Sports

New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANS) The India U-17 boys will be looking to kick-start their SAFF Championship campaign on a positive note in Sri Lanka, as they face Bhutan in their first match at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo on Monday.

Speaking on the eve of the match, India head coach Bibiano Fernandes showed a lot of respect for India's opponents in the first match, stating the importance of starting with a win.

"Bhutan are a good side, and we respect them a lot. Our previous batches have had some good moments against them, but this is a completely new batch, and we start from square one. So we will be looking to put our best foot forward tomorrow and start our campaign with a win," said Fernandes at the pre-match press conference.

Bibiano, who has been the head coach of this age category (previously the U-16s), has helped his sides qualify for the AFC U-16 Championship (now known as the AFC U-17 Asian Cup) in the 2018 and 2020 editions. While the Blue Colts came within one step of qualifying for the U-17 World Cup when they made it to the quarterfinals in 2018, it will be a new challenge for the current batch.

"We are here obviously with the expectation to win the championship, as always, though we have come with a completely new set of players. The last two years have been a difficult time for everyone, as we could not get any international exposure due to the pandemic," said Fernandes.

"However, that has been the case for everyone as well, and this comes with a new set of challenges. We know the likes of Nepal and Bhutan are good teams, so every match will be crucial for us. We will take it one game at a time."

India have been clubbed in Group B alongside Bhutan and Nepal, and they get their campaign against the former at the Racecourse International Stadium on Monday, September 5 at 4 PM IST. The match will be streamed live on the Eleven Sports platforms.

--IANS

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New York, Sep 4 (IANS) Danielle Collins advanced to the fourth round of the US Open 2022 after defeating Alizé Cornet 6-4, 7-6(9) at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, here.

No. 19 seed Collins has the fourth round of the US Open for the first time in her career and will now face No. 6 seed Aryna Sabalenka for a spot in the quarterfinals.

The 28-year-old Collins is part of a quartet of American women into the Round of 16, joining No. 8 seed Jessica Pegula, No. 12 seed Coco Gauff, and No. 29 seed Alison Riske-Amritraj. Collins has paved her way into the second week with wins over Naomi Osaka, Cristina Bucsa, and Cornet.

"Honestly, I'm having the time of my life. This is what we dream of as a kid, playing these night matches," the American said.

Collins broke Cornet in the fifth game of the opening set and was off to the races. With relentless baseline pressure, she quickly amassed 20 winners through the first eight games.

The American played a tidy match, minimising her errors and putting in a physical effort at the baseline, but the French veteran struggled to find any space to keep Collins at bay. Her only hope was to bait Collins into errors. But on this night, the American did not miss.

The second rolled along with both women taking care of their serve. Only one break separated the two in the opening set, but neither woman was able to generate a single break point in the second set.

In the tiebreak, neither player was able to break away. Collins saw her first match point at 6-5 saved with a strong first serve from Cornet, while Cornet could only watch as Collins erased a set point with a clean backhand winner to level at 7-7.

Collins saved a second set point with her 50th winner of the night. Collins' gutsy saves would be rewarded. On her second match point, Collins closed out the victory after 1 hour and 52 minutes on late Saturday night.

As far as stats are concerned, Collins went unbroken in the match, facing down just one break point, while firing 52 winners to 29 unforced errors. Cornet hit 17 winners and just 9 unforced errors in the match.

Collins faces a formidable foe in the next round. Sabalenka has won all three prior meetings, with two of those wins coming at the US Open, in the first round in 2018 and the third round just last year. Sabalenka has lost just one set to Collins and comes into the match off a 6-0, 6-2 win over Clara Burel.

--IANS

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Sharjah, Sep 4 (IANS) Rahmanullah Gurbaz's attacking fifty went in vain as Sri Lanka began the Super Four phase of Asia Cup 2022 with a comfortable four-wicket win over Afghanistan at the Sharjah International Stadium, here on Saturday.

An excellent attacking knock by Rahmanullah Gurbaz (84 off 45) powered Afghanistan to a challenging 175/6 in 20 overs. Apart from Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran also played an impactful knock (40 off 38) for Afghanistan, who would have hoped for a blistering finish but they lost wickets in a cluster in the last few overs.

Chasing a challenging total, openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis set the tone set for Sri Lanka by putting on a 62-run stand. The powerplay was utilised well by the duo with the latter also going after Rashid Khan, sweeping him for two sixes and taking 17 off his first over.

Naveen-ul-Haq dismissed Mendis (36 off 19) to give Afghanistan the first breakthrough. Mujeeb Ur Rahman then got rid of Pathum Nissanka (35 off 28), who tried to play a shot wide outside off but was caught by Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

While the duo fell in the space of nine balls, Sri Lanka had some good fortune coming their way. Rashid did not review an LBW call against Gunathilaka which later showed three reds. Gunathilaka (33 off 20) was also dropped, as was Rajapaksa (31 off 14), which all allowed Sri Lanka to stay in the hunt despite losing wickets at regular intervals.

With 49 needed off the last five overs, Rajapaksa went 4, 4, 6 against Naveen ul Haq and brought the equation down. Wanindu Hasaranga struck three boundaries eventually to help chase the target in 19.1 overs with four wickets in hand.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2/30), Naveen-ul-Haq (2/40), Mohammad Nabi (1/34), and Rashid Khan (1/39), were the wicket-takers for Afghanistan.

Earlier, put into bat first, Afghanistan were off to a good start, scoring 49/1 in the powerplay.

While Gurbaz was in an attacking mode and did the bulk of the scoring, Hazratullah Zazai was not able to not find any fluency right through his innings. Eventually, Zazai played across to a length delivery and was clean bowled for 13 off 16 in the 5th over.

Even after the powerplay, Gurbaz continued his attacking intent and completed his fifty in 22 balls. He got support in Zadran and they kept the scoreboard ticking for Afghanistan.

Both Gurbaz and Zadran put on a stand of 93 runs for the second wicket. When Gurbaz got out in the 16th over, Afghanistan were 139-2 and looked set for a strong finish.

However, they lost the wickets of Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (1), and Najibullah Zadran (17) in the 17th and 18th overs respectively. Rashid Khan (9) managed to hit a six in the last over and took Afghanistan to 175-6, which was not enough in the end.

Dilshan Madushanka (2/37), Maheesh Theekshana (1/29), and Asitha Fernando (1/34) were the wicket-takers for Sri Lanka.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 175/6 in 20 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 84, Ibrahim Zadran 40, Dilshan Madushanka 2/37) lost to Sri Lanka 179/6 in 19.1 overs (Kusal Mendis 36, Pathum Nissanka 35; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2/30) by 4 wickets

--IANS

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London, Sep 4 (IANS) Former Champions Chelsea came back from a goal deficit to overcome West Ham United 2-1 in a home encounter here.

The match came alive in the second half and things came to a head in the frantic final few minutes as both teams tried their best.

There was little sign of what was to come during a largely uneventful first half, where neither team really threatened the opposition goalkeeper, despite Chelsea enjoying the vast majority of possession against a West Ham side who were happy to sit back and defend.

However, midway through the second session, the visitors somehow took the lead completely against the run of play. Edouard Mendy managed to claw a dangerous corner away from his goal but was floored by a bundle of bodies in the process, meaning when the ball came back in there was nothing he could do to prevent Michail Antonio from scrambling in at close range.

Chelsea tried to increase the pressure but it took a double substitution to find a way back into the game, as Ben Chilwell did brilliantly to latch on to Thiago Silva's high pass into the box, beating two defenders in the air before directing the dropping ball under Lukasz Fabianski and into the net.

Chilwell then turned provider to put the Blues ahead with two minutes remaining, as his low cross was turned in by fellow sub Kai Havertz, but that turned out to be far from the end of the drama.

Almost straight from the kick-off, Max Cornet, who had hit the post with his first touch shortly before Chelsea took the lead, fired the ball into an empty net with Mendy down injured following a challenge by Jarrod Bowen.

This time the referee intervened on Mendy's behalf, though, viewing the incident on the pitchside screen and ruling the goal out for a foul on the goalkeeper, allowing Chelsea to hold on in the final few minutes for a memorable comeback victory over West Ham.

Chelsea thus moved to fifth position with 10 points from three wins and a draw, from six matches.

--IANS

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Dubai, Sep 3 (IANS) India head coach Rahul Dravid on Saturday refused to rule injured Ravindra Jadeja out of the 2022 T20 World Cup, saying that the mega event in Australia is still six or seven weeks away from now and he doesn't want to jump to any conclusions so early.

Dravid's comments come in the wake of reports that Jadeja, who has sustained a right knee injury, may undergo major surgery and will miss the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in October-November.

The coach said that he would like to wait and watch as the medical team comes up with its prognosis.

"Jadeja has injured his knee; he is obviously ruled out of the Asia Cup. He is under the care of the medical team, he is going to see the doctors, see the experts. The World Cup is still a fair bit away, and we don't want to jump to any conclusions and rule him out or rule him in. We'll see how it goes," Dravid said during a press conference ahead of India's Super 4 match against Pakistan.

"Injuries are a part of the sport; it is part of our job to try to manage them. A lot will depend on rehab and the severity of the injury. I don't want to rule him out or don't want to make too many comments until we have a much clearer picture and a better idea, especially because the World Cup is six or seven weeks away from now," he added.

The 33-year-old Jadeja played the first two games of the ongoing Asia Cup against Pakistan and Hong Kong before he was on Friday ruled out of the tournament. He provides the team with much-needed balance -- along with Hardik Pandya, with his all-round abilities and played a crucial role in India's win over Pakistan.

Against Pakistan, Jadeja first gave away just 11 runs in the two overs he bowled, before being promoted to No. 4 in India's chase of 148, specifically since he was the only left-hand batter in India's top seven. He scored a crucial 35 off 29 balls in a 52-run partnership with Hardik Pandya that put India on the brink of victory. Pandya then finished it off after Jadeja fell to Mohammad Nawaz in the first ball of the last over.

On the other hand, the left-handed batter didn't get an opportunity to bat against Hong Kong. During bowling, he dismissed top-scorer Babar Hayat and only gave away 15 runs in his four overs.

Apart from Jadeja, fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel are also missing the Asia Cup for India. As per Dravid, the current situation doesn't stop them from using this tournament as an opportunity to build and grow the team for the World Cup.

"There are a few key players missing from this team. But it's probably true of one or two other teams as well, who are probably missing one or two key players. That can happen, but it doesn't stop us from using this tournament as a really good opportunity to build and grow our team for the World Cup," the coach said.

"And of course, it gives us the opportunity, I guess, in a lot of ways to look at other players who are potentially vying for spots, who are in contention and are looking for one or two spots, see how they perform and to give other people some opportunities as well. And of course, we know that once hopefully guys like Bumrah, Harshal and Jadeja are back then, as and when, we can respond to that and react to that," he added.

The former India captain also mentioned that the team management has always been trying to build a pool of players who can step in when key players get injured.

"But if for some reason unfortunately if they have to miss out then we've developed some other players, we've tried to build a back-up, we've tried to build a group and that's really been our endeavour right through...we're trying to build a bigger pool of players that can step in because as we've seen obviously with the kind of challenges we've had with Covid as well, and with injuries you've got to have back-up, you've got to have people who can step in any given situation," he said.

"When people miss out due to injuries, it gives us the chance to build that squad and grow that squad. Of course, we'd love to have our guys with experience and our best players playing all the time but it might not happen," he added.

--IANS

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Pune, Sep 3 (IANS) Unseeded Darshan Pujari stormed into the men's singles final and likewise earned the distinction of being the first-ever Puneite to make the singles (men or women) final in the eleven-year history of the India Junior International Grand Prix 2022 and played in memory of the Late Sushant Chipalkatti.

The 18-year-old Darshan defeated qualifier Dhruv Negi 21-12, 21-17 victory that took 39 minutes at the P. E. Society's Modern PDMBA Sports Complex, on Saturday. The clash between India No. 10 Darshan and Uttrakhand's Dhruv was the first ever.

For Darshan, a Khelo India winner, the title clash on Sunday will be his second in an international tourney having played the Indian Junior International Series at Hyderabad where he exits early losing to Malaysian world No. 1 Justin Ho.

"It was a learning experience… I learnt a lot from that game and this time around I was determined to do well," said the Pune lad.

In the final, Darshan takes on No. 7 seed Muhammad Halim As Sidiq (Indonesia), who defeated No. 8 Ayush Shetty 21-15, 21-15.

While Darshan basked in glory, it was not the same for local lass and No.7 seed Tara Shah who went down tamely to No.3 seed Haryana-lass Unnati Hooda in the first semifinal of the women's singles.

Unnati all through was in the driver's seat which eventually ended in her favour in straight games 21-9, 21-17.

The first game was a breeze for World No. 23 Unnati, who won seven points in a row and lead 7-0. Local favourite, Tara, ranked 64 ranks below her rival, found the gap too hard to narrow as Unnati thereafter upped the tempo to win three points in a row and swell the lead to 14-6, which eventually led to the end of the first 'ame in Unnati's favour.

In the second Unnati led 2-0, which Tara cut to 2-1, but then again like the first game the Haryana shuttler pulled away winning six points in a row to take an 8-1 lead. Tara, thereafter, got as close as 6-10 and then 17-19 but eventually it was a day out for the in-form player Unnati who was consistent all through the 27 minutes they were on the court.

RESULTS (All Indians unless mentioned otherwise):

Men's Singles (semis): Darshan Pujari bt Q- Dhruv Negi 21-12, 21-17; 7-Muhammad Halim As Sidiq (Indonesia) Bt 8-Ayush Shetty 21-15, 21-15.

Men's Doubles (semis): 4-Choi Jian Sheng/Bryan Jeremy Goonting (Malaysia) Bt Nicholas Raj/Tushar Suveer 21-14, 21-19

Women's Singles (semis): 9-Sarunrak Vitidsarn (Thailand) bt 1-Anupama Upadhyaya 21-17, 21-16; 3-Unnati Hooda Bt 7-Tara Shah 21-9, 21-17 - 27 mins

Women's Doubles (semis): Vennala Kalagotla/Shriyanshi Valishetty bt Navya Kanderi/Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj 22-20, 21-12; Nardhana Ravishankar/Ridhi Kaur Toor Bt Neysa Cariappa. A/Taneesha Singh

Mixed Doubles (semis): Prem Kumar Prabhu Raj Mohan/ Kanishka Ganesan Bt Sathwik Reddy Kanapuram/Vaishnavi Khadkekar 21-15, 21-12; Divyam Arora/ Ridhi Kaur Toor bt Samarveer/Radhika Sharma 22-20, 24-22.

--IANS

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Imphal (Manipur), Sep 3 (IANS) After three back-to-back victories in the group stage of the Durand Cup 2022 campaign, Manolo Marquez's Hyderabad FC tasted their first defeat, as they lost 1-0 to Army Red FT, in their final group game at the Khuman Lampak Stadium here on Saturday.

Suresh Methei, the skipper of the Services' side scored with a glancing header in the 33rd minute, which turned out to be the only goal on a tough evening in Imphal.

Manolo Marquez made plenty of changes to the Starting XI but Hyderabad managed to create plenty of chances throughout the game.

The likes of Halicharan Narzary, Lalchungnunga Chhangte, Borja Herrera, Aaren D'Silva and Javi Siverio, coming off the bench, all came close on fair few occasions, but HFC failed to find the back of the net for the first time in this campaign.

Bhabindra Sureshi, the shot-stopper for Army Red was at the top of his game, as he made five superb saves to deny HFC throughout the evening. His contribution to helping Army Red to their first win of the campaign, saw him named the 'Player of the Match' on the evening, the club informed in a release on Saturday.

Even with the loss, Hyderabad remain atop Group C with nine points from their four games while Army Red move up to 2nd in the table as of now, with five points from their four games. The result of the final group game between Chennaiyin and NEORCA will decide the second qualifier from the group.

HFC are back in action in the Durand Cup quarterfinals, the dates and venues yet to be announced.

--IANS

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Dubai, Sep 3 (IANS) Pakistan pacer Shahnawaz Dahani on Saturday was declared unavailable for Sunday's Super Four match in Asia Cup 2022 against India due to a suspected side strain, said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Dahani is the third pacer from Pakistan to be down with an injury in the recent times after Shaheen Shah Afridi (right knee ligament injury) and Mohammad Wasim Jr. (side strain).

"Shahnawaz Dahani will not be available for Sunday's ACC T20 Asia Cup Super-4 match against India due to a suspected side strain. The injury happened while bowling in the match against Hong Kong in Sharjah on Friday," said the PCB in an official update.

In Pakistan's 155-run thrashing of Hong Kong on Friday, Dahani had figures of 1/7 in two overs. In an earlier match against India in Group A held last Sunday, Dahani had hit 16 runs apart from figures of 0/29 in four overs.

"As is the case with any suspected side strain injury, the medical team will monitor him for the next 48-72 hours, following which they will make decisions, including carrying out a scan and further participation in the tournament," added the PCB.

In four T20Is, right-arm pacer Dahani had picked three wickets while in two ODIs, he has one scalp. Pakistan's other pace bowling options ahead of their Super Four match against India at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday include Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Hasnain.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) The defending champions, the Indian Senior Women's National Team departed for Kathmandu, on Saturday for the SAFF Women's Championship which kicks off on September 6. The Blue Tigresses have been clubbed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Maldives and Bangladesh.

"The players are aware of the challenges and we hope to put up a strong performance. The mix of seniors and the younger ones will surely help us to achieve the target", said Head Coach Suren Chettri.

India face Pakistan on September 7, followed by the Maldives on September 10 and Bangladesh on September 13, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said in a release on Saturday.

All matches will be played at the Dashrath Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal.

The 23-player squad headed to Kathmandu after a brief camp in Pune. Dangmei Grace has also joined the team from her recent club (Nasaf Qarshi) in Uzbekistan.

The squad:

Goalkeepers: Aditi Chauhan, Maibam Linthoingambi Devi, Sowmiya Narayanasamy. Defenders: Sweety Devi, Ritu Rani, Ashalata Devi, Ranjana Chanu, Manisa Panna, Michel Castanha, Juli Kishan, Santosh. Midfielders: Anju Tamang, Priyangka Devi, Martina Thokchom, Sandhiya Ranganathan, Kashmina, Ratanbala Devi. Forwards: Dular Marandi, Apurna Narzary, Soumya Guguloth, Renu, Kiran Pisda, Dangmei Grace.

Head coach: Suren Chettri.

India's fixtures in Group A follow below:
Sep 7: India vs Pakistan
Sep 10: Maldives vs India
Sep 13: India vs Bangladesh

--IANS

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Sharjah, Sep 3 (IANS) Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan feels that whoever is able to remain brave and keeps a calm head will be the winner of the marquee Super Four clash against India in Dubai on Sunday.

After losing to India by five wickets in their opening Group A clash last week on Sunday, Pakistan will return to Dubai International Stadium this Sunday to take on their arch-rivals again. Pakistan managed to grab the final Super Four spot after thrashing Hong Kong by 155 runs at Sharjah on Friday to set up another showdown with India in the tournament.

"Playing against India is always a pressure game. The whole world, even beyond Asia, wait for it. Playing against India feels like a final as people in both countries are eager to watch the game. It helps in keeping things as normal as possible. The pressure will be equally on India and us, but the result will be with whoever remains brave and keeps calm," said Rizwan after the match against Hong Kong ended.

Rizwan, who was adjudged 'Player of the Match' for his unbeaten 78 off 57 balls against Hong Kong and carried his bat throughout the match, insisted that his team is trying to keep things simple ahead of the clash against India in order to reach the final.

"I tell players, whether you play India or Hong Kong, it's a game of bat and ball. So keep it simple. Yes, it's a big game and our confidence is high but only hard work is in our hands, as the result is from God. We have to play good cricket and make the final. Our fans demand that we give our best and it is visible this time that the boys are giving it their all."

In the match against Hong Kong, pacers Naseem Shah and Shahnawaz Dahani were amongst the wickets. Rizwan felt that in absence of premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan have got a chance to unearth a new-ball pace combination.

"I've talked to the bowlers before. I will be very honest here, no bowler from this group can replace Shaheen or fill in for his loss. This is my honest answer. The way Shaheen has performed in the past 1-2 years, no bowler can come into the side and fill his shoes."

"But, we can get another Shaheen Shah and this is an opportunity for our other fast bowlers. The way Naseem and Dahani have performed, and Haris is already a part of the side, so we are hopeful to get one or two more Shaheen Shahs with us. We are famous for our solid fast bowlers. So if we get a new combination for the new ball, it will be very good for Pakistan."

--IANS

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