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Thursday, 31 October 2019

French Open finalists Satwik-Chirag reclaim top-10 spot in BWF rankings

audrinadaniels SPORTS October 31, 2019

[File] Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had broken into the top 10 for the first time after winning the Thailand Open in August | AFP

Indian men's doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has reclaimed its position in the top 10 of the latest BWF rankings.

Satwik and Chirag, who became the first Indian pair to enter the finals of a BWF World Tour Super 750 event at the French Open last week, gained two places to grab the ninth place.

The Indian duo had broken into the top 10 for the first time in August following its historic triumph at the Thailand Open BWF Super Tour 500 event.

Satwik and Chirag had shocked the then reigning world champions Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen of China in the Thailand Open final to become the first Indian men's pairing to win a super 500 event.

Last week, the young Indian pair dished out a superlative performance, stunning reigning world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, World No. 8 Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and World No. 6 Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe on way to the finals.

The Indian duo lost in the finals to world no 1 Indonesian combination of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo.

Last year, Satwik and Chirag had claimed the Hyderabad Open Super 100 and also won silver medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

Their consistent performance in the international circuit has earned Satwik and Chirag a deal with sports management company IOS Sports and Entertainment.

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“As athletes we don't have a lot of time to handle our brand portfolios and other commercial commitments. Hence I am happy to be on board with IOS Sports who have a proven record and long term associations with other elite athletes of the country,” said 19 year-old Satwik.

Meanwhile, P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal remained static at the sixth and ninth places respectively in the rankings after finishing in the quarter-finals in women's singles in Paris.

Rising shuttler Lakshya Sen, who is currently playing at the SaarLorLux Open, moved up a place to 51st, while Shubankar Dey jumped four places to No 38.

Parupalli Kashyap also improved a place to grab the 25th spot while Sameer Verma also climbed a place to the 17th spot.

Women's doubles pairing of Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy were out of the top-25 after slipping two positions to be placed 26th.

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Glenn Maxwell takes break from cricket due to mental health issues

audrinadaniels SPORTS October 31, 2019

[File] Glenn Maxwell has said that he was struggling with his mental health | Reuters

Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell on Thursday went on a “short” break from cricket due to mental health issues and will be replaced by D'Arcy Short in the national Twenty20 squad.

According to Cricket Australia, Maxwell told the team's support staff that he was struggling with his mental health and the Board, along with his state side Victoria, are backing him in this period.

“Glenn Maxwell has been experiencing some difficulties with regards to his mental health. As a result, he will spend a short time away from the game,” Team psychologist Dr Michael Lloyd was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia on its website cricket.com.au.

“Glenn was proactive in identifying these issues and engaging with support staff.”

Maxwell's decision comes days after he hammered a 28-ball 62 in Australia's massive 134-run win in the opening Twenty20 against Sri Lanka. He did not get to bat in the second match which the hosts won by nine wickets to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

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The 31-year old, who also bowls off-spin, has played 110 ODIs, 61 T20s and seven Tests for Australia. He has managed just one century each in Tests and ODIs but has three hundreds in T20Is.

CA's Executive General Manager of National Teams Ben Oliver said, “The well-being of our players and staff is paramount. Glenn has our full support. Cricket Australia will work collaboratively with Cricket Victoria's support staff to ensure Glenn's well-being and his reintegration into the game.”

Oliver further requested that Maxwell, his family and friends' privacy should be respected.

“He's a special player and an important part of the Australian cricket family. We hope to see him back in the team during the summer. It's important we look after Glenn and all our players,” he said.

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Monday, 28 October 2019

Hamilton wins Mexican Grand Prix, but waits for sixth title

audrinadaniels SPORTS October 28, 2019

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium with the trophy | Reuters

Lewis Hamilton drove to a near-flawless victory, but not yet a sixth drivers' world championship on Sunday when he claimed his 10th win of the season for Mercedes at the Mexican Grand Prix.

The defending five-time title-winner produced the measured drive of a champion-elect to claim a well-judged triumph ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas who kept his own title bid alive for another week by finishing third.

Charles Leclerc, who started on pole position in the second Ferrari, finished fourth ahead of Red Bull's Alex Albon and Max Verstappen, who stormed through the field after an early pit stop, and local hero Sergio Perez of Racing Point.

Daniel Ricciardo came home eighth for Renault ahead of the two Toro Rossos of Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg in the second Renault.

Hamilton's victory was only his second since Formula One's European summer break in August, his second in Mexico and the 83rd of his career, but it was also Mercedes' 100th victory in Formula One and extended his run points-scoring finishes to 30 races.

He now looks certain to clinch his sixth title at next weekend's United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, where he will need just four points.

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“That was for Bono!” said Hamilton on his slow-down lap in reference to his absent race engineer Peter Bonnington.

“Today's an incredible result and I have to say thank you to our team. We came here on the back foot, but we pulled through.” After winning his last two titles in Mexico without even finishing on the podium, it was ironic for Hamilton to win but know he has to wait for a sixth coronation.

“I enjoyed it,” said Bottas, who survived a heavy crash in qualifying on Saturday. “Considering what happened yesterday, it's a good result... I don't think we could have done much more.”

Hamilton added: “I don't mind not winning the title here. I can wait. I just love racing and I am happy to take each race as it comes.” Four-time champion Vettel said: “It was a long race with no break, but I think Lewis was just cruising for most of his second sting. I'm happy, but we could have had a sharper strategy.”

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Wednesday, 24 July 2019

THIS IS HOW MUCH THE INDIAN CRICKET TEAM WAS PAID IN 1983

audrinadaniels SPORTS July 24, 2019

World Cup season just came to a conclusion. Since the inception of it, India had been putting up a strong game. But sadly, they couldn't make it to the finals. However, the WC final that took place on Sunday, was an unbelievably thrilling one. After the tightest fight between England and New Zealand, the English players took their maiden trophy home.

All this is to say that we really, really missed India in the game. For everyone who was expecting a repetition of India's glorious 1983 World Cup win, it turned out to be a disappointment. And we move on from the WC mood (because obviously, the next one is after four years), senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai just showed us something!

And as I am left without fingernails after all of Sunday’s sporting tension, here is another little gem to chew on: ah, the world surely has changed since 1983.. Rs 2100 a match to become world champions.. pic.twitter.com/N0TWhLrydv

— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) July 16, 2019

Cricketers representing the nation, these days, are paid a really fat cheque. But if you go back a little more than three decades in time, Rs 1500 was the match fee that a cricketer was paid, per match! Including a per-day allowance of Rs 200 for 3 days, all the cricketers including Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, K Srikanth, and Sunil Gavaskar received Rs 2100 each. Same was the payment of manager Bishan Bedi. Isn't that unbelievable?

In 2018, a negotiation regarding the pay-hike of cricketers reportedly took place, which resulted in a new category (A+) being introduced. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan, the first set of players who played across all three formats of cricket, featured in the category and were to earn Rs 7 crore each during their contract period, reported Scroll.in. In another 2018 report, Virat Kohli earned over Rs 1 crore for August 2018, after the South Africa tour. This included his match fees as well as a part of the prize money.

What a stark difference!

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Monday, 8 July 2019

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MS DHONI: SACHIN TENDULKAR,VIRAT KOHLI AND OTHERS SHOWER THE CRICKETER WITH WISHES!

audrinadaniels SPORTS July 08, 2019

MS Dhoni showered with wishes on his 38th birthday!

It is our former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 38th birthday on July 7, 2019. And on such a special occasion, it is evident that wishes for him are pouring in from everywhere. While his fans made the former skipper top all the trending charts on social media, MS Dhoni's colleagues, too, sent in their love. From Virendra Sehwag to VVS Laxman; several sportsmen took to their social media accounts and shared their wishes for the legendary Mahi and, it honestly, couldn't get any sweeter.

Well, former cricketer Virendra Sehwag, who is known for his wit, had the most creative wish for Mahi. We all know that Dhoni's lucky number is 7 and Sehwag just made it even more clear with his birthday wish. Taking to his Twitter account, Sehwag stated that "7th day of the 7th month- Birthday of a wonder of the cricketing world."

Take a look at Virendra Sehwag's birthday wish for Mahendra Singh Dhoni here:

7 continents in the World

7 days in a week

7 colours in a rainbow

7 basic musical notes

7 chakras in a human being

7 pheras in a marriage

7 wonders of the world

7 th day of 7th month- Birthday of a wonder of the cricketing world #HappyBirthdayDhoni . May God Bless You! pic.twitter.com/3Xq8ZUWx8p
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) July 7, 2019

Several other cricketers, too, did not fail to wish Dhoni on his birthday to make him feel special.

Take a look at their wishes here:

Wish you a happy birthday @msdhoni! Have a great year.

All the very best for the next two games 👍 pic.twitter.com/d8STlRh9e9

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 7, 2019

View this post on Instagram

Happy birthday mahi bhai @mahi7781 . Very few people understand the meaning of trust and respect and I'm glad to have had the friendship I have with you for so many years. You've been a big brother to all of us and as I said before, you will always be my captain 🙂

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) on Jul 7, 2019 at 4:36am PDT

Many happy returns of the day mahi bhai! God bless you ⁦@msdhoni⁩ #HappyBirthdayDhoni pic.twitter.com/slB9AfIGXQ

— Pragyan Prayas Ojha (@pragyanojha) July 6, 2019

First played together in Bangladesh in 2004 & shortly saw him announce his arrival against Pak at Vizag when he scored 148, hasn’t looked back since and the legend of MS Dhoni has only grown by the year. Wishing a once in a lifetime player and captain , #HappyBirthdayDhoni pic.twitter.com/nlPGj1Xord

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 7, 2019

Happy Birthday Mahi Bhai! Have a brilliant year ahead. Thank you so much for being there for us always .👌 pic.twitter.com/EKddhNQGXe

— Jasprit Bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) July 7, 2019

Wishing @msdhoni all the very best in life. Luck , Love and Success #HappyBirthdayDhoni pic.twitter.com/3RrlbgtJJB

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) July 7, 2019

View this post on Instagram

Mahi bhai wishing you a very happy birthdayy!! Thanks for everything you have taught me all these years! A great friend in a Captain, a true team players and a legend who makes anything look so easy !! God bless you Mahi bhai and janam din ki bahot bahot shubhkamnaye 🙏💯 have a great day!! @mahi7781

A post shared by Ishant Sharma (@ishant.sharma29) on Jul 6, 2019 at 10:31pm PDT

All these wishes just make our hearts melt with happiness. Not only has Dhoni grabbed our attention on the field with his ever continuing boundaries but also by being a kind soul. We would like to wish Dhoni a very happy 38th birthday indeed!

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Thursday, 27 June 2019

WEST INDIES BATTING LEGEND BRIAN LARA HOSPITALISED AFTER COMPLAINTS OF CHEST PAIN

audrinadaniels TRENDING June 27, 2019

Sports, Cricket, World Cup 2019, Brian Lara

West Indies' batting legend Brian Lara was rushed to hospital after he complained of chest pains on Tuesday. Lara was immediately taken to the Global Hospital in Parel, Mumbai, where he is currently under medical observation. Lara is currently in Mumbai as a cricket expert for Star Sports for the ongoing 2019 Cricket World Cup being played in England.

Reportedly, Lara (who is on leave from his work) complained of chest pain and around 12:30 pm and was rushed to the hospital where he is now being taken care of. Lara was on break from his work commitments for few days post the India vs Afghanistan match. He was all set to return to his TV commitments on the eve of the India vs West Indies match on June 27 in the ongoing World Cup.

View this post on Instagram

I miss the carnival already...☹️ #Carnival2019 #TrinidadCarnival2019

A post shared by Brian Lara (@brianlaraofficial) on Mar 6, 2019 at 3:45am PST

We tried getting in touch with the hospital management to confirm the news and get an update on the news but they remained tight-lipped about it. "He had an angioplasty done two years back and today was a regular check-up as there is always a fear of heart pain. He is fine and will be discharged soon," a source told PTI.

Representing West Indies, the left-handed legendary left-handed batsman has played 131 Tests at an average of 52.89 and has made 11,953 runs. His 299 ODI’s, Lara made 10,405 runs at an average of 40.17. Lara celebrated his 50th birthday in Mumbai on May 2. Lara is also the only batsmen who has scored 400 runs in an inning in Test.

The doctors will soon be arranging a press conference to give an update on Lara’s health condition. Watch the space for more update on the news as it is a developing story.

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Wednesday, 26 June 2019

Chris Gayle to retire from international cricket after home Tests vs India

audrinadaniels SPORTS June 26, 2019

Chris Gayle announces retirement from international cricket

(Reuters Photo)

HIGHLIGHTS

Chris Gayle will retire from international cricket after the home Tests vs India
Gayle has so far played 103 Tests, 295 ODIs and 58 T20Is for West Indies
Gayle played his last Test for West Indies back in September 2014 vs Bangladesh

West Indies batting star Chris Gayle will retire from international cricket after the home Test series against India in August-September. Gayle is currently playing the World Cup in England.

In February, Gayle had announced the World Cup would the last time he played ODIs for West Indies. He has so far scored 2 half-centuries in England but has not been at his destructive best.

Chris Gayle played the last of his 103 Tests for West Indies back in September 2014. Even with 7214 runs and 15 hundreds in Test cricket, it remains to be seen whether West Indies consider Chris Gayle for a Test series against India, the format's top-ranked team.

Gayle has a career-best of 333 in Test cricket and is one of an elite list of batsmen to have scored a double hundred in ODIs.

However, Chris Gayle is likely to ply his trade in T20 leagues across the format. He is a key player for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League where he became the fastest to 4000 runs. He is also the only batsman to hit 300 sixes in the IPL.

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Wednesday, 19 June 2019

Sarfaraz, you are fat: Fan screams insults at Pakistan captain after defeat to India

audrinadaniels VIRAL June 19, 2019

ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Sarfaraz Ahmed has been facing criticism after Pakistan's loss to India (Reuters Photo)

HIGHLIGHTS

Pakistan suffered an 89-run (DLS) loss to India on Sunday
India extended their World Cup record over Pakistan to 7-0
Sarfaraz Ahmed has been facing backlash over some of his decisions during the match

Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been under the pump ever since his side suffered a humbling defeat to India in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 meeting on Sunday in Manchester.

A lot was expected from Pakistan, especially after their Champions Trophy-winning performance in the final of the 50-over tournament against India in 2017. Fans had turned up in large numbers to cheer for Sarfaraz's men even as they had struggled for consistency in World Cup 2019 ahead of the India clash.

Much to the disappointment of cricket fans, the much-anticipated affair turned out to be a one-sided contest with India handing an 89-run (DLS) thrashing to Pakistan in Manchester. Sarfaraz's men were comfortably outplayed in all 3 departments as Pakistan extended their winless record vs India in World Cups to 7-0.

Pakistan fans slammed Sarfaraz's men and questioned why the team had had burgers and milkshakes on the eve of their big World Cup 2019 match against India. Notably, images of Sarfaraz Ahmed and a few of his teammates buying burgers and milkshakes went viral on social media after Pakistan's loss to India.

An image of Sarfaraz Ahmed yawning on the field during India's innings went viral, leading to a backlash from Pakistan fans.

As it turns out, a section of fans at Old Trafford had screamed insults at Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed shortly after the team's loss on Sunday. In a video that is going viral on social media, a fan can be heard, saying "Sarfaraz, you're fat." The section of fans can also be heard questioning why Sarfaraz did not opt to bat after winning the toss on a good batting pitch in Manchester.

Sarfaraz Ahmed has been facing severe criticism for his decision to bowl first after winning the toss on a good batting track at the Old Trafford in Manchester. Former cricketers, including Shoaib Akhtar, have slammed Sarfaraz, over his decision-making during the big-ticket clash between India and Pakistan. In fact, Akhtar went on to call Sarfaraz a "brainless captain".

"The mistakes committed by the Indian team during the Champions Trophy 2017 final were repeated by Pakistan yesterday. I can't understand how Sarfaraz can be so brainless. How could he forget that we don't chase very well," Shoaib Akhtar had lamented.

Meanwhile, World Cup-winning India off-spinner had defended Sarfaraz Ahmed and his men over the burger row, saying teams are free to have food of their choice.

"They are allowed to have burgers, it's their wish what they want to do," Harbhajan Singh told India Today.

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Tuesday, 11 June 2019

Emotional Nicolas Mahut gets hug from son after losing in French Open. Twitter left teary-eyed

audrinadaniels VIRAL June 11, 2019

Emotional Nicolas Mahut gets hug from son during French Open

With the French Open going on, fans of the game are glued to their screens to watch their favourite players in action. The French Open, in the history of sports, has given us some of the most iconic moments.

A recent match between Nicolas Mahut and Argentina's Leonardo Mayer during the French Open was one such match. Nicolas Mahut's run came to an end in the French Open after he lost to his opponent.

It was a crucial match in the life of Mahut as he would have faced Roger Federer in the next round if he would have won. As he lost the match, an emotional Mahut tried holding back his tears.

A journalist and Twitter user, Tancredi Palmeri, shared the video on his official account and captioned it, "You maybe already saw this. Tennis player Mahut losing at Roland Garros in front of his family, breaks down in tears. His kid runs on court to hug him. His opponent Mayer getting emotional. Father and son walk away hand in hand. Losing, winning, living."

In the video, Mahut's son can be seen running towards his emotional dad and hugging him. Mayer also got teary-eyed looking at the scene. In the end, the father-son duo walked back holding hands as they received a standing ovation from everyone in the stadium.

This video hit twitterati hard in the feels, have a look at the comments on the thread.