Three-time silver medallist at the Para Asian Games, Sandeep Singh Maan, is aiming for another top-notch show at the upcoming edition of the games, beginning October 6 in Jakarta.

Sandeep, who has suffered from a dysfunctional left arm since birth, however, is yet to fulfil his dream of winning a medal for India at the Paralympics, the biggest international multi-sport event for para-athletes.

Recalling his journey over the years, the 25-year-old, who is promoted by Cairn India, told IANS: “I was around 14 and my then coach R.D. Singh had given me an aim — that I have to be a top-level athlete. He asked me for a medal at the Para Asian Games, which could have been achieved only through hard work and dedication.”

“I just followed his words.”

“This 14-15 year long journey has been a difficult one, full of injuries beside facing many other problems, nevertheless my devotion was always the same,” the 2016 Arjuna awardee explained.

On being quizzed about how he decided to take up sports, Sandeep said: “It all started in 2006. I belong from Hanumangarh and Devendra Jhajharia, the first Indian to win two gold medals at the Paralympics, used to train there.”

“He (Jhajharia) received a rousing welcome in my hometown after bagging gold medal at the 2014 Paralympics and that is what bought me closer to the sporting world,” he said.

About his unfulfilled dream, he said his main focus is on winning a medal at the 2020 Paralympics Games in Tokyo.

“I have always dreamt of a podium finish at the Paralympics. I will try to be fully fit when I enter the games in 2020. I am working on the mistakes I committed in the past, which denied me a medal in the earlier editions,” said Sandeep, who competes in men’s 100 metre, 200 metre, 400 metre and long jump events and is coached by Dronacharya Awardee Satyapal Singh.

Thanking Cairn India for its support to many para athletes like him, Sandeep said: “Cairn has supported a lot, be it financially or mentally. They take proper care of all my needs.”

Sandeep, who believes that the situation of para-athletes has changed after the 2016 Paralympics and that they are getting much-needed recognition nowadays, also expressed the hope of another good show at the forthcoming Para Asian Games and said his preprations have been fantastic for the prestigious event.

The Indian Para Asian Games contingent was given a warm send-off by none other than Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan in a glittering ceremony in the national capital on Wednesday.

IANS

 Former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and now a strong contender for the President’s post in FIDE, the world chess body, did not seek the support of All India Chess Federation (AICF) even as a formality.

The AICF is the Indian government recognised national body for chess.

Similarly, the third contender for the FIDE President’s post British chess Grand Master (GM) Nigel Short too did not seek AICF’s support.

The FIDE Presidential elections slated early next month is a three-horse race with Dvorkovich, Short and Georgios Makropoulos contesting with their teams.

“I did not, as the representative of India is on the ticket of Mr. Makropoulos,” Dvorkovich told IANS when queried about approaching AICF for support.

Responding to the question Short told IANS: “No. I did not meet any official of AICF. I thought it will be a waste of time as D.V.Sundar is part of the Makropoulos team. But many Indian chess Grand Masters are hoping that I would win.”

Sundar, Vice President, AICF is in the fray for the post of FIDE General Secretary as a part of Makropoulos team.

The present FIDE Deputy President Makropoulos is contesting for the FIDE President’s post.

“Sundar will be voting on behalf of AICF at the FIDE elections,” an AICF official had told IANS preferring anonymity.

Curiously, Dvorkovich and Short are promising the National Chess Federations that they would bring in transparency in FIDE operations, attract big corporate sponsors.

They also said the FIDE under their regime would financially support the National Chess Federations and not the other way around as it is now.

Meanwhile Israeli chess Grand Master Boris Gelfand recently has expressed his support for Dvorkovich and the later thanked him for the support.

Gelfand is the first player with world fame to have extended his support to Dvorkovich’s candidature.

Gelfand in a detailed message posted on Dvorkovich’s election campaign website wished the Russian and also the English GM Nigel Short another FIDE Presidential candidate success in their endeavour.

“Let us hope that an experienced organizer Arkady Dvorkovich and a great chess player Nigel Short will win the elections and succeed in changing the world of chess for the better,” Gelfand said.

Gelfand said Dvorkovich has organised 10 super tournaments and managed to find energetic people to actively promote chess across Russia.

According to Gelfand, the arrival of Dvorkovich has marked the rise of Russian chess.

Gelfand said: “It seems to me that taking an opinion poll among chess players would now give an approximately 95:5 result in Dvorkovich’s favor in terms of percentage correlation.”

“Nevertheless, elections are known to be decided by delegates casting their votes, and I do not know whether the opinion of professional chess players does or does not matter to them,” Gelfand said and added that he would vote for Dvorkovich.

Incidentally when queried by IANS whether under their regime chess players of certain standing would be given the right to vote in FIDE elections both Dvorkovich and Short avoided a direct answer.

“Chess officials have to respect chess players and consult with them on all the important decisions to be made by FIDE,” Dvorkovich said.

Short said: “As for voting rights for players, there are much more important issues that need to be addressed first. But under our management, players will be there in more number of committees that deal with issues concerning them.”

IANS

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and world champion weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu were conferred with the country’s highest sporting honour — Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award — by President Ram Nath Kovind at the annual National Sports Awards ceremony here on Tuesday.

This year’s award ceremony was postponed to September 25 from the usual August 29 National Sports Day event due to the clash of dates with the Asian Games in Indonesia.

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award is given for a ‘spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years’. Both Kohli and Chanu received a medal, a citation and a cash prize of Rs 7 lakh.

Besides the Khel Ratna, star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, sprinter Hima Das, table tennis star Manika Batra were among the 20 recipients of the prestigious Arjuna award.

The other Arjuna awardees were long distance runner Jinson Johnson, shuttler N.Sikki Reddy, boxer Satish Kumar, woman cricketer Smriti Mandhana, golfer Shubhankar Sharma, hockey stars Manpreet Singh and Savita Punia, Col. Ravi Rathore (Polo), shooters Rahi Sarnobat, Ankur Mittal, Shreyasi Singh, paddler G. Sathiyan, tennis player Rohan Bopanna, wrester Sumit, Pooja Kadian (Wushu).

Para athlete Ankur Dhama and para shuttler Manoj Sarkar were also conferred with the Arjuna award, that included statuettes, certificates and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each.

PTI

Dubai Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s comeback as skipper, albiet for a game ended in a thrilling tie against a resurgent Afghanistan in their final Super Four match of the Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday.

Chasing a competitive 253, the defending champions got off to a flier from the new opening pair of Lokesh Rahul (60 off 66 balls; 4X5, 6X1) and Ambati Rayudu (57 off 49; 4X4, 6X4) before a mini collapse, coupled with a few run-outs and umpiring errors, eventually resulted in a tie.

Needing 7 off the final over, Ravindra Jadeja (25 off 34; 4X1) struck a boundary on the second ball off leg-spinner Rashid Khan before taking two singles with last man Khaleel Ahmed in company.

With 1 needed off the final two balls, Jadeja pulled the fifth delivery — a shorter one towards midwicket only to find Najibullah running in from deep to grab it with both hands and help Afghanistan bow out of the tournament with their head held high.

Earlier, replacing the regular pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, Rahul and Rayudu got India to a 110-run opening stand before Mohammed Nabi managed to draw first blood with the wicket of Rayudu.

Rashid then joined the party by removing Rahul before Dinesh Karthik’s (44 off 66; 4X4) sedate knock stabilised things for the Men-in-Blue.

Karthik, however failed to get adequate support from the other end as Dhoni (8), Manish Pandey (8) and Kedar Jadhav (19) fell in quick succession before an umpiring blunder sent the Tamil Nadu stumper back in the hut.

Towards the end, Jadeja played a lone hand even as the bowlers — Deepak Chahar (12), Kuldeep Yadav (9) and Siddharth Kaul (0) — could hardly lend any support to the southpaw.

For the Afghans, pacer Aftab Alam and spin duo of Nabi and Rashid picked two wickets each while Javed Ahmadi picked one.

Earlier, electing to bat, Afghanistan rode opener Mohammad Shahzad’s entertaining century and a sensible innings from Nabi to post a healthy 252/8 against a relatively inexperienced Indian attack.

On a track where strokeplay wasn’t easy, Shahzad belted a brilliant 124 off 116 balls, laced with 11 boundaries and seven sixes, even as the rest of the top-five failed to reach double digits.

Nabi (64 off 56; 4X3, 6X4), however, played the perfect second fiddle to the wicketkeeper-batsman, raising a vital 48-run stand for the sixth wicket before finally losing Shahzad to part-timer Kedar Jadhav.

Thereafter, Nabi took the responsibility of pressing the accelerator even as the Indian bowlers bounced back well to leak just nine runs off the final three overs.

Brief Scores: Afghanistan: 252/8 (Mohammad Shahzad 124, Mohammad Nabi 64; Ravindra Jadeja 3/46) tie with India 252 (Lokesh Rahul 60, Ambati Rayudu 56, Dinesh Karthik 44; Mohammed Nabi 2/40, Rashid Khan 2/41).

(IANS)

Renowned commentator Jasdev Singh, whose mesmerizing voice captivated millions, passed away here on Tuesday after battling a prolonged illness. He was 87.

Jasdev Singh, who covered nine editions of the Olympic Games from Helsinki (1968) to Melbourne (2000), is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter, a family member said.

A much sought after commentator on All India Radio and Doordarshan, he also reported from six Asian Games and an equal number of hockey World Cups.

Jasdev Singh also gave running commentary on the Republic Day parades for 48 long years from 1963.

Condoling his demise, Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore tweeted: “It is with deep sadness that I note the demise of Jasdev Singh, one of our finest commentators.

“A veteran of Akashvani and DD National, he covered nine Olympics, six Asian Games and countless Independence Day and Republic Day broadcasts. His demise is truly the end of an era,” he said.

IANS

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says sports is the identity of a nation and sportsmen are the brand ambassadors.

Amitabh on Monday night shared a photograph of himself along with the players of the Indian hockey team from the sets of “Kaun Banega Crorepati”.

He captioned the image: “Honouring the Indian hockey team on KBC Karmveer episode. Their dedication, their effort for the country is beyond compare. Jab hum apne desh ki khiladiyon ko sammanit karte hai to hum desh ko bhi sammanit karte hai. Desh ka gaurav hai yeh, tirangey ki shaan aur maan hai yeh. (When we honour our country’s sportsmen, we honour the nation. They are the pride of the nation. They are the pride and glory of the flag).”

The 75-year-old actor took to his blog and wrote: “Sport is the identity of a nation .. when we excel in a routine the World takes notice. Sportsmen are a nations brand ambassadors… for merit for glory for the recognition that we are blessed with.

The “Piku” star then sought support for the Indian men’s hockey team for the World Cup, which will be taking place in Odisha in November and December.

“Our mens hockey team taking on in a month, the challenge of the World Cup to be held in Odisha in November. our pride our heroes. They need our support and encouragement. Come in large numbers to cheer for them in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

“The cheers that surround the playing field is the adrenalin that players need for achieving victory,” he added.

On the acting front, Amitabh is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film “Thugs Of Hindostan”. It also stars superstar Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Sheikh.

(IANS)

London All good things must come to an end, but not for Liverpool it seems as they extended their 100 percent record to six games in the English Premier League with a 3-0 win at home over Southampton.

Questions had been raised beforehand about Southampton’s defence and they were answered after just 10 minutes when Liverpool took the lead thanks to an own goal and from then on it was downhill all the way for Jurgen Klopp’s men, who had done the job by halftime with further goals from Joel Matip and Mohamed Salah, reports Xinhua news agency.

Chelsea lost their 100 percent record, but remain unbeaten after a 0-0 draw away to West Ham United.

West Ham coach Manuel Pellegrino is nicknamed ‘the Engineer’ for the way he slowly builds his teams and his side’s display showed that at times it is important to show patience with coaches after a poor start to the season.

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard was less hazardous than usual as West Ham swamped Chelsea in the middle of the park and perhaps the visitors paid for their efforts in Thursday’s Europa League game in Greece.

Chelsea’s dropped points allowed Manchester City to move into second place with a clinical 5-0 win away to Cardiff.

It always looked as if it was going to be a bad time to face Pep Guardiola’s side after their Champions defeat in midweek and that’s how it turned out.

Kun Aguero, Bernardo Silva and Gundogan scored three goals in a 12 minute spell before the break to put the result beyond doubt, while two goals from Riyad Mahrez in the second half put the icing on a cake against a rival who look favourites for a swift return to the Championship.

Harry Kane was back on the score-sheet and looking sharper than in recent matches as Tottenham won 2-1 away to Brighton to end a three-game losing streak, while Watford remain in the top four with a 1-1 draw away to Fulham in an entertaining match.

Watford will feel they should have done better than just Andre Grey’s first half goal against a rival that improved after the break.

Newly promoted Wolves once again showed their claws with a brave 1-1 draw away to Manchester United, who are now eight points behind Liverpool.

Fred looked to have put Jose Mourinho’s side on their way, but Joao Moutinho levelled for Wolves in the second half and Adama Traore’s late cameo for the visitors means Nuno Espiritu Santo was probably the happier of two Portuguese coaches at the end of the game.

Leicester City bounced back after last weekend’s thrashing to Bournemouth with a 3-1 win over Huddersfield with England Under-21 player James Maddison the inspiration in attack and hinting he may make the step up to full international before too long.

Huddersfield are still struggling and are now at the bottom with just two points after Burnley suddenly kick-started their season with a 4-0 win at home to Bournemouth. Aaron Lennon provided two assists, while Ashley Barnes scored twice to leave Bournemouth coach Eddie Howe lamenting that despite having 62 percent of the ball, his side had been well beaten. “There are lessons for us to learn,” he admitted.

Finally Newcastle United failed to win again as they drew 0-0 at Crystal Palace and next weekend’s home game against Leicester City is starting to look vital for Rafael Benitez and his men.

(IANS)

Continuing their winning run, India handed out an another humiliating nine-wicket defeat to arch-rivals Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup tournament here on Sunday.

Chasing an average 238-run target, Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan single-handedly dominated the Pakistani bowling attack to add another defeat to the Sarfraz Ahmed-led side in the tournament.

Pakistan, looking for wickets, got a respite too late, as a run out by Hasan Ali packed back Dhawan when India was 28 runs away from a comfortable win.

It was a cake walk for incoming batsman Ambati Rayudu (12 off 18) to lead his side to an another convincing victory in the tournament.

Earlier, Shoaib Malik’s disciplined innings along with useful contribution from Sarfraz helped Pakistan post 237/7 against India.

Malik scored 78 runs in 90 balls and Sarfraz made 44 runs in 66 balls to forge a crucial 107-run fourth wicket partnership to guide their team to a respectable total.

Electing to bat, Pakistan began on a decent note, forging a 24 run partnership for the first wicket before opener Imam-ul-Haq (10) was dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal in the eighth over via Decision Review System (DRS).

Fakhar Zaman (31), who looked good in the middle, was the next to go. He was adjudged leg before wicket off Kuldeep Yadav in the 15th over. Soon, Babar Azam was run out while trying to steal a single off Ravindra Jadeja.

With three wickets down at just 58 runs, experienced duo Malik and Sarfraz joined hands and took Pakistan out of troubled waters.

The duo stitched a brilliant partnership, hitting some glorious boundaries and sixes.

Just when things were going smooth for Pakistan, Kuldeep broke the partnership, taking Sarfraz’s wicket in the 40th over.

Unperturbed, Malik kept on playing his shots and maintained a good run rate. But while trying to increase the run rate, Malik gifted a simple catch to Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Jasprit Bumrah. He slammed four boundaries and two sixes.

Towards the end, Asif Ali (30) also contributed handsomely along with Shadab Khan (10) Mohammad Nawaz (15) to complete the innings at 237/7 in their allotted 50 overs.

For India, Bumrah, Chahal and Kuldeep took two wickets each.

Brief scores: Pakistan 237/7 (Shoaib Malik 78; Jasprit Bumrah 2/29), lost to India 238/1 (Rohit Sharma 111*, Shikhar Dhawan 114)

(IANS)

Hashmatullah Shahidi’s 71 went in vain as Afghanistan lost a thrilling contest to Bangladesh by three runs in a Super Four tie of Asia Cup 2018 here on Sunday.

Opting to bat first, Bangladesh rode on Mahmudullah’s 74 and Imrul Kayes’s 72 to put an average 250-tun target before minnows Afghanistan.

In reply, Afghanistan lost wickets at regular intervals despite a brilliant opening by Mohammad Shahzad (53).

After his fall, Shahidi showed a terrific fight to put things in control but lacked support from the other end as no other batsman was able to show any resistance and Afghanistan eventually lost by three runs.

(IANS)

Abu Dhabi Pakistan got themselves prepared for the India challenge on Sunday with a nervy three-wicket win over Afghanistan in a nail-biting Super Four contest of the Asia Cup at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium here on Friday.

Chasing a modest 258, Pakistan were in control with a 154-run second wicket stand between Imam-ul-Haq (80) and Babar Azam (66) before losing their way with the fall of regular wickets, only to be rescued by former skipper Shoaib Malik’s belligerent 43-ball unbeaten 51.

Pakistan managed to recover from the early loss of opener Fakhar Zaman (0), thanks to Imam and Babar’s patient knocks before a mix-up resulted in the run-out of Imam.

Babar soon followed the opener to the pavilion even as Pakistan’s middle order woes continued to haunt them with number 4 Haris Sohail (13), skipper Sarfraz Ahmed (8), Asif Ali (7) and Mohammad Nawaz (10) all departing within a span of just 48 runs.

Malik, however, wasn’t deterred by the situation and held one end up to keep Pakistan’s hopes alive, and together with Hasan Ali (6 not out) overcame the scare to finally overhaul the target with three balls to spare.

For the Afghans, leg-spinner Rashid Khan (3/46) and offie Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2/33) were the main wicket-takers while Gulbadin Naib chipped in with one scalp.

Earlier, electing to bat after winning the toss, Afghanistan rode an undefeated half century from Hashmatullah Shahidi (97 not out) and skipper Asghar Afghan’s stroke-filled 56-ball 67 to post a challenging 257/7.

Afghanistan started off well with Rahmat Shah (36) and Shahidi raising 63 runs for the third wicket before the latter went on to add 94 runs with his skipper to propel the team to a decent total.

In another Super Four match on Friday, India rode on an all-round show to outclass Bangladesh by 7 wickets.

India will next play Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday while Bangladesh and Afghanistan will lock horns here on the same day.

Brief Scores: Afghanistan 257/6 (Hashmatullah Shahidi 97 not out, Asghar Afghan 67; Mohammad Nawaz 3/57) lose to Pakistan 258/7 (Imam-ul-Haq 80, Babar Azam 66, Shoaib Malik 51 not out; Rashid Khan 3/46) by 3 wickets.

(IANS)