admin

The coronavirus pandemic had already begun to cast a dark shadow on our lives, but the global sports activities had yet not come to a grinding halt. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, one of India’s main pace bowlers, gave a routine press conference on the eve of their first ODI against South Africa a sudden twist by saying they may refrain from using saliva to shine cricket balls in the series. The three-match ODI series was eventually called off in view of the potential health hazards

Stretching Saina Nehwal in a match is not everyone's cup of tea, particularly in India. Vaishnavi Bhale was the only city shuttler who kept Saina on her toes when they clashed in the women's singles semifinals at the Senior National Badminton Championship at Guwahati in February, 2019. Although, Vaishnavi lost 15-21, 14-21, she won hearts for putting up a gutsy 35-minute fight against the eventual champion.The impressive display not only helped Vaishnavi burst into the limelight but also forced many to take notice of her extraordinary talent. The Indian

It may be months or years before the NBA community can really process and move on from the loss of legend Kobe Bryant. Kobe was a great friend and mentor to many. He was also like a younger brother to Gary Payton. How Kobe Bryant strived to do better Former NBA player and Kobe’s teammate Gary Payton was recently on the All The Smokes Podcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. Payton and Bryant played together during the 2003-2004 season. Talking about his relationship with Kobe,

Rafa Nadal wears a swoosh across his chest and he has his game-face on – squinting eyes, furrowed brows and head shifting from side to side. Because the month is April and the clay leg of the tennis season would’ve been in full swing if not for the global lockdown, Nadal’s body language wouldn’t have been out of place on the courts in Barcelona. But Nadal is at home in Mallorca. His current stage is not a tennis court but Instagram Live. And

The BCCI is yet to give any thought to Cricket Australia’s (CA) five-Test series overture, as it feels the whole idea is a little premature. According to a Board official, much will depend on the future of the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Australia in October-November. On Tuesday, CA chief executive Kevin Roberts addressed the media via video conference and said hosting an additional Test against India could be an option. Asked about this, a BCCI official told The Indian Express:

What comes to your mind when we say NatWest Series final India vs England in 2003? It can either be Sourav Ganguly waving his shirt from the Lord’s balcony or two young guns Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif fighting against all odds in the chase. Both are iconic ones, the first signified an Indian captain’s fearlessness, the other signalled the passing on of the baton to the next generation of Indian batsmen. It was a final that see-sawed throughout and if you thought

The Champions League could make a return in August with the competition to be played from August 7-31. UEFA are due to present their plans for a return of Europe’s premier competition in the comings days, with meetings scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week with the intention of discussing how to conclude this seasons edition of the cup. Sky Sport Italia report that the idea is for the Europa and Champions League to return from August 7, but only after the

The late 90s and the first decade of the 2000s was a great time for Indian cricket. The team was achieving results on the field and it was comprised of some of the most talented batsmen in world cricket. This bunch was led by the indomitable Sourav Ganguly, under whose captaincy India reached their second ever ICC World Cup final in 2003. On Monday Wisden India uploaded a photograph of Ganguly along with teammates Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. The special

The professional tennis tours are suspended until at least July 13 due to the outbreak of coronavirus. However, exhibition tennis is set to return next month behind closed doors in different parts of the world. Consequently, the Tennis Integrity Unit, who is appointed by the ITF, ATP, and WTA, has released a warning to the players during the unsanctioned events. The ATP issued a statement for the exhibition matches during the pandemic. The statement emphasized the elevated risk of corruption during such unsanctioned

MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the most composed men on the cricket field. Along with his explosive batting and excellent glovework, the former Indian skipper is also known for his calm and composed approach while captaining any side. The ‘Captain Cool’ is often seen calm on the field. However, on occasions, he has failed to control his anger on the field. On several instances, MS Dhoni has lost his cool and has expressed his emotions on the field. One such instance

Ronaldo or Messi? The debate is infinite and everything seems to indicate that it will last until the end of their times, but it is always interesting to add new perspectives to the list. On this occasion, 'The Sun' collects past statements from 12 stars on the subject. To the disappointment of the fans, six of the players or former players did not play. Deco said at the time: "It is clear that both Leo and Cristiano are the greatest, but nobody has impressed me as much

There comes the odd, rare occasion when a journalist stares blankly at either his writing pad or his computer screen, and wonders how to tackle the subject at hand. Not because of a shortage of background data, but because of a huge surfeit of material at hand. As also a close personal connect. It is this maelstrom of emotions that invades my psyche as I sit down to write the final profile in this series, on the living legend that is Prakash Padukone.

Novak Djokovic has been in touch with fellow ATP Player Council members Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal to discuss ways to assist lower-ranked players facing financial struggles amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, the world number one said on Saturday (Apr 18). Answering a fan's question during his Instagram live chat with Stan Wawrinka, Player Council chief Djokovic said steps would be taken to ensure that only those players who are most deserving will benefit from any relief plans. "I spoke to Roger and

So much has been written in recent times about Dronacharya Award-winning Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand that readers may question the necessity of presenting a profile in this series of the mentor whose Badminton nursery catapulted Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth to the giddy heights of the World No 1 position, and PV Sindhu to the World Championship gold medal. Every Indian Badminton enthusiast is also aware that Gopi (as he is known to all and sundry) is one of only two players –

Amid the global lockdowns, the tennis players seem to enjoy their unusual break from the tennis tour. They are spending quality time with their families and also interacting with fans on social media. On Thursday, Roger Federer retweeted Tennis TV’s post and opted to “bring back your favorite retired tennis player.” Following Federer’s tweet, tennis fans were enthusiastic to know his ‘favorite retired tennis player.’ They began posting their guesses and tagged Roger in their tweets.  The Swiss maestro patiently replied to them and by doing

A former Red Devil believes Klopp's side must be declared champions as they were never going to be caught Liverpool should be awarded the Premier League title if the season cannot be completed due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to former Manchester United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool had opened up a 25-point lead atop the table, winning 27 of 29 games, when the campaign was suspended last month. It remains to be seen when, and if, the season will resume, leading to debate over what

The coronavirus pandemic has forced this year’s Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament to be suspended till further notice. There is a possibility of 2020 being the first year without IPL since the league’s inaugural edition in 2008. BCCI, however, have kept the cards close to their chest and have kept their options open for hosting IPL later this year, once the situation improves. Meanwhile, let us look at five major moments in the star-studded IPL since the league began in 2008 and those

The Chinese Basketball Association is facing another setback in its efforts to resume play in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Sources told ESPN that league officials met overnight to discuss the fate of its season, which has been on hold since Jan. 24, and elected to postpone its schedule again, this time until at least July. The CBA had been scheduled to resume play on April 15, and teams had taken steps to call back American players. But on March 30, the General

Last month, Indian women’s cricket team fell short in front of the large MCG crowd. The occasion was the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final and they were up against Australia. Though India lost the final, they had proved what a good side they were. Leading up to the final, India had been unbeaten through the tournament. In fact, they had also beaten Australian in the first match of the event. During the tournament, if one player who shined for India, it was the young

Jurgen Klopp called him a modern-day great and Brendan Rodgers said he could be as good as Luis Suarez, but the forward is without a club at 30 For a year and a half after joining Liverpool in 2013, Daniel Sturridge looked like the best English striker in the Premier League. Thirty-five goals between January 2013 and May 2014 told their own story. Sturridge was incisive, clever, technically superb and brimming with confidence. In the six seasons since, Sturridge has scored just 23 more league