Indian sports News- December 4th
December 4, 2019
Bytes: South Asian Games, Indian Women’s Football team, ICC Test rankings- Virat Kohli no. 1, Ranji Trophy- Pujara in, Junior Women’s Hockey Tour, Mickey Arthur- SL Coach, KPL Match fixing, Chennaiyin FC signs new coach, Boxing Nationals, NADA worried doping-Neeraj, Big Bout LeagueIn taekwondo, Kashish Malik won a gold in women’s 57kg category while Radha Bhati (women’s 46kg), Kanha Mainali (men’s 54kg) and Prithviraj Chavan (men’s 68kg) won a bronze each.
YoGems makes sure that you won’t miss a thing in the field of sports, so here is a quick recap to all the happenings from the last 24 hours:
Hockey:
Junior Women’s Tour- The Indian junior women’s team started its campaign at the three-nation tournament on a positive note, beating New Zealand 2-0 in Canberra on Wednesday. Striker Lalrindiki (15th minute) and midfielder Prabhleen Kaur (60th) were the two goal scorers for the winners. India started the match with an aggressive brand of hockey, pinning down New Zealand in their own half. New Zealand had defeated hosts Australia 3-1 in their first match on Tuesday. India’s dominance in the opening quarter saw them win an early penalty corner in the third minute, but they failed to utilise the chance. A defensive lapse from New Zealand then handed India a golden opportunity at the stroke of the quarter break and Lalrindiki found herself with enough space in front of the goal to slot the ball home. New Zealand had a chance to equalise early in the second quarter from a penalty corner, but Indian goalkeeper Bichu Devi Kharibam made a good save to keep her side ahead. The two teams battled for possession in the middle of the park but neither could create any clear chances, meaning India retained their one-goal advantage at the half-time break. The third quarter was filled with some exciting chances for both sides. First, it was the Indian team who were awarded two penalty corners at the start of the period.
Cricket:
ICC Rankings- India captain Virat Kohli is back at the top of the International Cricket Council Test batsmen list as Australia’s Steve Smith slipped by one spot in the latest rankings released on Wednesday. Kohli, who had struck a fine 136 in the day-night Kolkata Test against Bangladesh last week to reach 928 points, is now five clear as Smith’s knock of 36 in the Adelaide Test against Pakistan saw him slip to 923 points from 931 before the match. Australia opener David Warner’s epic 335 not out has lifted him 12 places to the fifth position while Marnus Labuschagne is in the top 10 for the first time after being ranked as low as 110th at the start of the year. Off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall has broken into the top-50 with a 10-wicket haul while centurion Shamarh Brooks has risen 68 places to 62nd.
Ranji Trophy- Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara was on Wednesday named in the 16-member Saurashtra squad for the first two Ranji Trophy games beginning from December 9. The senior selection committee of Saurashtra Cricket Association selected 16 members of the senior team for the first two matches of the Ranji Trophy, which is led by left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat. Squad: Jaydev Unadkat (c), Cheteshwar Pujara, Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Kamlesh Makwana, Snell Patel, Chirag Jani, Harvik Desai, Prerak Mankad, Avi Barot, Vishvaraj Jadeja, Kushang Patel, Chetan Sakariya, Divyaraj Chauhan, Jay Chauhan.
KPL Match fixing- Bengaluru police on Wednesday arrested Karnataka State Cricket Association management committee member Sudhindra Shinde in a Karnataka Premier League match fixing case, ANI reported. On December 2, the Central Crime Branch had conducted a raid at the residence of Shinde, who is a former coach of KPL team Belagavi Panthers, after obtaining a warrant from a city court. The 39-year-old Shinde is the coach of the Karnataka Under-19 team and a managing committee member of the KSCA from Raichur Zone. He is one of nine people to have been arrested so far in the match fixing case. Panthers owner Ashfaq Ali Thar, their drummer Bhavesh Bafna, Bengaluru Blasters players Nishant Singh Shekhawat and M Vishwanath, their bowling coach Vinu Prasad, Bellary Tuskers captain CM Gautam and spinner Abrar Kazi, and international bookie Sayyam Gulati are the others who have been arrested.
SL Coach- South African Mickey Arthur has been named Sri Lanka’s head coach, replacing Chandika Hathurusingha, who was stripped of his coaching responsibilities following a disappointing World Cup, an official was quoted as saying on Wednesday. The 51-year-old takes over ahead of the two-match Test series against Pakistan later this month, the official said, adding that a formal announcement was expected shortly. Details of the two-year contract were not immediately available, but three others are also due to join him in rebuilding the Sri Lankan coaching department, the official said. The others are Grant Flower as batting coach, David Saker in charge of bowling and Shane McDermott handling fielding.
Football:
Chennaiyin FC caoch- Indian Super League club Chennaiyin FC have named former Burnley and Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle as their head coach for the remainder of the sixth season season. The Scotsman replaces John Gregory, who parted ways with the franchise. The two-time champions are are currently placed eighth in the ten-team table with five points and just one win. The 53-year-old is an experienced manager at the top level and also represented teams from the top division of English and Scottish football. As a player, Coyle enjoyed a stellar career as a striker that lasted more than two decades, where he scored more than 300 goals for the likes of Bolton, Motherwell FC and Dundee United. His first taste of management came in 2007 with Scottish club, St. Johnstone FC. Then came the England move with Burnley FC. The club would reap rewards of that decision a season later, as the Irishmen guided the Clarets to the Premier League in 2009, beating Sheffield United 1-0 in the playoff final. Later, Coyle moved to Bolton in 2010, staying just under three years at the club and managing them in 125 matches. A short stint at Wigan Athletic and then Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit, Houston Dynamos followed. In the summer of 2016, Coyle moved back to England with Blackburn Rovers, following which he returned to Scotland to take over at Ross County in September 2017.
South Asian Games- The Indian women’s football team began their South Asian Games 2019 campaign with a comfortable 5-0 win over the Maldives on Tuesday. Bala Devi grabbed a brace and Dangmei Grace, Manisha and Jabamani Tudu all scored a goal apiece to hand the team three points at the Pokhara Stadium in Nepal. It only took five minutes for coach Maymol Rocky’s side to take the lead through Grace, who rifled in a shot from the right flank. Bala Devi, who returned last week from a trial with Scottish club Rangers WFC, scored two in quick succession to put India in a commanding position. In the 25th minute, she latched on to a pass from Jabamani from the left flank to score. Eight minutes later, she was on the end of a cross from substitute Manisha – making no mistake with the finish. India went into the break leading by three goals and ten minutes into the second half, Aditi Chauhan and Bala were replaced by Panthoi Chanu and Anju Tamang respectively. The defending champions ended the game on a high with two goals in two minutes in the closing moments of the game.
Manisha powered home a goal with skipper Ashalata Devi providing the assist in the 87th minute and just a minute later, Jabamani added the fifth as she headed the ball past the keeper from Manisha’s lofted pass. The win puts India on the top of the points table with hosts Nepal grabbing a 1-0 win over Sri Lanka in the opening match of the day. India will now take on Sri Lanka in their next match, which will take place on Thursday at the same venue.
Boxing:
Big Bout League- North East Rhinos Nikhat Zareen drew from the reserves of her energy and skill to edge out Pinki Rani of the Bengaluru Brawlers in the women’s 51kg bout on the second day of the Big Bout League at the Gautam Buddha University Indoor Stadium in Noida. Her win breathed life into Rhinos’ faltering campaign. In a close battle, Pinki Rani gained the upper-hand in the first round. Nikhat Zareen responded well to rally to a 3-2 decision in the most eagerly awaited bout of the day. She inspired Rhinos to rally from 1-3 to a 4-3 win. Daksh and Laldin Mawia posted victories in the men’s 75kg and men’s 52kg bouts over Nitin Kumar and Ashish Insah to help Rhinos pull the rug from under Bengaluru Brawlers’ feet. Daksh was overwhelmingly dominant while Laldin Mawia claimed a split decision.
Nationals- Boxers from Chandigarh and Punjab dominated the proceedings on the second day of 4th Elite Women’s National Boxing Championships in Kannur on Tuesday. Chandigarh’s Savita (54 kg) outboxed last year’s bronze medallists KH Shamim Banu from Manipur in a 3-2 split verdict, while 2018 silver medallist Nupur (75 kg) from Haryana began her campaign with an easy 5-0 win over Rajasthan’s Shweta. Madhya Pradesh’s Jigyasa Rajput (81 kg), a bronze medallist from the previous edition, also started on a winning note as she defeated Uttarakhand’s Babita 5-0. In the 64 kg category, Chandigarh’s Neema showed superb form and fitness to notch up a win against Sarmila Rai of Sikkim. Monika (51kg), Ritu (57 kg), Manju (60 kg) were other boxers to win from Chandigarh as five pugilists from the region moved into the next round. The pugilists are competing in all the ten weight categories – 48kg, 51kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 64kg, 69 kg, 75 kg, 81kg and +81kg. The finals will be played on December 8.
NADA worried- When Indian boxer Neeraj was provisionally suspended after failing a dope test earlier this week, she became the fifth Indian sportsperson to test positive for ligandrol, which is a performance-enhancing drug. Neeraj has accepted the findings and has declined a B sample test after the National Anti-Doping Agency announced her report was found positive for presence of LGD-4033 (Ligandrol) and other anabolic agents. The ligandrol has become a cause of concern for the Indian anti-doping agency lately. The drug, said to be commonly in use for racehorses and bodybuilders, is easily available online, according to a report by The Indian Express. “We are concerned with the increasing use of LGD 4033 by weightlifters and boxers. Till last year, there were no violations with respect to this drug. This year, there are quite a few,” Nada director general Navin Agarwal was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
South Asian Games:
Indian athletes dominated the track and field events and at the shooting range to clinch 27 medals, including 11 gold, on the second day of competitions and remain in the second position at the medals tally in the South Asian Games at Kathmandu on Tuesday. India completely dominated the first day of athletics events by clinching 10 medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze) while the shooters also fetched nine (4 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze) to swell the country’s tally. Mehuli Ghosh won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle event in the 2019 South Asian Games. Both volleyball men’s and women’s teams won a gold each while the taekwondo players contributed 1 gold and 3 bronze medals. India also bagged gold medals in both men’s and women’s table tennis team events. India’s medal tally stood at 43 medals (18 gold, 16 silver and 9 bronze), behind hosts Nepal’s 44 (23 gold, 9 silver, 12 bronze). Sri Lanka was third with 46 medals (5 gold, 14 silver, 27 bronze). On the first day of athletics competition, Archana Suseendran (women’s 100m), M Jashna (women’s high jump), Sarvesh Anil Kushare (men’s high jump) and Ajay Kumar Saroj (men’s 1,500m) won a gold each to begin India’s athletics campaign on an impressive note. In taekwondo, Kashish Malik won a gold in women’s 57kg category while Radha Bhati (women’s 46kg), Kanha Mainali (men’s 54kg) and Prithviraj Chavan (men’s 68kg) won a bronze each.
