level should be given the necessary equipment along with access to physiotherapists, doctors and massages for rest and recovery. Archers are expected to practice from morning to the evening and the shoulders face a lot of strain which becomes painful. That’s why physiotherapists and doctors are necessary. The cities already have academies but the villages don’t, and if we hope to compete at the highest level, these facilities are necessary.  

As a professional archer who has competed at many International tournaments, how important would you say is mental health to be successful? 

That’s a good question, not just for archers but the sport. Mental health, psychology and training the mind to achieve a balance is necessary. Archers also have to learn to do yoga to control breathing, it's important for the mind and body to work cohesively. Only after all this has been achieved can the mind focus at its maximum capacity to shoot on target. If you’re not mentally strong, you will be distracted and that’s why breathing and yoga are so important to remain mentally focused. 



What are the challenges Indian archers face and what can be done to solve them?

Let’s assume there is no problem with the equipment or physical and mental fitness. The next challenge lies in replicating the conditions where the next tournament is held. Training needs to be held in conditions where the wind pressure, speed, direction and temperature are almost identical to where the tournament is taking place. This will help archers be better prepared for what’s to come and use their training before the tournament to achieve better results. 

What would be your message to aspiring archers in the country?

The challenges that archers face, whether it’s at a physical or mental level are very demanding. It requires patience and discipline and archery helps people improve their lives. It’s a sport that teaches you a lot of things that can be applied in daily life. Archery requires speed, power, patience and mental strength just like any other sport. Aspiring archers should not get disheartened if they don’t manage to achieve many medals in the sport because they will learn a lot of qualities that will help them in life. 

Who are the people who have helped you in your journey so far?

Whatever I have achieved is because of other people, my coaches, the AAI secretary general Mr. Paresh Nath Mukherjee, Andhra Pradesh district president Mr. Cherukuri Satyanarayana and my brother who used to take me on the cycle from the village to my training center. The players, officials and coaches have helped me reach where I am, I hope they pray for me and help me going forward so that I can achieve more. I also want to thank the media who tell the public about us and make us heroes. 

New Delhi, May 5 Former India hockey player and coach M K Kaushik has tested positive for COVID-19 and admitted to a nursing home here.

The oxygen saturation level of the 66-year-old, a member of the 1980 Moscow Olympics gold-medal winning Indian team, keeps fluctuating, according to his family.

"He is suffering from COVID-19 and is hospitalized in a city nursing home here," his son Ehsan told PTI.

"He first developed symptoms on April 17 but RTPCR and RAT tests came negative. Then we did his CT scan on chest on April 24 and pneumonia due to Covid was detected.

"Since then he has been hospitalized and his condition is between, neither stable nor serious. His oxygen level drops drastically at night which is a major issue," he added.

Kaushik's wife was also getting treatment at the same hospital after contracting the virus but she is recovering well and is likely to be discharged this week.

"My mother has recovered now and she should be discharged within 2-3 days," Ehsan said.

Kaushik had coached both the senior men and women teams. Under his coaching, India men's team had won their last major international tournament, the 1998 Asian Games, Bangkok.

Also, Indian women team had won bronze medal at the Doha Asian Games in 2006 under his coaching.

He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1998, before being bestowed with the Dronacharya award in 2002.

India is battling a devastating second wave of COVID-19 pandemic which has been killing more than 3000 people everyday. News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, Apr 29 India's top umpire Nitin Menon has pulled out of the ongoing IPL after his family was struck by a couple of COVID-19 cases, while his Australian counterpart Paul Reiffel's attempts at leaving hit a dead end because of his country's suspension of air travel with India.

It is learnt that Menon, a resident of Indore, has left the IPL bio-bubble after his wife and mother tested positive for COVID-19. Menon is the only Indian in the ICC elite panel of umpires and was recently praised for his work during India's home series against England.

"Yes, Nitin has left as his immediate family members have COVID-19 and he is currently not in a mental state to conduct games," a BCCI official told PTI.

In Reiffel's case, the Australian government's imposition of a travel ban on flights to and from India in the wake of the rising COVID-19 cases here led to him being unable to leave the bubble after initial information suggested that he has made the move.

"I tried to, but the flight through Doha, I wasn't able to go through as an Australian," Reiffel told the 'Herald' and 'The Age' on Thursday from his hotel in Ahmedabad.

"They shut the avenue off. I know a couple of the guys got back that way through there, but the avenue was closed so I had to stay. Yesterday, I was booked to go, but it got cancelled," he said.

Reiffel will, therefore, now go back only after the end of the tournament on May 30.

"I was 10 minutes away from leaving the bubble, so I'm very lucky," Reiffel said.

Menon is the second Indian to pull out of the tournament after off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who also went home after all his family members tested positive.

Three Australians Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa left home due to the unprecedented health crisis in India.

However, the BCCI is going ahead with the tournament and interim CEO Hemang Amin has assured all players and support staff that they remain safe in the bio-bubble.

BCCI is likely to replace Menon with an umpire from its own pool of umpires. News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, Apr 28 An Indian athletics team, including star sprinters Hima Das and Dutee Chand, was on Wednesday forced out of next month's Olympic qualifying World Athletics Relays in Poland after the suspension of a connecting flight to Amsterdam owing to a record-shattering spike in COVID-19 cases here.

The women's 4x100m and the men's 4x400m relay teams were to board a KLM flight to Amsterdam in the wee hours on Thursday but the Dutch government suspended flights from India effective Monday evening.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) tried to book an alternate flight available to any European city en route to Silesia in Poland where the event will be held on May 1 and 2 as there is no direct flight to Poland from India.

Adille J Sumariwalla, AFI President said, "We are very disappointed at this moment. There are no direct flights between Indian airports and Warsaw, Poland. This meant that despite the best efforts, the squad could not be rerouted on another airline." "For the last 24-hours we have been consistently trying to find alternatives... We have been constantly speaking to the Organisers, the World Athletics, various consulates and airlines to reroute them. Under the present scenario nobody has obliged," he added.

S Dhanalakshmi, who had beaten Dutee in the final of women's 100m sprint in the Federation Cup last month, was also named in the team, along with Archana Suseendran, Himashree Roy and AT Daneshwari.

India were also set to field teams in the men's 4x400m event to be held in Chorzow, Silesia, in Poland.

The top eight teams from the World Athletics Relays will automatically qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

The women's 4x400m relay team had earlier pulled out as more than two members were unfit.

The Indian mixed 4x400m relay team has already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after reaching the final during the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

The AFI was hopeful of the women's 4x100m relay team qualifying from the Poland event.

The World Relays would have been the first major international event for Indian sprinters since the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha in April 2019.

The Indian women's 4x100m team includes Hima Das, Dutee Chand, Dhanalaxmi Sekhar, Archana Suseentran, Daneshwari TA and Himashree Roy while men's 4x400m squad is comprised of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Arokia Rajeev, Amoj Jacob, Nirmal Noah Tom and Sarthak Bhambri. News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 28 Star sprinters Hima Das and Dutee Chand might miss the Olympic qualifying World Athletics Relays in Poland on May 1 and 2 as the Indian team's connecting flight to Amsterdam has been suspended following the record-shattering spike in the country's COVID-19 case load.

The women's 4x100m and the men's 4x400m relay teams were to board a KLM flight to Amsterdam in the wee hours on Thursday but the Dutch government has suspended flights from India effective Monday evening.

The Athletics Federation of India is trying to book an alternate flight available to any European city en route to Silesia in Poland where the event will be held. There is no direct flight to Poland from India.

"There is a serious doubt that our team may not be able to take part in the World Relays. Many European countries have suspended flights from India. So, we may be stuck and there is a high possibility that the team may not go for the event," a top AFI official told PTI.

"But still we are trying, talking to the government and to our embassies if they can help our athletes to fly in any European city like Frankfurt from where they can proceed to Poland. We are also trying for any connecting flight to Dubai or any other West Asian city." S Dhanalakshmi, who had beaten Dutee in the final of women's 100m sprint in the Federation Cup last month, was also named in the team, along with Archana Suseendran, Himashree Roy and AT Daneshwari.

India will also field teams in the men's 4x400m in the event to be held in Chorzow, Silesia, in Poland.

The top eight teams from the World Athletics Relays will automatically qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

The women's 4x400m relay team has pulled out of the event as more than two members are unfit.

The Indian mixed 4x400m relay team has already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after reaching the final during the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

The AFI was hopeful of the women's 4x100m relay team qualifying for the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo.

The World Relays will be the first major international event for Indian sprinters since the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha in April 2019. News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, Apr 26 Anxiety pierced through IPL's bio-secure bubble on Monday with leading Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and some Australian players withdrawing from the league amid the escalating COVID-19 crisis in India even as the BCCI insisted that the glitzy league will go on. The 34-year-old Ashwin, competing for Delhi Capitals, decided to take a break saying that his family is currently "putting up a fight against COVID-19" and he wants to support them. He hopes to return to the side "if things go in the right direction". However, Andrew Tye (Rajastan Royals) and the duo of Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa (both Royal Challengers Bangalore) withdrew as apprehension set in after a couple of weeks went by smoothly for the league being held in front of empty stands across nine venues. While Zampa and Richardson have not yet spoken about their "personal reasons" for leaving, Tye said he feared getting locked out of his own country owing to mounting quarantine cases from India in his hometown Perth. "I just thought to try and get on the front foot and get home before I got locked out of the country...think I've had 11 days at home out of the bubble since August, so for me I just wanted to get home," Tye told 'SEN Radio' from Doha, the transit point before his flight to Perth. The BCCI, on its part, insisted that the event will continue and it wouldn't come in the way of those wanting to leave. "As of now, IPL is going ahead. Obviously, if anyone wants to leave, that's perfectly fine," a senior Board official said on conditions of anonymity. While leg-spinner Zampa was bought for Rs 1.5 crore, RCB spent Rs 4 crore to buy pacer Richardson at the players' auction. Richardson featured in one match for RCB, returning figures of 1 for 29 in three overs against Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai, but Zampa couldn't make it to the playing XI this season. The 34-year-old Tye had also not got a game with the Royals so far and his contract with the franchise was worth Rs one crore. India is recording over 3 lakh daily cases for the past few days and the health infrastructure is struggling to handle the rise with shortage of oxygen and some crucial medicines adding to the crisis. Kolkata Knight Riders mentor David Hussey acknowledged that Australians in the IPL are a "bit nervous" about getting back home in the wake of the situation here. "Everyone is sort of a bit nervous about whether they can get back into Australia. I dare say there will be a few other Australians a bit nervous about getting back into Australia," Hussey, a former Australia international, told the 'Sydney Morning Herald'. Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association also issued a joint statement on Monday, saying that they are monitoring the situation. "Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association remain in regular contact with Australian players, coaches and commentators taking part in the Indian Premier League, which is being conducted under strict bio-security protocols," the two bodies said. "We will continue to listen to feedback from those on the ground in India and the advice of the Australian Government. Our thoughts are with the people of India at this difficult time." Several England and New Zealand players are also competing in the event but haven't yet spoken about their concerns. "We continue to monitor and work with the players on an individual basis. Our thoughts are with the people of India during these difficult times," a spokesperson of the England and Wales Cricket Board told PTI. The players from New Zealand, including stars such Kane Williamson and Trent Boult, are expected to leave early in any case as they have a Test series against England starting June 2. They will have to head back in last week of May to be available for it because of quarantine rules. The IPL final is scheduled to be held on May 30 in Ahmedabad. Australia, it is learnt, might arrange a chartered flight for its IPL cricketers once their engagement is over. As many as 14 Australian players now remain in the event, including stars such as Steve Smith (DC), David Warner (SunRisers Hyderabad) and Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders), as well as coaches Ricky Ponting (DC) and Simon Katich (RCB). Commentators Matthew Hayden, Brett Lee, Michael Slater and Lisa Sthalekar are also among the Australians involved with the league right now. News Source : PTI

Table Tennis was a sport that was primarily dominated by nations like China and Japan, and usually saw Indians struggling most of the time if not always while competing against top international opponents. This has changed in recent years with the introduction of Ultable Table Tennis, which featured not only the country’s star players but also had youngsters lock horns with the world's top paddlers and also managed to defeat them.

This was followed by several consistent winning performances by Indians against elite international players on the world stage.

On World Table Tennis Day, we list down  top-5 sensational victories by Indian paddlers against some of the world's greatest players during three editions of Ultimate Table Tennis.



Stunning Sathiyan

Current national champion Gnanasekaran Sathiyan was one of the biggest discoveries of the first edition of Ultimate Table Tennis in 2017. The Tamil Nadu paddler stole the limelight when he stunned World No. 8 Wong Chun Ting of Hong Kong 2-1 while playing for Dabang Smashers T.T.C.

Sathiyan's world ranking was 110 when he beat Ting. With this win, he displayed his remarkable skills and quick gameplay. Two years later, the Indian was once again up against the same opponent at an international competition —the 2019 ITTF Asian Cup.

Sathiyan riding on the confidence gained from the win in UTT went on to record one of the biggest triumphs of his international career with the 12-10, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 scoreline facing the World Cup bronze medallist. With some notable performances he also earned a career-best 24th rank — highest ever for an Indian.



Super Sutirtha

Sutirtha, who was ranked outside 200 in the world, had a great run at the last season of Ultimate Table Tennis in 2019. Playing for U Mumba, Sutirtha came into everyone’s attention when she upset World No. 9 Cheng I-Ching to take her side into the semi-finals.

The West Bengal paddler put up a stunning performance to register a 2-1 victory against the World Championship silver medalist star player from Chinese Taipei. Later in January 2020 at the World Team Qualifiers she played a pivotal role and kept the Indian hopes alive with a brilliant 3-2 win against World No. 19 Bernadette Szocs before the side went down 2-3 against Romania. Sutirtha, who is currently ranked in top 100 has already booked a place for her first Olympics at the 2020 Tokyo Games.



Manav's Magic

Currently ranked at No. 1 in the World U-21 along with being the first-ever Indian to achieve this milestone, Manav Thakkar has proved to be a promising youngster with some sensational performances on many occasions while appearing in the three editions of UTT. 

In the second edition in 2018 while he locked horns with an opponent from Sweden, who was 223 places above him in the rankings, the 18-year-old showcased great skill sets and composure and shocked the world when he rattled World No. 18 Kristian Karlsson 2-1 to bag his team Empowerji Challengers a memorable victory.



Magnificent Manika

Indian Table Tennis' star Manika Batra put in remarkable performances in the first edition of Ultimate Table Tennis. Batra, while representing Dabang Smashers T.T.C. in season 2 put up one of the noteworthy  performances of the league when she upstaged World No. 18 Sofia Polcanova of Austria 2-1. Batra, presently ranked 63 has been among the country’s most consistent performers on the international stage.



Scintillating Sharath

Achanta Sharath Kamal, the record nine-time national champion is presently India's most experienced paddler. Seasoned war horse Sharath recorded a remarkable win in the second edition of UTT when he out performed the World Championships silver medalist Mattias Falck. The experienced Indian knocked down Swedish World No. 20 2-1 while playing for the Team Warriors. Earlier last year, Sharath won his first ITTF title after a ten year long wait at Oman Open and he also upset World No. 16 German paddler Patrick Franziska at the recent WTT Star Contender Doha before bagging a spot for his fourth Olympic Games.  
 

Dubai, Mar 24 (PTI) Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri will not be there to inspire but a young Indian team will seek to play fearless football against a more fancied Oman in its first international match in more than a year here on Thursday. Chhetri is not with the team for the two international friendlies here -- the second one against the UAE on Saturday -- as he is recovering from COVID-19. But the side with an average age of just over 24 is raring to go in its first international match after November 2019 and many of them have done well in the recent Indian Super League for their respective franchises. Head coach Igor Stimac has said that the youngsters will be given ample chances to prove themselves and they should play free and fearless football. "We need to come to the pitch without any fear, we need to try to make our transitions properly, and we need to try and enjoy the possession that we have. That's what I want to ask of my players," Stimac had said ahead of the camp here. The absence of Chhetri, the second highest international goal-getter among active players, will be felt greatly but India did pull off a goal-less draw against Asian champions Qatar in Doha without the star striker in a 2022 World Cup qualifying round match in 2019. "It's a big miss, not having Chhetri bhai in the squad. But I'm sure the boys will take this as an opportunity and we have to play together as a team," said number one goalkeeper and senior player Gurpreet Singh Sandhu who has led the side on many occasions. Fortunately for Stimac, the 27-member squad is a mixture of players who have been with the team earlier and new faces like Akash Mishra, Liston Colaco, Ishan Pandita, Bipin Singh and Lalengmawia. The rookies would be especially eager to showcase their talent after making an impact in the ISL. The likes of Amrinder Singh, Chinglensana Singh, Rowllin Borges and Lallianzuala Chhangte have been the top Indian performers for their ISL teams and they will be propped up by experienced campaigners like Gurpreet, Sandesh Jhingan and Anirudh Thapa. The All Indian Football Federation's move to play international friendlies against strong teams like Oman and the UAE ahead of the joint 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifying round matches in June have been hailed by Stimac and Chhetri. It is expected to be a tough match against Oman who have beaten India in both the legs of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in 2019. Oman are ranked 81st in the FIFA chart while India are at 104th but Stimac's men should take confidence from the fact that they were on equal terms with the Gulf side in the home leg match of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Guwahati. In fact, India were running away with the match after Chhetri gave them the lead. Oman, however, struck two late goals to win the match. The 2017 Gulf Cup winners also won the second leg in Muscat 1-0. Oman are coming into Thursday's match after playing out a goal-less draw with Jordan on Saturday. Before that, their last match was in December 2019 in the Gulf Cup where they lost to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. History also favours Oman as they have won five times in the six matches played against India in the last decade. One match ended in a draw. India are out of reckoning for a 2022 World Cup berth but are still in contention for qualification in the 2023 Asian Cup. Indian Team (From): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Dheeraj Singh, Ashutosh Mehta, Akash Mishra, Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh, Adil Khan, Mandar Rao Dessai, Mashoor Shereef, Rowllin Borges, Lalengmawia, Jeakson Singh, Raynier Fernandes, Anirudh Thapa, Bipin Singh, Yasir Mohammad, Suresh Singh, Halicharan Narzary, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Ashique Kuruniyan, Manvir Singh, Ishan Pandita, Hitesh Sharma, Liston Colaco. Match Starts at 7.15pm IST; to be telecast live on Eurosport.

According to a press release by Ultimate Table Tennis, star paddlers Achanta Sharath Kamal, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra kick started their WTT Star Contender Doha campaign in high spirits and cruised into the second round of their singles categories on Monday.

Sharath Kamal, the Melbourne Commonwealth Games champion struggled in the beginning stages of the match as he went down in the first game against Brian Afanador. The World No. 32 however bounced back impressively to set the tone and didn't give any further chance to his counterpart and sealed the match 8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-1 against the Puerto Rican during the men’s singles first round. The Indian paddler will now take on the World No. 16 Patrick Franziska from Germany in the next round on Tuesday.



World No. 37 Sathiyan was also down to 0-2 in the match before making a brilliant comeback with a stunning counter attacking show and sealed a 9-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 win against his French opponent Emmanuael Lebesson in the first round of men’s singles competition. Sathiyan will now have a tough job in the next round as he will be up against World No. 5 Japanese paddler Tomokazu Harimoto.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Batra made a clinical straight-set 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 victory against China's Taipei’s Hsein-Tzu Cheng during the women’s singles opening round match and advanced into the next round where she will face World No. 3 Mima Ito of Japan.

Sathiyan, Sharath Kamal and Batra have won direct entries into the singles competition in the current tournament. The second round matches will be held on Tuesday.



Earlier in the first qualifying round of men’s singles, Anthony Amalraj faced a 6-11, 11-9, 3-11, 7-11 loss against Japan's Mizuki Oikawa whereas Harmeet Desai suffered a loss to Ukraine’s Yevhen Pryshchepa - 10-12, 9-11, 11-13, 9-11.

In the women’s singles qualifiers, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ahyika Mukherjee didn't qualify for the third round. Sutirtha lost a hard-fought 11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 9-11, 9-11 battle to Korea's Hayeong Kim while Ayhika had to see a 5-11, 11-13, 7-11 defeat against Romania's Irina Ciobanu.

According to a press release by Electronic Sports Federation of India (ESFI), the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) have confirmed the introduction of a new program, ‘Road to Asian Games’ for the 2022 Asian Games. The AESF will be the exclusive organizer of ‘Road to Asian Games’ and will be the first of its kind to bring fair and equal opportunities to publishers and bring advanced Esports development not just in Asia but around the world. The campaign will also introduce an education program for participating E sports athletes to share Olympic Movement and Values throughout the world. Grassroot development, inclusion programs, career pathways, health and wellbeing support as well as the rights and protection of athletes will be the key area of focus. Here’s what Mr. Lokesh Suji, Director of ESFI and Vice President of AESF had to say, “Electronic Sports Federation of India (ESFI) is a full member of the Asian body-Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) and as a member nation, we are extremely proud and applaud this joint initiative. As much as I personally congratulate the sustained efforts put by our President Mr Kenneth Fok and the entire AESF team. This is also an opportune time for the Indian esports athletes to be more conscious and be part of the Championships organised by ESFI and help us to make the national ranking scrims/tournaments more wholesome and meaningful in terms of not only being extremely competitive but also reaching out to the talented esports athletes across the country who are looking for opportunities to play for India and represent at the highest platforms including Asian Games in the coming times. We are at the moment also waiting for the game titles to be announced so that we can start the Scrim tournaments for the same in India too." An official signing ceremony was held to officialise the partnership for the ‘Road to Games’ campaign and the confirmation of the roles & responsibilities of the AESF with OCA Director General Dr. Husain A H Z Al-Musallam, OCA Director of Sports Mr. Haider A H E Farman, AESF President Mr. Kenneth Fok, and AESF Director General Mr. Sebastian Lau in attendance. Here’s what Director General of OCA, Dr. Husain A H Z Al-Musallam said, “It is a great pleasure to officially announce our partnership between OCA and AESF for the new Esports program for our Asian Games and OCA will provide full support for successful Esports events at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. We wish the best to our partner AESF on the journey ahead.” In a speech during the signing, Mr. Fok, AESF President said, “I would like to express our sincere appreciation for the continuous support and trust from the OCA. I believe that the Asian Games presents the best stage for us to share Olympic Values with the Esports community and we aim to make our Esports communities develop further through this opportunity. Also, we look forward to a successful collaboration with OCA as well as LOC.” Speaking about AESF’s role and responsibility, OCA’s Director of Sports Mr. Haider A H E Farman added, “Leading up to the Asian Games, the Asian Electronic Sports Federation will have the leading role and take full responsibility in the selection of esports titles in collaboration with the OCA. From the qualifying rounds to the grand finals of each esports event, rest assured that the OCA and AESF, together with LOC will work hand-in-hand, ensuring successful esports events for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022.” Conveying his gratitude during the ceremony, AESF Director General Mr. Sebastian Lau said, “As the Asian Federation, the AESF is honoured to be organizing the esports qualifiers and the Technical Delegate for the upcoming Asian Games. We will start from Hangzhou, and I am looking forward to exploring more opportunities together with all of you and make the evolution of esports further in Nagoya 2026, Doha 2030 and beyond.” The ‘Road to Asian Games’ partnership summary Esports Event Title Selection The Esports event titles for the qualifiers and finals of the 2022 Asian Games will be selected by the AESF in collaboration with the OCA. Eligibility and Participating Teams The AESF will be responsible for identifying the finalists through regional qualifiers of respective esports titles leading up to the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Qualifiers and Finals The structure of the qualifying and final tournament will be formed by the AESF for all esports events. The qualifiers of all participating Asian countries will be collaborated with the OCA at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Community Outreach Program AESF will deliver and execute the AESF Experience Program with full support from the OCA as part of the Asian Games community outreach. The program will aim to deliver the best Esports experience, connect with the community and attract new fans.

New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) The hotel room wall is helping him get some practice and an online course keeping boredom at bay. Rohan Bopanna's build-up to the season-opening Australian Open has been far from ideal so far as he waits for his day of freedom -- January 30. The 40-year-old was on one of the three flights out of a total of 17 Tennis Australia-arranged chartered planes, that landed in Melbourne with positive cases on board. He is in his 10th straight day of hard 'quarantine' ever since -- confined to his room. However, the veteran, who left Bangalore on January 15 and had a 25-hour layover in Doha before reaching Melbourne, would not call it an ordeal just yet. "If you test positive, you would be in hard quarantine but what we did not know that if someone on your flight tests positive then everyone also had to be in hard quarantine. That's what happened," Bopanna told PTI from Melbourne. "My coach Scott Davidoff was also in one of those three flights and they also told him that he can't leave for 14 days and follow hard quarantine." Bopanna has empathy for the organisers, who, he says, are facing a huge challenge in ensuring a smooth run for the competition but can't hide his own frustration either. "We still are not allowed in any circumstances. Practice is out (of question). Maximum I have done is against the wall in this small room. Whatever fitness I can do in this room. Luckily Tennis Australia helped with Uber Eats (app) that delivers nice food," he said. "They have done their very best to help the players. Craig Tiley (Tournament Director) is extremely hard working. Everyday they have zoom calls, speaking to the players who are in hard quarantine. It's been extremely difficult (for players)," he explained. It's not the same for other Indians though. Ankita Raina, Sumit Nagal and Divij Sharan are getting five hours outside their rooms for on-court practice, gym sessions, eating and travelling to courts. Bopanna said he was not prepared for such the situation he is in. What is worse is that his partner for the Australian Open -- Portugal's Joao Sousa -- tested positive for coronavirus, forcing him to pull out. The Indian is now looking for a partner from among the players who are already in Melbourne. "Ideally, to get into a Grand Slam, it's not the situation you want to be in. I had a good off-season and a training camp at the academy. (N Sriram) Balaji and Riya (Bhatia) had come down from Delhi. Former national champion Niki Poonacha, was also there. "That was unfortunate that you are getting prepared and now you are not able to step out of your room for 14 days. I get out on 30th and 31st is when the first ATP event of the season starts. "I don't know how I will be in that situation, I have never been in this situation before, where I have not practised and gotten straight into a tournament. It will be new experience. "I am looking for a partner who I can get in with as an alternate. I need to find someone high enough to play with me. I am sure I will get but going into a Grand Slam, it's not the best preparation." The rules specified that players could only choose between coach and physio for travel to Melbourne and Bopanna thought having coach would be better. "Looking back I would have loved to have physio with me. That's where I am at now." So, what else he is doing apart from hitting against the wall. "I am doing some online courses, keeping myself busy." Bopanna had completed a course in International Entertainment and Sports Marketing from Yonsei University before enrolling himself to a new one. "I am doing a lot of video calls back home with my wife, daughter, friends, I am talking to them. A few players have also been talking to me, asking how I am doing." "Interesting past 8-9 days. 30th is the day, I get my freedom."

Melbourne, Jan 12 (PTI) India's top-ranked woman player Ankita Raina moved to the final round of the Australian Open Qualifiers with a gutsy three-set win over world number 118 Katarina Zavatska but it was curtains for Ramkumar Ramanathan in the men's singles. In the women's singles qualifiers being held in Dubai, the 180th ranked Ankita overcame a second-set lapse to win 6-2 2-6 6-3 in the second round against the Ukrainian. Ankita said she was proud of the fight in the match that lasted two hours and 20 minutes. "I started well in the first set and the first two games of second set. Then the third game was kind of crucial because she won that game and got confident and played more balls back but I'm glad I could shift the momentum back," Ankita told PTI. "I started being more aggressive and sticking to my game. Struggled a bit with the the serve in the beginning but later was bit better. Was little windy in the later half of the match but I'm proud the way I fought." Ankita will next take on 20-year-old Serbian Olga Danilovic, ranked 183. It will be the first meeting between the two players. "I am feeling confident with the game, I just need to play smart as every match and every day is new and different, so taking it match by match," she said. It is Ankita's sixth attempt to crack the singles main draw of a Grand Slam and she is now just one win away from creating history. Only Nirupama Vaidyanathan and Sania Mirza have competed in the women's singles main draw of a Grand Slam from India till date. Nirupama had reached the second round of the Australian Open in 1998 while Sania quit competing in the singles category in 2012. In the men's singles being held in Doha, Ramkumar lost his second round 3-6 2-6 to Chinese Taipei's Tung-Lin Wu in 69 minutes.

The 20 times Grand Slam winner won’t feature in the Australian Open due to Melbourne quarantine rules. While rumours circulated that the Swiss maestro decided to skip the first Grand Slam of the year due to injury concerns, the Australian Open director of player relations, Andre Sa clarified that Federer’s absence is due to quarantine concerns as his family will be forced to stay in their hotel room for 14 days. The Swiss star last featured in a major tournament at the Australian Open last year, defeating John Millman in the third round and Tennys Sandgren in the quarterfinals, only to be defeated by Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the semi-finals. He has undergone multiple knee surgeries in February and May since and decided to take a well earned break amidst the pandemic to make a strong start in 2021. Federer is expected to feature in Rotterdam, Doha or Dubai, with the 39 year old eager to compete for the most notable titles again, namely the Tokyo Olympics and Wimbledon. The Swiss remains in the top 5 rankings after reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open last year and will want to hit the ground running to compete at the highest level as soon as possible.

New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) The Indian badminton team, including Olympic hopefuls Saina Nehwal, B Sai Praneeth and Kidambi Srikanth, on Sunday left for Thailand to compete in back-to-back BWF World Tour Super 1000 events. While Srikanth had participated in the Denmark Super 750 in October, for the rest of the squad it will be first event in nearly 10 months, after the COVID-19 pandemic had shutdown all tournaments globally. Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu is set to fly out of London on Sunday to play her first tournament since the coronavirus-induced break. She will reach Bangkok via Doha. Apart from Denmark Open, SaarLorLux Super 100 was the only other event to be held last year since the BWF was forced to suspend the calender after the completion of the All England Championships in March. All eyes are now on the two Super 1000 events -- Yonex Thailand Open (January 12-17) and Toyota Thailand Open (January 19-24) as the world's best returns to action following a prolonged break. The team also consists of Olympic-bound men's pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, besides doubles exponents Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy. "After a long wait we get back on court soon at Thailand Open!!! excited much," a picture of the squad, posted by Satwiksairaj on instagram, read. H S Prannoy, Parupalli Kashyap, Sameer Verma, Dhruv Kapila, Manu Attri were among others who left for Bangkok from Hyderabad via Dubai on Saturday. "First tournament after a long time... looking forward to the tournament... Thailand Open 2021," Kashyap wrote along with a picture of him and wife Saina. The team was also accompanied by singles foreign coaches Agus Dwi Santoso and Park Tae Sang and doubles coach Dwi Kristiawan along with other support staff.