Sports

Kolkata, Oct 10 (IANS) Riding on brilliant goals by Kwame Karikari and Rahim Ali, Chennaiyin FC kickstarted their Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 campaign in style after beating ATK Mohun Bagan 2-1 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Monday.

Chennaiyin's Ghanaian striker Karikari (64th minute) scored a goal off penalty on his ISL debut before Rahim (83rd) struck home the winner. Manvir Singh (27th minute), on the other hand, netted the lone goal for the hosts.

Playing in front of the home fans, the 26-year-old striker put ATK Mohun Bagan in the lead by striking the opening goal. With a counter-attacking display by the Mariners, Manvir successfully converted a pass from Dimitri Petratos, leaving Chennaiyin FC goalkeeper Debjit Majumder with no chance as ATK Mohun Bagan ended the first-half with 58 percent of the ball possession.

Anirudh Thapa-led side came back aggressively after the break, creating more pressure on the opposition defence line.

They were soon rewarded for their attacking display when substitute player Karikari brought the ball into the penalty area before the opposition goalkeeper Vishal Kaith committed an error. Karikari made no mistake while taking the penalty kick and beautifully produced an equaliser for his side.

The goal shifted the momentum towards Chennaiyin as they continued to create opportunities before Rahim doubled the score for them. Edwin Sydney Vanspaul sent a good pass forward on the right wing to Karikari, who then cut the ball back to Rahim before the Indian found the far corner with a wonderfully placed shot to score the winner.

After the winning start to the campaign, Chennaiyin FC will now travel back home to Chennai for their next game against Bengaluru FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday. It will be a homecoming for Thomas Brdaric's men, who return to the city to play an ISL game after two years.

Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the last two seasons of the league were conducted behind closed doors in Goa. However, it has returned to its traditional home and away format in the ongoing season with the fans cheering for their favourite teams and stars from the stadiums.

--IANS

inj/bsk

Gandhinagar, Oct 10 (IANS) After failing to make an impression in two other sports, Haryana's Ankit Sharma decided to take up boxing as his profession. The move paid rich divided as Ankit on Monday stormed into the men's flyweight semifinals in the ongoing 36th National Games here.

First, he took up skating but the National Championship silver medallist had to leave it as he fell down during an event and returned home with broken teeth. Then, he tried his hand at taekwondo. But despite his best efforts, he could not shed the extra kilos, and also withdrew from the sport.

Determined to give his son a sports life, Rampat Sharma, who manages a construction business, decided to take him to Rohtas Kumar, a coach at a nearby Boxing Academy in Sonipat.

"Initially, I put him into skating. He won two silver medals in junior-level competitions in Bhiwani. Later, in another competition, he slipped and returned home with a couple of broken teeth. I found the sport too dangerous for the child and decided to take him to taekwondo. I wanted him to lose some weight. But after a few weeks I couldn't find any positive results," Rampat revealed.

"He was around 4 or 5 when I decided to put him in boxing. I decided to take him to the coach who has taken care of his career since then," he added.

For coach Rohtas Kumar, the 2019 Khelo India Youth Games gold medallist, was one of his most hardworking wards.

"He came to me when he was around 6 years. He was a chubby kid but was very disciplined from the beginning. Even after winning a medal, he wouldn't go overboard with his celebrations or stop his training. He's one of the very few kids who wouldn't let me rest even on Sundays," the coach recalled.

Ankit Sharma missed the Asian Championships trials last month due to an injury in his left shoulder. Now back to full fitness, he has looked impressive in the initial rounds.

A gold medallist at the 2022 Inter-University Games, Ankit will be up against Punjab's Sparsh Kumar in the semifinals of the men's flyweight 51kg weight division. Kumar expressed confidence in his ward's chances of winning the gold but cautioned Ankit against any complacencies, the organisers informed in a press release on Monday.

"Everyone comes prepared. It will be foolish to take the opponent lightly. But Ankit has the potential to clinch the gold medal at the National Games, this will boost his confidence, going forward," he said.

After the National Games, Ankit will be returning to the national camp to prepare for the upcoming Senior National Boxing Championships in December. He also has one eye on the Asian Games and the World Championships, which will also serve as a qualifying event for the Paris Olympics in 2024.

--IANS

bsk

Ahmedabad, Oct 10 (IANS) Maharashtra's Rupali Sunil Gangawane dished out a clinical performance to claim her second gold medal in the 36th National Games Mallakhamb competition at the Sanskardham Sports Academy here on Monday.

The Mumbaikar secured the Women's Individual All-round crown to add to Maharashtra's Women's Team gold.

Rupali Gangawane, the 23-year-old reigning queen of Mallakhambh, scored 17.80 points on the Pole and the Rope to win gold by a 0.50-point margin from her teammate Janhavi Suresh Jadhav. These successes helped Maharashtra's rise to second place on the medal tally with 32 gold medals behind Services and ahead of Haryana.

With Ajatasatru Sharma, S. Albert Raj, Bhumjit Singh and Gyanjit Arambam paddling in unison to K4 Sprint gold in the canoeing and kayaking competition on the river Sabarmati, Services increased the haul of gold to 52. Services have 33 silver and 29 bronze for a total of 114 medals. Maharashtra have a total of 122 medals, including 32 gold, while Haryana are third with 31 gold in a total of 98.

There was, however, a massive disappointment for the Maharashtra men's hockey team who were unable to make the most of their pre-match favourites tag against Uttar Pradesh in the semifinals at the Maj. Dhyan Chand Stadium in Rajkot. Maharashtra rallied from three goals down to take the match into the penalty shootout but ran out of luck.

Sumit scored in the 22nd minute to give Uttar Pradesh the lead. Sunil Yadav doubled the tally with a penalty-corner goal in injury time in the second quarter while Manish Yadav made it 3-0 with a penalty corner conversion seven minutes into the third quarter. Maharashtra bounced back through Aniket Gurav (40th and 47th minutes) and Sayyad Niyaz Rahim (55).

In the shoot-out, the teams were level 2-2 after four attempts each. Rajkumar Pal and Rahul Kumar Rajbhar put Uttar Pradesh 2-0 ahead before Darshan Gawkar and Yuvraj Walmiki brought Maharashtra back into the contest. Venkatesh Kenche could not beat Uttar Pradesh goalkeeper Prashant Kumar while skipper Lalit Kumar Upadhyay found the winner.

Back on the Sabarmati, it was heartening to watch the experienced Rajina Kiro hold her own in the Women's K1 500m Sprint against Kaushal Nandini Thakur (Chhattisgarh) and Pooja (Haryana).

Rahasri Manogar Babu (Tamil Nadu) won the Soft Tennis women's singles gold with an easy win over Aadhya Tiwari (Madhya Pradesh). She then had to put her best foot forward in beatin' the home state's Hetvee Chaudhari 1-4, 2-4, 4-1, 4-1, 1-4, 9-7, 7-0 in the semifinals.

Late on Sunday, the battle f'r Mallakhambh men's Individual All-round gold, fea'uring Maharashtra's Akshay Taral from Mumbai and Shubhankar from Pune, brought fans in Sanskardham to the edge of their seats. Only 0.15 points separated the two contestants while Chandrashekhar Chauhan (Madhya Pradesh) was a further 0.35 points behind.

--IANS

bsk

Bhubaneswar, Oct 10 (IANS) Ahead of the first match in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup against USA, head coach Thomas Dennerby said that the Indian team's main focus will be remain on executing the gameplan and if we can stick with our plans we have a team that is hard to score against.

India is set to begin its FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022 campaign against the USA at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

Addressing the media at the official pre-match press conference, coach Dennerby spoke about opponents and his expectations from the match.

"We have a team that we know can defend very well. Tomorrow, one thing that everyone should be able to see is how hard it will be to score against us. If we utilise the chances we create, we can come out with points. The USA will come as the favourites but it's all on paper. Our focus is on our game plan. If we have our best day and score an early goal, it will be good for us," he stated.

The Young Tigresses will have the backing of the home crowd to push them forward and Dennerby stressed how matters will be decided by what happens on the pitch.

"Home advantage is always there. Some girls can feel a little pressure if they see a large crowd in the stadium. However, it's on the pitch that everything will be decided and the outcome of the match will be determined," he said.

Captain Astam Oraon spoke about the team's excitement levels ahead of the opening fixture and said the team is "strong physically and mentally."

"The team is excited to play against the USA and finally get the tournament started after training together for 6-7 months. Tomorrow is the day when we have to leave everything on the field. Our full focus is on the matches ahead and nothing else matters to us," the defender said.

She continued, "We have to sleep and rest well today. All the players are feeling strong physically and mentally. We have worked hard on our endurance levels through gym and running sessions. We will give our opponents a good fight tomorrow."

Dennerby said, "We showed last week against Sweden that we can match up against one of the best teams in the world. Everyone is looking forward to the game tomorrow and all of us are ready."

"Of course, India will qualify for the quarterfinals. Everyone starts from zero points. It will be a huge success if we reach that stage!" he added.

Astam, who hails from Gumla district in Jharkhand, lauded the support provided by the Governments of Odisha and her home state.

"The Government of Jharkhand has helped a lot during our training time in Jamshedpur. The same goes for the Government of Odisha -- everything is well-organised, the facilities are excellent and the overall environment is extremely positive. We are really happy about everything," she said.

--IANS

inj/bsk

By Niharika Raina
New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS) When South Africa last came to New Delhi for the T20I series opener in June, they were greeted by an intense heatwave where the temperature breached 45 degrees mark on certain days. Cut to October now, and the Proteas will be back in New Delhi to play the ODI series decider against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.



But this time, instead of scorching heat, it will be the rain threat which will be looming over the series decider, apart from the possibility of a truncated match. India's national capital has recording 121.7 mm of rain in first ten days of the current month, resulting in water-logged roads and traffic thrown into chaos.

Though the weather forecast shows less of scattered rain and more of sunshine on Tuesday, with the ground covered due to heavy rain in last 72 hours, one can expect a pitch which will have some moisture around and assist the fast bowlers.

With India's emphatic seven-wicket victory over South Africa in Ranchi setting the stage for a winner-takes-it-all clash in New Delhi, many cricket fans have been nervously scrolling through weather apps and making earnest prayers to the Almighty for Tuesday's match to go smoothly without any interruption.

For India, a victory on New Delhi's return to hosting an ODI match after three years, will continue their winning juggernaut in the format which began after co-incidentally losing a three-match series in South Africa earlier this year.

The ODIs against South Africa have been a reminder of the quality and depth of white-ball players in India though captain Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill haven't produced substantial contributions yet.

If Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer and Shardul Thakur shined bright in Lucknow despite the narrow nine-run loss, then it was Iyer, Ishan Kishan and Mohammed Siraj's turn to power India to a series-levelling win.

Iyer, in particular, has been making some serious noise through his form in ODIs this year making 458 runs in nine innings at an average of 57.25. He has made runs against the West Indies in Ahmedabad and then in the Caribbean, followed by looking pristine in his counter-attacking fifty in Lucknow and a magnificent 113 not out in Ranchi against South Africa.

Irrespective of how he fares in New Delhi, where he got his first international cap in 2017, Iyer has emerged as a serious contender for grabbing middle-order spots ahead of the ODI World Cup in India next year.

With the ball, India corrected their mistakes from Lucknow by stifling the South African run-flow in the back end of the innings. Despite Aiden Markram and Reeza Hendricks making 70s, India's bowling attack, especially Siraj shining with 3/38 executed slower balls and straighter lines to perfection.

It resulted in India giving away only 57 runs in the last ten overs. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and debutant Shahbaz Ahmed were impressive in Ranchi while posing questions to South Africa batters.

South Africa, on the other hand, badly need a win on Tuesday to put themselves back on track for direct qualification for next year's ODI World Cup. A narrow win in Lucknow gave them the vital ten points, but a loss in Ranchi, with dew hampering them in defence of 278, gave them a setback on the quest for direct qualification.

Currently at 11th place in the Super League points table, South Africa's aim will be to now sign off from the tour of India with a win and get those crucial ten points before flying to Australia to focus on their Men's T20 World Cup campaign.

The visitors' will be buoyed by the runs made by Markram and Hendricks apart from David Miller in the form of his life and Heinrich Klaasen capable of producing the big hits. If Temba Bavuma, who sat out of Sunday's match in Ranchi, is fit enough to take the field in New Delhi, South Africa will be praying for him to get some vital runs under his belt before T20 World Cup arrives, provided the rain stays away.

Squads

India: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Rajat Patidar, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada and Tabraiz Shamsi.


--IANS
nr/inj

Ahmedabad, Oct 9 (IANS) Former junior world champion boxer Mandeep Kaur is gunning for a gold medal at the 36th National Games, hoping that a podium finish here would open up doors for her recruitment in Punjab Police and end her dependence on her father's farm earnings to fund her dietary requirements.

The two-time gold medallist at the Inter-University Games began her National Games campaign with an effortless win over Tamil Nadu's J Hanna Joy in the 57kg category.

"It's been a tough journey, especially when I have to go back to my father asking for money for supplements. Whatever pocket money I get from my family is exhausted in diet. It is difficult when you don't have any sponsors to back you. But then life is all about hopes, and I hope the doors open for me once I win a National Games gold," she added.

However, the road to the National Games gold won't be a cakewalk for the Punjab boxer with Assam's Jamuna Boro, a former world championship medallist and a pre-tournament favourite, also in fray in the 57kg weight category.

"There are many good boxers in the category, it can be anybody's day in the ring going forward. Each bout is different as we get to face boxers with different techniques, that is the charm of the sport, isn't it?," she added.

Mandeep Kaur, who hails from Chakar village near Ludhiana which is also the native place of Tokyo Olympian Simranjit Kaur Baath, fell in love with the sport at the age of seven. But her father's financial condition made it difficult for him to pay for her gloves or training equipment. But Sher-e-Punjab Sports Academy came forward to sponsor the girl and she hasn't looked back since then.

The youngster, who had joined the academy after following in the footsteps of her elder brother, won the 2011 and 2012 National Sub-junior titles, before picking up a gold medal in the 4th Junior Nations Boxing Cup held in Serbia in 2015.

After the junior world championship gold, Mandeep Kaur was selected to train under Dronacharya awardee Cuban coach Blas Iglesias Fernandez at PIS, Mohali. "Simranjit and I train at the same centre in Mohali under Fernandez sir. There are many boxers from Punjab and across the country who come and train at the academy, where thankfully I don't have to worry about diet, the most essential need for any athlete," she said.

While Mandeep Kaur missed out on a shot at the Tokyo Olympics, the 22-year-old now aims to make an impact as preparations for the next Olympic cycle have already started.

And after the National Games, Mandeep will head back to the camp in Mohali to prepare for the senior national boxing championships in Bhopal in December.

"It will be a very busy year for all boxers. I will head straight to the camp after the National Games, and will start preparing for the national championships. Winning the nationals will open the doors for national selection. Then we have the world championships and the Asian Games before the final goal of representing India in Paris," the 2019 national championship bronze medallist said before signing off.

--IANS
inj

New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Two-time 5,000m World champion Muktar Edris of Ethiopia, 2021 Berlin Half Marathon winner Felix Kipkoech of Kenya and promising Ethiopian Chala Regasa are among the top names in an exciting men's elite field for the upcoming 17th Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon.

Reigning World 3,000m Indoor Champion Lemlem Hailu of Ethiopia, this year's TCS World 10K Bengaluru winner Irine Cheptai of Kenya and Stella Chesang, the 2018 10,000m Commonwealth Champion, headline the women's elite field.

The USD 268,000 prize money World Athletics Elite Label Road Race, to be flagged off from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 16, will see tens of thousands of amateurs join the world's best elites on one of the fastest courses in the world.

The International Elite winners in the men's and women's categories will take home USD 27,000 each and the prize fund includes the top 10 finishers in both. There is also an Event Record Bonus of USD 12,000 as an incentive.

Edris finished fourth on debut in Delhi in 2020 with an impressive 59:04 as the top four broke the previous course record in a sensational race that saw just four seconds separate the podium finishers.

"Naturally, I want to be in the top 3 this time around. I'm in good shape and have prepared specifically for Delhi. I'm excited and looking forward to the challenge," he said.

Kipkoech won in Berlin in an impressive 58:57 and is an exciting prospect as the course record looks under threat again with a dozen runners under the one-hour mark.

Regasa, who clocked a personal best of 59:10 for second place at this year's Barcelona Half Marathon, was one of the pacemakers in Eliud Kipchoge's successful 1:59 Marathon Challenge in Vienna in 2019.

Cheptai will hope to be third-time lucky this year after two successive fourth-place finishes, including her personal best of 66:43 in 2020.

Hailu will be making her half-marathon debut. The 21-year-old is a dark horse for the title after consistently finishing on the podium in international meets in the 1500m and 3000m over the last two seasons.

--IANS
inj/

Bhubaneswar, Oct 9 (IANS) With barely 48 hours left before India face USA in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022 , Head Coach Thomas Dennerby said it is time India show the world their ability to shine in women's football.

"It's not only about the result now. It's about the performance to show that Indian girls can play football. But of course, inside the group, we have our own goals, and we are ready to fight for them. Against the USA, Brazil or Morocco, we are determined to earn points and score goals.

"And we're going to show to the Indian fans that we have a good team. India, in a couple of years, can have a very successful team on the women's side. So hopefully we can motivate the girls to start playing football and believe that it's a nice sport for the girls," coach Thomas Dennerby was quoted as saying by www.the-aiff.com.

"That's why we also want to dish out a good performance. So, they can feel that India really can challenge the best teams in the world. Also, when it's shown on TV, it helps a lot. And it's good for the younger girls to have role models to look up to. And hopefully, some of these girls, in a couple of years from now, can take the next step to the senior team and so on--you can keep on having them as role models for many years. Young girls should know they can have a successful career in football," he said.

On assessment of the preparations of Indian team, coach said, "I think we had good preparations. We started at the end of February this year which also includes our exposure tours, the first one in July to Italy and Norway. And finally, last week, we were in Spain. I hope we are ready now."

Dennerby said that all coaches are under pressure when it comes to World Cups or other big tournaments.

"Because everybody expects you to have a successful team and so on. And, of course, you want to do it yourself also. I think sometimes you put more pressure on yourself - but I have gone through this before. So, I don't get stressed. Whatever happens, you have to stay cool, you have to follow your plan. Don't change anything, even if you lose the first game--stay by your plan, don't panic and start changing everything. These are things you learn from being in this business for many years. And, of course, I would be lying, if I start saying that there is no pressure," he said.

Asked about the strengths and weaknesses of the team, the 63-year-old Swedish football coach said, "We are going to this tournament with a really good fitness level now. All these things, training, running sessions and all that have helped a lot and we can see that we have a good fitness level. I think the girls have learned about positioning, where to go when we lose the ball and where to go when we win the ball back and how to open up the game and start playing and quickly come back when we lose the ball again. All these tactical details and positioning have become really good. So, I hope it's going to be difficult to score against us."

"I hope they are a little bit nervous. Being nervous is a part of concentration. It's a part of preparations for the game for the body to prepare. Usually, when you walk out from the players' tunnel and hear the crowd roar and look at them, and the national anthem is played - it creates an emotional atmosphere that matters. But when the referee blows the whistle, you have to forget about all that. It's only you and the ball and the teammates and opponents," he added.


--IANS
inj

London, Oct 9 (IANS) One of England's most successful pace bowlers Stuart Broad will not travel to Pakistan for the historic three-Test series in the sub-continent as he and his partner are expecting a child in mid-November, said a report in Daily Mail on Sunday.

The 36-year-old, the second-highest Test wicket-taking pace bowler after country-mate James Anderson, has reportedly informed the selectors about his unavailability due to personal reasons.

The report added that England's training camp in Abu Dhabi ahead of the Pakistan tour will clash with the baby's due date, because of which Broad has been forced to miss the tour.

England and England Lions will also play a match during the warm-up period in Abu Dhabi and Broad missing it would mean he would not be match-ready for the series, which will be hosted in Rawalpindi, Multan and Karachi from December 1.

"Broad is understood to have thought long and hard about his decision, not least because he enjoyed a resurgent summer with England in which he finished as the leading wicket-taker in a Test team that won six out of seven matches," said the report.

Broad surpassed Australian legend Glenn McGrath's tally of 563 Test wickets in the recently concluded Oval Test against South Africa and is currently on 566 wickets. He now trails his partner Anderson in the wickets column for pacers, who has 667 scalps to his name.

Broad's 29 wickets in the summer Test season leaves him fifth in the all-time list of highest Test wicket-takers in the world led by Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan.

Broad could be back for England's two-Test tour of New Zealand and the 2023 Ashes at home.

Broad's absence will coincide with the comeback of Mark Wood, who will be part of the pace-bowling battery that will have the likes of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Matt Potts and potentially Reece Topley.

--IANS

akm/

Christchurch, Oct 8 (IANS) Pakistan captain Babar Azam carried his bat through the innings to slam an unbeaten 79 off 53 balls and lead Pakistan to a six-wicket victory over New Zealand to win their second match on the bounce in the ongoing T20I tri-series at Hagley Oval on Saturday.

After fast bowler Haris Rauf led the bowling attack's good showing by picking three wickets in the penultimate over to restrict New Zealand to 147/8 in their 20 overs, Azam played a sterling knock to take Pakistan home with ten balls to spare, with Shadab Khan chipping in with a cameo of 34 off just 22 balls.

It was a match where everything clicked well for Pakistan, right from being pushed into bowling first. They never let go of the pressure upon the Blackcaps batters, which resulted in Devon Conway and captain Kane Williamson being unable to get going and they consumed a lot of deliveries. It took a 16-ball 32 blitz from Mark Chapman for New Zealand to reach a below-par 147/8.

For Pakistan, Rauf strengthened his T20I credentials by picking three wickets in the 19th over while conceding five runs to finish with figures of 3-28. His fellow fast-bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr. gave away five runs in the final over to finish with figures of 2/20. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz picked up 2-44 while Shahnawaz Dahani finished with 1-22 in three overs.

In pursuit of 148, Pakistan lost Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood in a space of four balls to slip to 37/2 in 5.2 overs. But Azam stayed on and hit 11 fours in his 79 not out, his 28th T20I half-century. He was at his best, striking boundaries from the middle of the bat while pushing the balls in gaps for ones and twos.

Leg-spinner Shadab Khan's promotion to number four paid off when the Pakistan vice-captain followed up his 0-21 in four over with a 22-ball 34, hitting two fours and as many sixes. He added 61 runs for the third wicket with Azam. Nawaz, promoted to five, chipped in with a 19-ball 16, two fours before Haider Ali belted a six and a four in the two balls to be unbeaten on 10.

With 24 needed off the last three overs, Azam and Ali took Blair Tickner to the cleaners by scoring 21 runs before the Pakistan captain finished the match in style with a four lofted over extra cover off Ish Sodhi in the 19th over.

Brief scores: New Zealand 147/8 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 36, Mark Chapman 32; Haris Rauf 3-28, Mohammad Wasim Jr 2-20) lost to Pakistan 149/4 in 18.2 overs (Babar Azam 79 not out, Shadab Khan 34; Blair Tickner 2-42) by six wickets

--IANS

nr