Former England cricket captain Nasser Hussain has tipped talented Jemimah Rodrigues to be a star for the Indian women’s cricket team.

The 17-year-old Mumbai all-rounder Jemimah, the second-youngest women’s T20I half-centurion, and the youngest from her country, was part of India’s double-series wins in South Africa.

She is also the youngest centrally-contracted players with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“Remember the name… Jemimah Rodrigues.. did some throw downs with her today .. she’s going to be a star for India,” Hussain, who played 96 Tests, wrote on Twitter, posting a picture with Jemimah.

(IANS)

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and elected to field against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Tuesday.

KKR won their last game against Delhi Daredevils to snap a two-game losing streak while RR beat Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore to extend their winning run to two games.

KKR and the hosts made no changes to their teams from the last game.

Squads:

Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), D Arcy Short, Sanju Samson(w), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Rahul Tripathi, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin

Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

Congratulating the Indian contingent, which returned with an impressive haul of nine medals from the just-concluded Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) President Ajay Singh on Tuesday warned the boxers not to get carried away with the recent accolades.

Inspired by five-time world champion M.C. Mary Kom’s maiden CWG gold in women’s 48 kilogram category, India’s Vikas Krishan (75 kg) Gaurav Solanki (52 kg) also clinched the yellow medal.

Satish Kumar (91kg), Amit Panghal (49kg) and Manish Kaushik (60kg) settled for silvers while Mohammed Husammuddin (56kg), Naman Tanwar (91kg) and Manoj Kumar (69kg) bagged bronze medals after losing their semi-final bouts.

Their feat at the CWG have indeed created a flutter among fans but Singh wants the boxers to keep their focus, keeping in mind the busy season ahead.

“This is surely a historic performance. We are extremely proud of our boxers, and congratulate the great support from the coaches and the support staff. But I would like to say, this is just the start,” Singh told IANS on the sidelines of a felicitation programme for the boxing contingent.

“Having done so well in Gold Coast, we should not take ourselves for granted. There is so much more to achieve as the ultimate objective to get Olympic medals in 2020 and 2024.

“We are trying to built a team for the future and make sure that India is a powerhouse, a leading nation in the world in boxing,” he added.

Singh further said that the CWG performance is a testimony to BFI’s hard work but cautioned the boxers that the upcoming Asian Games won’t be an easy nut to crack.

“What the CWG performance shows us is that we are in the right path. We have a much tougher competition coming up in the form of the Asian Games in August.

“We will prepare for the Asiad, starting next week with both the men and women’s teams travelling to Serbia. We also have the World Series Boxing next week where we are hosting Russia. We are also sending our teams to the Michael Johnson Academy in Texas, before the Asian Games,” he added.

Hailing the BFI’s initiatives and support for the magnificent show of Indian pugilists in Gold Coast, Mary Kom said: “It is a proud moment for me to win my first CWG medal, but this wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the BFI and the sports ministry.”

“BFI is doing an incredible job in bringing top boxing events to India and the amount of exposure the young boxers are getting from these events will surely help them and India to become a boxing super power in the near future,” she added.

(IANS)

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, facing charges of domestic violence and extra-marital affairs levelled by his estranged wife Hasin Jahan, stayed back in the city on Tuesday following summons from the Kolkata police while his team Delhi Daredevils flew to Bengaluru for their next IPL game.

Police sources said Shami has been summoned to appear before police at 2 p.m. on Wednesday for questioning in connection with her allegations.

Delhi Daredevils are slated to take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the southern city on April 21.

“He stayed back because of the summons though the DD team has already left for Bengaluru,” said a source close to the development.

The source said Shami could join the team late on Wednesday evening after meeting police. “That I think would be the normal course.”

Shami had stepped into the city – to play the IPL game against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Monday night – for the first time since Hasin Jahan last month made series of accusations against him to the media, on Facebook and police. She had even met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with her complaints.

A source close to Shami said he was holding discussions with his lawyers to decide his next step with regard to the summons.

A case was registered in Jadavpur police station against Shami and four others on March 8 on charges of attempt to murder, rape, criminal intimidation, and causing hurt by means of poison after she accused him of multiple extramarital affairs and domestic violence.

Hasin Jahan also alleged that he was spending time with a Pakistani woman in Dubai and taking money from her.

Following the accusations that he was involved in match-fixing, the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) temporarily left out Shami from the list of central contracted players, and the Bengal pacer was also probed by the anti-corruption officials of the BCCI for allegedly taking money from Pakistani contacts.

Shami was included in the contracted players’ list after the anti-corruption officials found him not guilty.

Earlier this month, Hasin Jahan moved a petition against Shami in the court of the third judicial magistrate, Alipur, praying for a monthly maintenance of Rs 10 lakh for her and their daughter.

(IANS)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced that its Technical Committee has unanimously approved the inclusion of Bihar in the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 season.

The Sourav Ganguly-led technical committee decided to adhere to the recommendation of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) and decided to reinstate Bihar in next year’s Ranji Trophy.

“However, the committee felt in the view of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India’s judgment dated July 18, 2016, the North Eastern associates and affiliate members must also be considered,” a statement read.

The recommendations of the Technical Committee will be sent to the CoA and then ratified by the BCCI general body.

If Bihar is included, the upcoming Ranji season will have 29 teams.

The Bihar Cricket Association was suspended in 2004. Bihar also suffered due to various factions claiming that their association is the recognised one.

Meanwhile, the BCCI also declared that the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 season proposes to have four groups with the introduction of pre-quarterfinals. The format will remain as the Home-Away basis.

The Deodhar Trophy is proposed to have four teams, one each from the four Ranji Trophy groups.

It was also proposed that the sequence of the BCCI 2018-19 domestic season will be in the following order — Duleep Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Ranji Trophy League phase, Mushtaq Ali T20, Ranji Trophy knockouts, Deodhar Trophy.

(IANS)

Skipper Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 92-run innings went in vain as Royal Challengers Bangalore lost by 46 runs to Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Tuesday.
This is the first win for Mumbai in this edition of the cash-rich league.

Kohli, who opened the innings with Quinton de Kock, remained unbeaten but could not guide his team to victory. In his 62-ball innings Kohli slammed seven boundaries and four sixes.

Chasing a mammoth 214, Bangalore started off on a positive note, scoring 40 runs in 4.1 overs but after the fall of de Kock’s wicket, the visitors never looked in contention, losing wickets at regular intervals.

Apart from Kohli, no other batsmen rose to the occasion and went back one after other.

de Kock’s 19-run knock was the second highest among the other batters.

For Mumbai, left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya scalped three wickets while Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell McClenaghan chipped in with two wickets each.

Earlier, skipper Rohit Sharma (94) and opener Evin Lewis (65) helped Mumbai Indians to post a mammoth 213/6.

After a disastrous start, Lewis and Rohit played a brilliant innings and forged a 108-run partnership before Lewis was dismissed. Lewis slammed six boundaries and five sixes in his 42-ball innings.

Rohit, on the other hand, stayed till the last and made sure his team crossed the 200-run mark before getting out on the penultimate delivery of the innings.

Put in to bat, Mumbai got off to a poor start, losing opener Suryakumar Yadav (0) and Ishan Kishan (0) in the opening two balls of the first over.

The fall of the wickets brought in Rohit, who along with Lewis played sensibly and slammed the bowlers all around the park before Lewis got out. Rohit slammed 10 boundaries and five sixes in his 52-ball innings.

After the fall of Lewis’ wicket in the 12th over by Corey Anderson, Krunal Pandya (15) also tried to maintain the same pace but failed and got run out in the 16th over.

Kieron Pollard then joined Rohit in the middle and let the in-form Rohit have most of the strike. Taking full advantage, the skipper paced up the innings through some beautifully crafted shots. In the process Pollard was dismissed by pacer Chris Woakes. Soon, Rohit also got out on the penultimate ball of the innings.

Hardik Pandya (17 not out) and Mitchell McClenaghan (0) then completed the proceedings.

For Bangalore, Umesh Yadav and Anderson scalped two wickets each

Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians: 213/6 (Rohit Sharma 94; Evin Lewis 65; Umesh yadav 2/36) against Royal Challengers Bangalore: 167/8 (Virat Kohli 92; Krunal Pandya 3/28)

(IANS)

The Asian Tour will make a welcome return to Pakistan after an 11-year hiatus for the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Open Golf Championship which will be staged from July 24 to 27, it was announced on Tuesday.

The CNS Open Golf Championship will attract a talented cast of Asian Tour stars to the $300,000 event which will be played in the country’s oldest golf course, the Karachi Golf Club, according to a release.

The CNS Open Golf Championship has been staged on the local circuit since 1995, making it the longest running professional golf event in Pakistan. By joining the Asian Tour, the tournament will receive official ranking points and give local golfers an opportunity to play alongside some of the region’s leading players.

The Chief of Naval Staff was delighted to bring the CNS Open Golf Championship on the Asian Tour. The last time an Asian Tour event was staged in Pakistan was in 2006 and 2007. Last year, the Asian Development Tour (ADT) sanctioned a tournament in the country for the first time.

“This is great news for golf in Pakistan. We are thrilled to welcome the Asian Tour and its talented members to our beautiful country. It has been 11 years since we last staged an Asian Tour event and we are proud to work together with all sponsors to make this tournament a huge success,” said the Chief of Naval Staff.

The staging of the CNS Open will also boost the chances of the local golfers to improve on their OWGR ranking and give them a better opportunity to try and qualify for the Japan Olympic Games in 2020.

“There was a huge representation of Asian golfers in the last Olympic Games and we hope to provide a viable platform for our golfers to improve on their world ranking. It is also our goal to promote golf among the younger generation in hopes that we will have a Pakistani golfer playing and contending regularly on the Asian Tour in the future,” the Chief of Naval Staff added.

Asian Tour Chief Executive Officer Josh Burack applauded the efforts of the Chief of Naval Staff and the Karachi Golf Club to stage an Asian Tour tournament in Pakistan.

Veteran defender Lucio, a member of 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning Brazil squad, has signed a contract with Serie D football club Brasiliense that will see him play on beyond his 40th birthday.

The central defender has agreed to represent the Brasilia-based club until the end of 2018 after completing a three-month spell with Brasiliense’s local rivals Gama, Globo Esporte reported on Monday.

After more than a year away from the game, the former Brazil captain signed with Gama in January and represented the club 10 times, scoring one goal, reports Xinhua news agency.

The retirement of former AC Milan and Real Madrid playmaker Kaka last year means that Lucio, who turns 40 on May 8, is the only member of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning team who is still playing.

Lucio was capped 105 times for Brazil and his club career has included spells at Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Juventus.

(IANS)

On the back of her gruelling final match at the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG), ace shuttler P.V. Sindhu says no loss is ever enough to stop her from believing in herself, and she is once again ready to roar.

Sindhu, who led the Indian contingent at the glittering opening ceremony which launched the CWG in Gold Coast, Australia, was defeated by Indian star shuttler Saina Nehwal in the much-anticipated women’s singles summit clash. Nehwal won the gold medal while Sindhu bagged the silver.

Now that Sindhu, brand ambassador of sports drink brand Gatorade, is back in the country, she has penned an open letter on her never-say-die attitude.

“One more down but many more to go! As much as I had given my all to this game, I am once again ready to roar for my next fight, to finish and win. This is my journey, the journey of a sportsperson, every feat accomplished is followed by zeroing on the next target.

“No loss is ever enough, neither one nor many to stop me from believing in myself. Every time I miss a return, every time my shot fails to clear the net and every time I hit it long — I remind myself, it is not done until I am done,” Sindhu wrote.

Sindhu, who had earlier made India proud at the Rio Olympics, where she thrashed Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in the women’s singles badminton semi-final, becoming the first Indian woman to win a silver medal at the quadrennial event, said it was a proud feeling to stand on the CWG podium and receive a medal for the country.

“Standing at the podium, head bowed to receive my Silver Commonwealth medal at the women’s singles event, the heart swells with pride, moments of struggle, strife and sweat flash before my eyes. For me victory only begins to sink when the first beat of national anthem falls on my ears and then it gets louder, so do the cheers from the crowd, that is when I finally breathe out — mission accomplished.

“Marching down the tracks as the flagbearer of the Indian contingent at the Commonwealth Games this year, I felt rest upon my shoulders the hope and faith of a million. With every step that I took, I knew it was time to bring together my skill, stamina and most of all my spirit, the spirit to rise higher after every fall, come back harder after every drop.

“From the moment of get, set and go until my last smash, I sweat from every pore, using every iota of strength left in me because giving up is not an option,” she wrote.

Sindhu believes one should “let nothing stand in the way of your dreams, let nothing pull you down, let nothing beat you”.

“Winning becomes a habit when sweating for it becomes an attitude! So, to all my countrymen and women, fans, well-wishers and badminton lovers who now tune out after having savoured a nail-biting finish, know that I am not done. My journey with Gatorade to Sweat More, Sweat for Gold continues unabashed,” she posted.

Winless Mumbai Indians will pit their might against formidable Royal Challengers Bangalore in an adrenaline-charged Indian Premier League match here tomorrow. Both teams, with a plethora of explosive batsmen, are yet to find their feet in the T20 league and would be keen to gather some momentum with a victory here at the Wankhede Stadium.

If MI have their problems to sort out, having lost at the death in all three games so far, RCB too have their own shortcomings to address with only one win in three games under their belt. Both the games held here so far have gone down to the wire and on both occasions MI have had their chances to go across the line and fumbled on the doorstep against Chennai Super Kings in the season opener and then Delhi Daredevils.

In between they had also lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in their first away game of the season, so that the three-time champions led by Rohit Sharma are placed at the bottom of the eight-team table. MI had been in worse situations before recovering poise to become eventual champions.

RCB started off on the losing note away from home to Kolkata Knight Riders, brought their campaign on track immediately with a convincing victory over Kings XI Punjab at home and then lost a high-scoring game to Rajasthan Royals at home yesterday.

RCB’s bowlers, especially Umesh Yadav who had broken the back of KXIP innings with a three-wicket burst in one over, went for plenty against the Royals who set up the highest total so far of the season, 217, by riding on Sanju Samson’s blistering 45-ball 92 not out.

After the pace trio’s profligacy RCB need to set right their bowling woes as MI possess a strong batting line up that threatened to score over 200 in their previous game before the Daredevils bowlers restricted them below that threshold.

Barring leggie Yuzvendra Chahal, who bowled brilliantly to grab 2 for 22, the other RCB bowlers had an off day against the Royals. But on the positive side was the encouraging return to form of captain Virat Kohli who struck a quick-fire 57.

With a batting line-up boasting of Brendon McCullum, Kohli and A B de Villiers, no target will look insurmountable for the visitors, and three-time champions MI will be aware of this. MI’s batting, on the other hand, failed to rocket off in the first two games and when it clicked the bowlers lost the plot.

The move to promote local guy Suryakumar Yadav has been a success but their best batsman, skipper Rohit, is yet to make a big contribution with the bat. The Pandya brothers Hardik and Krunal along with giant West Indian Kieron Pollard too have not made big impacts in the first three games.

Rookie leg-spinner Mayank Markhande has been their most successful bowler with good economy rate along with Mustafizur Rehman, but Jasprit Bumrah has also not lived up to his tag of the world’s best white ball bowler. MI have replaced injured Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins with New Zealander Adam Milne and will be looking up to a comprehensive combined show to avoid a fourth straight defeat of the season.

Teams (from):

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma(c), Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Mustafizur Rahman, Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar, Evin Lewis, Saurabh Tiwary, Ben Cutting, Pradeep Sangwan, Jean-Paul Duminy, Tajinder Singh, Sharad Lumba, Siddhesh Lad, Aditya Tare, Mayank Markande, Akila Dhananjaya, Anukul Roy, Mohsin Khan, MD Nidheesh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Brendon McCullum, AB de Villiers, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Chris Woakes, Washington Sundar, Kulwant Khejroliya, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Colin de Grandhomme, Moeen Ali, Manan Vohra, Aniket Choudhary, Navdeep Saini, Murugan Ashwin, Pawan Negi, Mohammed Siraj, Corey Anderson, Parthiv Patel, Aniruddha Joshi, Pavan Deshpande, Tim Southee.