Sports

Mohali, Sep 21 (IANS) In India's four-wicket loss to Australia in the first T20I at PCA Stadium, Mohali, the hosts' sloppy fielding on Tuesday evening stunned everyone. If Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel conceded 101 runs from their eight collective overs, especially in the death overs, India were also let down by poor fielding display.

All-rounder Cameron Green, the surprise opener alongside captain Aaron Finch, slammed a rollicking 61 off just 30 balls and could have been out at 42 if Axar Patel hadn't dropped his catch at deep mid-wicket.

In the next over, KL Rahul spilled a catch of Steve Smith at long-off. But the most costly one was Harshal Patel dropping a caught-and-bowled chance of Matthew Wade in the 18th over. At that time, Wade was on 23 and remained unbeaten at 45 off just 21 balls to take Australia home with four wickets to spare.

India's poor fielding show at Mohali left former head coach Ravi Shastri disappointed. "What I was disappointed today (in Tuesday's match) with was the standard of fielding. I mean, it looks sloppy and I think you need a big upping of the ante when it comes to the fielding if you have to beat big sides in big competitions," said Shastri on air after the match ended.

With the second T20I at Nagpur on Friday, Shastri felt the current India side has to improve on its fielding to defeat top teams consistently in big events like the T20 World Cup starting in Australia next month.

"If you look at all the top Indian teams over the years, there is youth and experience. I find the youth missing here and hence the fielding. If you look at the last five-six years, fielding wise, I think this side is no match to any of the top sides when it comes to fielding."

"And that can hit badly in big tournaments. It means that as a batting side you have to get that 15-20 runs game after game, because if you look around the field, where is brilliance? There is no (Ravindra) Jadeja. Where is that X-factor?"



--IANS

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Ahmedabad, Sep 19 (IANS) Almost 30 years after he became the first footballer from Gujarat to represent India, CV Sasi will make the long trek from Kerala to Ahmedabad to watch and motivate his former state in the 36th National Games here.

"I owe everything to Gujarat," the defender was quoted as saying by the organisers. "I will be there at the National Games and I am hoping to watch the football final," he added, without mentioning the two teams that he would want to see play that match.

Sasi, who joined Kerala Police in the mid-Nineties, might be living 2,000km away, but his heart continues to beat for Gujarat.

"I had made many friends during my stay there and I am hoping to reconnect with some of them at least," the former stopper back said in the release.

Sasi, 56 years now, had moved to Gujarat in the mid-80s at the invitation of a cousin to play for the IIM-A football team as a 'guest player'.

He recalls how he had struggled to make ends meet with the stipend he earned for playing football. But Sasi's luck changed when IIM became the Ahmedabad League champions, a denouement that led to him being invited to the camp for the State team for the Santosh Trophy.

He went on to play in four National championships, the last one as captain.

Sasi is delighted that the National Games are being held in Gujarat for the first time and expects this to give sports in the State a massive boost. "It will do wonders for Gujarat football, and other sports too. I expect to see the State making great progress in several disciplines," he predicted.

Sasi's crowning moment came when he was selected in the India squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Beirut and Seoul in 1993. India were placed in a pool that included Lebanon, Hong Kong, South Korea and Bahrain.

Coached by Czech Jirí Pešek, and captained by that indefatigable defender, the late VP Sathyan, the team included stalwarts like IM Vijayan, CV Pappachan, Bruno Coutinho, Tejinder Kumar and Aqueel Ansari. India did not make it past the group but won the Fair Play Trophy in the Asian Zone.

Sasi also accompanied the 'Blue Tigers' to Pakistan for the first 1993 South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Gold Cup in Lahore and returned with the trophy. In all, Sasi won 10 National caps, six in the World Cup qualifiers and four in the SAARC tourney.

It will be a great homecoming for Gujarat's first international footballer. It is also his way of showing his gratitude to the state that made him a national player, if not a megastar.

--IANS

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Marrakech (Morocco), Sep 19 (IANS) Paralympic Games silver medallist high jumper Nishad Kumar set a new Asian record while Neeraj Yadav set a new National Record on his way to gold in the Marrakech Para Athletics Grand Prix in Morocco.

On the final day, Neeraj won the gold medal in the discus throw F55/56 category as India ended the prestigious meet with 19 medals -- eight gold, eight silver and three bronze medals. Nishad won silve and set the new record in the process.

Ajeet Kumar won gold in the javelin throw F46 category while compatriot and two-time Paralympic gold medallist Devendra Jhajaria won silver.

Ramsinghbhai Govindbhai won gold in long jump T42 as did Vinay Kumar Lal in men's 400m T20/35/36/44 as did Deepthi Jeevanji in women's 400m T-13/20/37.

Sprinter Shiek Abdul Kadhar won the 100m T46 race while Neeraj Yadav also topped the Discus Throw F56.

Hokato Sema won silver in shotput F57 while Ajit Kumar Panchal won silver in the Discus F52 category. Anil Kumar (100m T54), Shailesh Kumar (Long Jump T42) and Mohd Yasser (Shot put F42/43/44/46) also won silver medals.

Ranjeet Bhati (Javelin F57), Fathima Khatoon (Discus F56) and Shailesh Kumar (High Jump T42/47).

Nearly 120 track and field medal events were conducted at the Grand Stadium de Marrakech with plenty of local stars to watch. This was the first time in the history of para-athletics, Morocco hosted a World Para Athletics Grand Prix.

--IANS

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San Francisco, Sep 19 (IANS) Rockstar Games on Monday confirmed that it 'suffered a network intrusion' that resulted in the massive leak of 90 videos of Grand Theft Auto game 6, showcasing its engine, gameplay and more from an early development build.

The leak provided a glimpse into GTA 6 development, confirming prior reports of the series' first female protagonist and a Vice City setting.

"We recently suffered a network intrusion in which an unauthorised third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our systems, including early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto," Rockstar Games said in a statement.

At this time, "we do not anticipate any disruption to our live game services no any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects".

The company said it was "extremely disappointed to have any details of our next game shared with you all in this way".

"Our work on the next Grand Theft Auto game will continue as planned and we remain as committed as ever to delivering an experience to you, our players, that truly exceeds your expectations," said the gaming company.

The title, informally known as GTA 6, will mark the first mainline game since 2013's GTA V, having racked up a record-breaking 170 million sales to date.

The company said it will update everyone again soon and will properly introduce them to the next game when it is ready.

The alleged GTA 6 footage comes via GTA Forums user "tepotuberhacker," posting various snippets of its open world in action from what appears to be an early development build.

The over 90 videos also provide an extended look at robberies, NPC interactions, vehicles, and more from its sprawling sandbox.

The footage appears to be from builds at least a couple of years old, suggesting development has been underway in tandem with recent years of GTA V content updates.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) Cricket legend Kapil Dev on Monday announced the launch of a new annual golf tournament, in association with the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and Grant Thornton.

The tournament, called the Kapil Dev-Grant Thornton Invitational, will see professionals play along with amateurs, corporates and celebrity golfers.

The tournament, slated to be played from September 27-30, will be the first-ever full-field PGTI event to be played at the Gary Player-designed Course of the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram.

The tournament will carry total prize money of Rs 1 crore and will feature 126 professional golfers, to begin with. After two days, the top 50 players and ties will advance to the final rounds.

The tournament will give amateur teams, consisting of golfers, celebrities and corporate leaders, a chance to partner with the pros in Rounds 3 and 4 to compete for separate team prizes. This gives club golfers a unique opportunity to experience what the pro golfers go through in the final two days of a tournament, the organisers said in a release on Monday.

Making the announcement, Kapil Dev said, "I am really excited about the tournament and would like to thank Vishesh Chandiok for sharing my vision of creating a truly landmark event in India's golfing history. I also extend my gratitude to DLF for agreeing to host the event. The event has been created keeping in mind other global standout events, such as the Annual Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the US PGA Tour and the European Tour's Dunhill Championship at St. Andrews, the home of golf."

Kapil Dev, who captained India to World Cup glory in 1983, is a board member of the PGTI and an active ambassador for the development of golf in the country.

Speaking at the launch, Vishesh C. Chandiok, CEO, Grant Thornton Bharat, said, "This format has been tried and proven for several years on the PGA and European Tours to be a success.

"It promotes engagement between fans and the players -- because golf allows this pro-am format and we intend to use this to strengthen interest in professional golf in India," Chandiok, added.

Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, "We at the PGTI are excited about adding the Kapil Dev-Grant Thornton Invitational to our schedule. We thank our Board Member Kapil Dev for being the driving force behind the launch of this event. We also thank Grant Thornton Bharat and all the other event partners for contributing to the growth of Indian professional golf."

--IANS

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New York, Sep 19 (IANS) An intriguing first-round game between 17-year-old R. Praggnanandhaa and 53-year-old chess legend Vasyl Ivanchuk ended with the Indian getting three points against the Ukrainian in the Julius Baer Generation Cup, the star-studded seventh leg of the USD1.6 million Meltwater Champions Chess Tour.

Ivanchuk was dominating his teenage opponent and looked set to strike the first blow for the older generation but first dropped a rook and then left a bishop hanging in time trouble. However, the Ukrainian quickly shook off the loss in the next round with a win over Serb Ivan Saric to pick up his first three.

In Round 3, Ivanchuk's genius shone through as the former world No.2 left Anish Giri stunned with the crushing 34. Bxf6+, which forced the Dutchman to instantly resign.

Then, Ivanchuk showed again he was still on top of his game with a Round 4 win over Poland's World Cup winner Jan-Krzysztof Duda. His performance will bring a cheer from fans of the older generation of players taking part in this event.

Pragg, the Indian teen who has beaten Magnus Carlsen twice this season, was heading for top spot after clocking up three wins but was pegged back in the final round. The 17-year-old suffered a shock loss to the youngest player in the event, 15-year-old US prodigy Christopher Yoo.

Meanwhile, Carlsen burst out of the blocks to take a one-point lead on the opening day of the tournament. The world champion racked up an unbeaten 10/12 points with wins over India's Arjun Erigaisi, Adhiban Baskaran and Liem Quang Le with only Dutch No.1 Giri preventing him from taking the maximum.

"He's (Carlsen) really started on fire," Grandmaster David Howell said in the commentary box, reports Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. "Normally, we're not used to seeing (him) this sharp in tournaments so soon. Normally, he steps up the gears as the days go on. Impressive stuff, scary for the rest of the field, maybe."

Behind the favourite are four players on nine points, including American Hans Niemann who, with Carlsen, has been at the centre of furore in the chess world over the last two weeks. But Niemann showed he wasn't going to let internet speculation get to him as he also had a strong day. Carlsen and Niemann are now set for a hotly-anticipated clash later on Monday.

It was Niemann who drew first blood in the tournament by beating 53-year-old legend Boris Gelfand. Niemann went to finish with an impressive three wins.

The final player on 9/12 was 19-year-old Indian Erigaisi, who recovered from his opening round loss to Carlsen to score three wins. He beat Adhiban, Liem and the Czech David Navara.

Once the prelim is completed, the tournament will move to the knockouts before a two-day grand final.

The eight-day event runs from September 18 to 25 and features 16 world-class competitors spanning three generations of player.

--IANS

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Hove (England), Sep 19 (IANS) India batter Smriti Mandhana indicated she was disappointed at missing out on a One-day International century against England Women in the opening match win here, saying remaining unbeaten at the end of the game would have been great.

Mandhana, who was adjudged 'Player of the Match' for her brilliant 91 off 99 balls as India chased down the hosts' 227/7 in 44.2 overs for the loss of just three wickets to begin the ODI series on a winning note, said following the victory that batting in the 50-over format came naturally to her, while in T20Is she had to "put effort" to take care of the strike rate.

"I would've enjoyed it better with a not-out at the end. Thanks to the supporters for coming out, happy to put out a show for them," said Mandhana.

"ODIs are natural for me, T20s I have to put effort to take care of the strike rate. In ODIs I can just react. But I'm happy to lay the platform," said Mandhana, adding that winning the toss and electing to field first was the right decision taken by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.

"I'm happy that Harman won the toss. I saw the pitch in the first innings and told myself to cut down on the back-foot play. But (I) didn't hold back too much. I want to say that this series for Jhulu di (Jhulan Goswani), her bowling was amazing. All our efforts in this series will be for Jhulu di."

The last match of the three-match ODI series here will be Jhulan's last for India.

Harmanpreet also added that winning the toss was important, given the conditions.

"We're happy with the support and the win. All of us showed the character which we discussed in team meetings. It was a crucial toss, the partnership between Jhulan and Meghna (Singh in bowling) was great. Credit to all the bowlers as they chipped through," said Harmanpreet.

On Deepti Sharma's incisive bowling (2/33 off 10 overs), the skipper said, "She is a very smart cricketer, she was doing exactly what was asked of her. The partnership between Smriti and Yastika (Bhatia) was great; we hope to continue the momentum. I want to give it all for the team, happy with the runs and with the stand alongside Smriti."

India had lost the T20I series to the hosts 1-2.

--IANS

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Belgrade (Serbia), Sep 18 (IANS) Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medallist and Olympic bronze winner Bajrang Punia claimed the bronze medal in the men's 65kg on the final day of the World Wrestling Championships 2022, here on Sunday.

Bajrang, who was wrestling with a bandage on his head due to the injury he sustained during his pre-quarter-final, produced a spirited fightback against Puerto Rico's Sebastian Rivera, after being 6-0 down early in the bout.

The 28-year-old eventually cut the lead and was trailing 8-9 heading into the last minute of the second period. The Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist then pulled off a two-point takedown in the final 20 seconds to turn the tables and win the bout 10-9.

It was Bajrang's fourth medal at the world championships. With his silver in 2018 and bronze medals in 2013 and 2019, he was already India's most successful wrestler at the world championships coming into this edition.

Earlier, he won his repechage round against the under-23 world championships silver medallist Vazgen Tevanyan 7-6 after being 4-1 down at the end of the first period.

On Saturday, Bajrang, who the CWG gold in the 2018 and 2022 editions, began with a 5-4 win over Cuba's two-time world bronze medallist Alejandro Valdes. Though Punia progressed to the next round, he suffered an injury and had to fight the next round with a bandage on his head.

Ace India wrestler then lost to former Pan-American champion John Diakomihalis of the USA in the quarterfinals but entered the repechage after Diakomihalis made it to the final.

At the world championships 2022, India had fielded a strong 30-member contingent that involved competitions for men's and women's freestyle along with Greco-Roman wrestling. India sent 10 wrestlers for each of the three categories.

While three-time Commonwealth Games champion Vinesh Phogat won a bronze medal in women's 53kg, Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Ravi Kumar Dahiya failed to clinch a medal in the men's 57kg category.

India also returned with two medals at the last edition of the world championships, which were held after the Tokyo Olympics. Anshu Malik won silver in women's 57kg while Sarita Mor won bronze in 59kg.

--IANS

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Chennai, Sep 18 (IANS) Czech teenager Linda Fruhvirtova won the last five games of the deciding set to capture her maiden WTA Tour singles title, beating third seed Magda Linette of Poland in three sets to complete her breakthrough week here on Sunday.

The 17-year-old Fruhvirtova beat No.3 seed Linette 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final to lift her first crown on the tour.

Fruhvirtova was down 4-1 in the third set before collecting the last five games of the match.

Fruhvirtova took two-and-a-half hours to claim the come-from-behind win over Linette, a two-time singles titlist on tour. The teen avenged a loss to Linette in their only prior meeting, at Cleveland last year.

At 17 years and 141 days old, Fruhvirtova is the youngest titlist of the season on the WTA Tour so far. She is the youngest singles champion on tour since Coco Gauff won Parma last year at 17 years, 70 days old.

Sunday's match was a bold victory for Fruhvirtova, who converted half of her six break points while fending off seven of the nine she faced in the final, according to a report on the WTA Tour website.

Linette was the early leader as she broke for 5-4 in the first set with a forehand winner off of a drop shot. She then ran with that opportunity, holding serve at love to take a one-set lead.

Fruhvirtova turned the match around, earning her first break of the day for a 5-3 lead in the second set. She levelled the match by consolidating in the next game, closing out a set where she never faced a break point.

A forehand winner gave Linette the first break of the decider for a 3-1 lead, and after holding for 4-1 the Pole appeared to be in charge. But Fruhvirtova used powerful hitting to pull back on serve at 4-3, and the Czech teen moved ahead by a break at 5-4 with a sterling return, the report said.

Fruhvirtova never relinquished that advantage, converting her first championship point in the following game to seal her first title.

--IANS

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Mohali, Sep 18 (IANS) Ahead of the beginning of the T20I series against Australia, star Indian cricketers looked relaxed and decided to treat their fans to some cool dance moves, a video of which has gone viral on social media.

All-rounder Hardik and ex-captain Kohli showed off their incredible dance moves on Instagram as they shook a leg with each other in a hilarious reel posted on the photo-sharing application on Sunday.

The video begins with both of them, dead-serious in shades, syncing their steps to the beat, before Kohli breaks into a smile and peels off. The reel didn't take much time to become viral on the internet as fans enjoyed seeing the fun side of their favourite players' personalities.

"You know how we do," Hardik captioned the post while Virat replied by saying "Shakaboom".

Notably, both Hardik and Virat had impressive campaigns in the Asia Cup 2022 in UAE. Hardik took three wickets and struck an unbeaten 33 off 17 balls, leading India to victory over Pakistan in the Group stage match. On the other hand, Virat finished as the tournament's second-highest run-scorer behind Mohammad Rizwan with a tally of 276 runs in five matches.

Both players will look to continue their excellent form in the home series against Australia and South Africa before the much-awaited T20 World Cup.

The first match of the three-match T20I series between India and Australia will be played at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Tuesday.

--IANS

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