Indian sports News- November 16th
November 16, 2019
Bytes: Hockey junior Australian tour, Formula One, INDvsBAN 3rd day, DDCA President resigned, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, KPL fixing, Ashalata Devi-AFC POTY nominee, Finland qualify for Euro, Ridhima wins WPG Tour, Formula One, CWG Shooting, Boxing League India
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:
Motorsport:
Formula 1- Sebastian Vettel said Ferrari can improve on their strong performance in Friday’s second practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix where they were first and second. The German four-time champion, who was fastest ahead of Charles Leclerc, said: “The car was decent today, but we can improve. I’m confident of a step forward.” “In the race, it will be difficult because others are quite a bit faster than us, but that’s pretty much in line with the picture we’ve seen in the last couple of races so I’m not surprised,” he added. In a swipe at Dutchman Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who suggested Ferrari had been cheating after their performance slumped at the United States Grand Prix, he added that such unconfirmed claims were sad. Leclerc, who is set to face a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race after taking a new engine, said he was satisfied with Friday’s running in challenging wet and then dry conditions.
Cricket:
INDvsBAN- India remained on course for a big innings victory after their pacers blew away the Bangladesh top-order, reducing the visitors to 60/4 at lunch on the third day of the first Test in Indore on Saturday. India declared their first innings at overnight score of 493/6 to let their pace attack make effective use of the conducive conditions. Bangladesh are now 283 runs behind India’s first innings score. Having conceded a 343-run first innings lead to India, it was another poor start by Bangladesh in their second innings as Umesh Yadav (1/30 in 8 overs), Ishant Sharma (1/15 in 9 overs) and Mohammed Shami (2/8 in 5 overs) kept the visiting batsmen on tenterhooks. It was Yadav’s perfectly pitched outswinger, that got rid of Imrul Kayes (6), who looked like getting out to every delivery that he faced. The ball tailed in and uprooted the leg-stump. Young Shadman Islam (6) was beaten by both pace and movement with Ishant getting one to nip back from length as it hit the top of middle-stump. Bangladesh’s best bet, skipper Mominul Haque (7), was jittery from the start and survived a DRS call while trying to leave a delivery pitched on off-stump. However, when Shami angled one into him, Haque was caught in front even though Virat Kohli had to take a review which was successful.
DDCA President- Rajat Sharma on Saturday resigned from the post of president of Delhi & Districts Cricket Association, citing his inability to continue amidst ‘various pulls and pressures’ within the organisation. Sharma’s nearly 20-month tenure was a tumultuous one with his public differences with general secretary Vinod Tihara, who enjoys a fair amount of support base in the organisation. “The cricket administration here [Delhi] is full of pulls and pressures all the time,” Sharma said. “I feel that vested interests are always actively working against the interest of cricket. Sharma had joined cricket administration after receiving active backing from former finance minister late Arun Jaitley. Many DDCA insiders believe that Sharma lost ground once Jaitley was no more. Jaitely was the binding force for all the different factions. “In my endeavour though I faced many road blocks, opposition and oppression, just to keep me from discharging my duties in fair and transparent,” Sharma said. “That’s why I have decided to call it a day and hereby tender my resignation to the Apex Council from the post of President, DDCA with immediate effect,” he added.
Syed Mushtaq Ali- Meghalaya ended Mumbai’s winning streak after they defeated the domestic giants by six wickets in a league match of Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy (India’s domestic T20 tournament) on Friday. After restricting the hosts to a below-par 157/6 at Wankhede Stadium, Meghalaya rode on half centuries by Ravi Bhamidipati (61 not out) and Sanjay Yadav (55) to chase the target with four balls to spare, despite a poor start. This is Mumbai’s first loss in the tournament this year. Opting to bat first, Mumbai failed to capitalise on the flying start provided by openers Jay Bista (44 off 30 balls, 6×4, 1×6) and Aditya Tare (27 off 22 balls, 4×4), who added 73 runs for the first wicket.
Brief scores: Mumbai 157/6 (Jay Bista 44, Suryakumar Yadav 28; Swarajeet Das 2-31) lost to Meghalaya 164/4 (Ravi Bhamidipati 61 not out, Sanjay Yadav 55; Shardul Thakur 2-34) by six wickets.
At Wankhede: Mizoram 95/5 (Pawan Prasad 32, Taruwar Kohli 26, Yuzvendra Chahal 1-17) lost to Haryana 97/3 (Chaitanya Bishnoi 42 not out, Harshal Patel 39; Lal Hruai Zela 3-26) by seven wickets.
At BKC: Madhya Pradesh 112 all out (Rajat Patidar 43, Rishabh Chouhan 20; Akash Deep 3-13, Shahbaz Ahamad 3-22) lost to Bengal 114/4 (Shreevats Goswami 65 not out, Agniv Pan 16 not out; Ishwar Pandey 2-20) by six wickets.
At BKC: Assam 102 all out (Rajjakuddin Ahmed 31, Abdul Mazid 30, R Vinay Kumar 4/4) lost to Pondicherry 106/4 (Paras Dogra 38 not out, Anand Subramanian 32; Rajjakuddin Ahmed 1- 15) by six wickets. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 cricket tournament
KPL- Karnataka premier League team Bellary Tuskers’ owner Arvind Venkatesh Reddy has been summoned to appear before the Central Crime Branch police in Bengaluru and a look-out circular issued against him in connection with match-fixing scandal in the tournament, police said on Friday. In the KPL match-fixing scam, role of Bellary Team owner Reddy has come to light. Since he is abroad, notice has been served on him to appear for investigation and LOC has been issued against him, Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Patil said. Another cricket player was also questioned in connection with the fixing charges, he said, without giving further details. The CCB police, which is investigating charges of spot-fixing in the last two seasons of KPL, has so far arrested eight people, including four cricketers, the owner of the Belagavi Panthers’ team and an international bookie. Bellary Tuskers captain CM Gautam, a first-class player who turned up for three IPL teams, and his former Karnataka teammate Abrar Qazi were arrested on November 7 for allegedly accepting money to spot-fix in the scandal-ridden KPL.
Football:
AFC POTY- Indian women’s football team captain Loitongbam Ashalata Devi was on Friday nominated for the Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year at the AFC Annual Awards to be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on December 2. The 26-year-old footballer from Imphal has enjoyed an impressive year by leading India to the Olympic 2020 Qualifiers Round 2 and winning the 2019 Saff Championship title.
The defender was also instrumental in helping her club, Sethu FC, win the Indian Women’s League crown. She was subsequently voted as the Women’s Player of the Year for the 2018-’2019 season by the All India Football Federation. China’s Li Ying, who was part of the team in the Fifa Women’s World Cup France 2019 and Japan captain Saki Kumagai were also nominated for the AFC Player of the Year award in women’s category. The AIFF also earned a nomination after being named among three federations for AFC President Recognition Awards in Grassroots Football (Developing) category.
Finland- Finland qualified for the first major tournament in their history on Friday with a 3-0 win over Liechtenstein while Sweden sealed their place at the Euro 2020 finals following a victory in Romania. Norwich City forward Teemu Pukki scored twice in Helsinki and Jasse Tuominen also netted to bring the home crowd pouring onto the pitch at the final whistle as Finland wrapped up second place behind Group J winners Italy. Roberto Mancini’s Italy registered a record 10th straight win as they eased past Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 in Zenica. Francesco Acerbi, Lorenzo Insigne and Andrea Belotti scored for Italy, who have bounced back impressively after failing to qualify for last year’s World Cup year for the first time since 1958. “Mancini has done a great job, he has given us clear ideas in a short period of time. We are proud of the record of ten consecutive wins but our objectives and our dreams are honestly others,” said Belotti. Bosnia are guaranteed a place in the play-offs after finishing top of their UEFA Nations League group last year.
Shooting:
CWG- A couple of months back, Indian Olympic Association president Narinder Batra had called for a complete withdrawal from the Commonwealth Games as he felt it a ‘waste of time and money’. On Thursday, after a meeting with Commonwealth Games Federation president Louise Martin and Chief Executive Officer David Grevemberg, Batra said that the while the talks were ‘fruitful’, the threat of withdrawal still remains. Amid all the threats, however, IOA general secretary Rajeev Mehta said that India is ready to host the 2026 edition of the Games given the government is ready as well. “We are willing to host 2026 CWG,” Mehta said. “We will first take approval from the executive board and general assembly of IOA. Then we will approach government.” The contradictory statements of the president and the general secretary have created further confusion about India’s stand on the issue which began with the removal of shooting from the 2022 Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham. Batra and Mehtra were not the only ones to be on different pages. IOA and CGF, the two sporting bodies tasked with finding a solution to this impasse, also failed to come up with any real solution to the exclusion of shooting at the 2022 Games.
Tennis:
ATP Finals- Rafael Nadal was unable to crown his season with a first ATP Finals title but he ends it as world No 1 and with a chance to lead Spain to Davis Cup glory. The Spaniard, who came to London under an injury cloud, had a terrible start to his week at the O2 Arena, crushed in straight sets by defending champion Alexander Zverev in his first round-robin match. But he produced a performance of astonishing grit to recover from 5-1 and match point down against Daniil Medvedev and saw off Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets on Friday. It was not quite enough to reach the semi-finals but Nadal leaves London after securing the year-end No 1 ranking for a fifth time, pulling level with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Nadal was in the strange position after his win against 21-year-old Tsitsipas of not knowing whether he would be heading home or playing Federer in the knockouts. Later, Zverev’s win against Medvedev confirmed his tournament was over. The 33-year-old, who was presented with the trophy for securing the No 1 spot on court, said it was difficult to compare the achievement with winning a Grand Slam.
Boxing:
Indian Boxing league- A first-ever Olympic style Indian Boxing league will be held from December 2 to 21, the organisers said on Friday. The league will witness the participation of Olympic medallists and world champions, including Mary Kom, Sonia Lather, Amit Panghal, and Manoj Kumar. ProSportify and SportzLive owners have joined hands to create the Big Bout-Indian Boxing League with an aim to be the biggest boxing event in Asia. The two companies, who are the executors of the Pro Wrestling League and Premier Badminton League, will organise the league which will be aired on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD. Six franchisee-based teams are likely to fight it out in the league which is expected to be played in three cities.
Golf:
WPG Tour- Ridhima Dilawari managed to held her nerves in the closing stages of the 15th and final leg of the Women’s Pro Golf Tour to win her fifth title of the season in Kolkata on Friday. Ridhima, who trailed Diksha Dagar by three shots after 36 holes, had three birdies between 12th and 15th and then parred the rest for a round of two-under 70. Ridhima totalled one-under 215 as Dagar (74) finished second at the Royal Calcutta Golf Course. The win took Ridhima to the second place on the Hero Women’s Order of Merit at the end of the season. The Order of Merit was won by Gaurika Bishnoi, who topped the honours despite missing the final event on medical grounds. Ridhima won Rs 11,09,433 while Gaurika won Rs.11,84,100 and Amandeep was third with Rs.10,55,933. They were the only ones to cross the Rs.10 lakh mark for the year. Dagar, who had an error-filled day, actually started with birdies on first and fourth. She then faltered with a double bogey on Par-4 seventh and another bogey on ninth. At that stage Diksha was still two shots ahead of Ridhima, who turned in even par as against Diksha’s one-over.
Panasonic Open- India’s Khalin Joshi raised his hopes of becoming the first player to defend the Panasonic Open India crown when he shot a first round of five-under-67 to join eight other Indians in tied fifth place. Thailand’s Itthipat Buranatanyarat, who had fired an eight-under-64 on Thursday to take the clubhouse lead, ended up as the round one leader as no one could catch up with his score on day two. Myanmar’s Ye Htet Aung, Australia’s Terry Pilkadaris and Indonesia’s Danny Masrin occupy joint second place with rounds of six-under-66. Khalin Joshi started well on Friday with birdies on three of his first four holes which included a chip-in on the third and a brilliant approach from 100 yards on the fourth that set up a tap-in. Khalin then stumbled with a couple of bogeys midway through his round before regaining control with birdies on his last two holes. The other Indians bunched in tied fifth included Arjun Prasad, Shiv Kapur, M Dharma and Shankar Das, all of whom shot 67s on Thursday as well as Rashid Khan, Karandeep Kochhar, Kshitij Naveed Kaul and Vikrant Chopra, the ones who fired 67s on Friday.
Hockey:
Australia tour- India on Friday named an strong 18-member junior women’s team for a three-nation hockey tournament to be held in Canberra, Australia from December 3 to 8. Besides India, the other competing teams are hosts Australia and New Zealand. The tournament will see India play a total of four matches – two each against Australia and New Zealand. In the tournament opener, Australia will take on New Zealand while India will play their first match on December 4 against New Zealand. The India junior team will be captained by Suman Devi Thoudam while Ishika Chaudhary has been named as the vice-captain. Speaking about the composition of the team, India coach Baljeet Singh said, “We had a good experience earlier this year when we took part in matches in Ireland and Belarus, and we are expecting a tougher challenge this time in Australia. “The players who have been selected in the side provide some good options for us, both defensively and going forward. Playing against the likes of Australia and New Zealand will give the players a wealth of experience, and shall help us in performing at a high-intensity consistently.”
Squad:
Bichu Devi Kharibam, Rashanpreet Kaur, Suman Devi Thoudam (c), Ishika Chaudhary (vice-captain), Priyanka, Mahima Choudhary, Marina Lalramnghaki, Gagandeep Kaur, Prabhleen Kaur, Mariana Kujur, Chetna, Reet, Baljeet Kaur, Ajmina Kujur, Beauty Dungdung, Sharmila Devi, Deepika, Lalrindiki.
