Category: Sports

The BCCI engaged in discussions with Dravid after the term of his contract ended following the World Cup 2023 and unanimously agreed to further the tenure.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Wednesday, announced the extension of contracts for Head Coach Rahul Dravid, and the support staff for Team India. While they did not specify the duration of the extension, it will reportedly be at least until the 2024 T20 World Cup in June.

Dravid was appointed India’s head coach after the T20 World Cup 2021. While India rose to the top of the Test, ODI and T20I rankings under Dravid as coach, they could not win any ICC trophies – finishing as semi-finalists in the 2022 T20 World Cup, and runners-up in the 2023 World Test Championship and the 2023 ODI World Cup. India’s campaign in the ODI World Cup was fabulous – they won all nine league games and the semi-final, before losing the final to Australia.

BCCI also lauded VVS Laxman for his role as the head of the National Cricket Academy and the stand-in coach. “Similar to their legendary on-field partnerships, Mr. Dravid and Mr. Laxman have worked closely in driving Indian Cricket forward,” said the BCCI in a statement.

Mr. Roger Binny, President of the BCCI, praised Rahul Dravid’s unwavering commitment to elevating India’s cricketing prowess in all formats. He expressed confidence in Dravid’s ability to lead the team to continued success, stating, “I have no doubt that under him, the team will continue its march to the pinnacle of success and set new benchmarks along the way.”

Rahul Dravid expressed gratitude to the BCCI and the office bearers for backing him. He lauded his family’s support and sacrifices as the role demands “considerable time away from home”. He further said that the last two years have been thoroughly memorable, and the camaraderie within the group has been phenomenal. “I am genuinely proud of the culture we have set in the dressing room. It’s a culture that stands resilient, whether in moments of triumph or adversity. The skills and talent that our team possesses are phenomenal, and what we’ve stressed is following the right process and sticking to our preparations, which has had a direct impact on the overall result,” said Dravid.

A homemaker and powerlifter by profession, Reeni Tharakan won three gold at the World Masters Powerlifting Championships held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, last week.

Tharakan participated in the M3 category of the championship, meant for participants over 61-70 years old. She was competing with around 145 weightlifters from about 44 countries.

Initiating her fitness journey in 2013, Tharakan, from Thycattussery, Cherthala, began powerlifting just four years ago. Encouraged by her trainers, Jagan and Jerry, she embraced the sport wholeheartedly, transforming her life. Despite facing criticism for pursuing powerlifting at her age, Tharakan’s perseverance, along with unwavering support from her husband and two daughters, has shattered stereotypes and embodied the mantra “age is just a number.”

The World Masters Powerlifting Championship was an eye-opener for Tharakan, revealing a significant presence of women powerlifters. In India’s contingent of 15 women, she proudly represented India. She also won a medal at the Asian Women’s Equipped Powerlifting Championships held earlier this year at Alappuzha.

In just four years, Reeni Tharakan has not only become a powerlifting champion but also a symbol of determination and inspiration. Her journey from a homemaker to a global powerlifting sensation serves as a testament to the idea that passion knows no age, encouraging women to pursue their dreams and lead a fit lifestyle.

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said more than 1,350 participants from across 32 states and Union Territories will take part in seven disciplines at the first-ever Khelo India Para Games to be held in Delhi from December 10 to 17.

In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the minister called the Games to be a “game-changer” in the quest to improve the status quo of para sports in India, and in identifying and aiding talented athletes with disability.

In October, India para athletes returned from the Hangzhou Asian Para Games 2023 with a rich haul of medals. The Indian contingent finished fifth in the overall tally with a record 111 medals, including 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze. The team won four medals more than that won by the Indian Asian athletes in the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 held from September 19 to October 8.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) lauded the step taken by the Indian government to organise the Khelo India Para Games. “Indeed a milestone endeavour to empower our para-athletes! Heartiest wishes to all the participants as they prepare to triumph hard and shine bright,” the SAI handle posted on X.

Neeraj Chopra, who won the World Championships and Asian Games Gold medals, has made it to the five-man shortlist for the World Athlete of the Year award in 2023.

Neeraj Chopra is battling for the year-end honour along with 100m and 200m world champion Noah Lyles, pole vault star Mondo Duplantis, shot putter Ryan Crouser and Kenyan marathon star Kelvin Kiptum. These sportspersons have been shortlisted from the 11 athletes chosen for the award by the governing body of track and field events in the world. The Tokyo Olympic gold medalist also finished second in the Diamond League final after having two Diamond League meetings in Doha and Lausanne.

Steeplechaser Soufiane El Bakkali, middle-distance runner, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, decathlon star, Pierce LePage, race walker Alvaro Martin, long jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou and Karsten Warholm, 400m hurdles champion, could not reach the finals.

A three-way voting process determined the finalists for the World Athlete of the Year award. The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family cast their votes by email, while fans logged their decisions online through the World Athletics social media platforms, where a record 2 million votes were registered. The voting closed on October 20.

The winner of the men and women’s World Athlete of the Year will be announced on December 11.

Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick, leading Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-0 victory over Reims in Ligue 1 on November 11 and propelling his team to the top of the French professional league football championship.

Mbappe opened the scoring in the third minute and added two more goals in the second half, securing PSG’s win. This victory moved the reigning champions to the summit, one point ahead of Nice, who drew with Montpellier on November 10. Mbappe is Ligue 1’s leading scorer with 13 goals in 11 appearances this season; he has also scored twice in European competition.

In Saturday’s match, PSG’s goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma made outstanding saves, denying Reims any chance of a comeback. The Italian player made seven saves to keep the opponents at bay.

Reims was denied an equaliser when Junya Ito’s fine goal was disallowed for offside. Later in the game, Ito was once again stopped by Donnarumma, who also made a superb reaction save from Amir Richardson before halftime and stopped a Marshall Munetsi header in the 56th minute.

The Ligue 1 team Nice is still unbeaten this season after its stalemate on November 10 in Montpellier, and it has still not been behind in a single game this season.

Australia’s cricket captain, Meg Lanning, has decided to retire from international cricket after an illustrious career that saw her secure seven World Cup titles in 241 matches. The 31-year-old athlete, who participated in six tests, 103 one-day internationals, and 132 Twenty20 internationals, will continue her cricket journey in the domestic scene, focusing on both Australia and possibly India.

Lanning expressed the difficulty of the decision in a statement on November 9 made at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The cricketer, who was born in Singapore when her father worked as a banker there, became emotional when thanking her parents, Wayne and Sue, during the farewell press conference.

During her international career, Lanning made 8,352 runs, including 17 centuries and 38 half-centuries, since her debut in 2010. In her second one-day international (ODI), she became the youngest Australian to score an international century at the age of 18, a record she still holds.

Appointed as captain in 2014 at the age of 21, Lanning led Australia in 182 matches, the most by any woman cricketer. She leaves behind one of Australia’s most successful international teams. In her final international match, Lanning led Australia to victory in the 2023 T20 World Cup against South Africa in February.

Virat Kohli celebrated his 35th birthday with a record-equalling 49th one-day international (ODI) century to help India beat South Africa by 243 runs at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on November 5.

Kohli scored 101 not out off 121 balls — to move level in the all-time ODI ton table with India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar — as he powered Team India to 326-5 in 50 overs. The batter added 134 runs off 158 balls for the third wicket with Shreyas Iyer who scored 77 off 87.

Facing the best bowling attack in the tournament so far, South Africa crashed to 83 all out in just 27.1 overs — its second-lowest total in ODIs.

Both India and South Africa have already qualified for the semifinals, being the top two sides in the points’ table.

India is the only undefeated side in the tournament with eight consecutive wins, and sits atop the table with 16 points. South Africa has 12 points with six wins in eight games.

In Sunday’s match, Ravindra Jadeja picked up his ODI best 5-33 in nine overs; Mohammed Shami returned figure of 2-18 in four overs, and Kuldeep Yadav took 2-7 in 5.1 overs.

The Indian women’s hockey team defeated Japan 4-0 to win the Asian Champions Trophy in the final at Ranchi, Jharkhand, India on November 5.

India’s Sangita Kumari (17th min), Neha Goyal (46th), Lalremsiami (57th) and Vandana Katariya (60th) scored the four goals, as the national team claimed the continental crown for the second time. India won its maiden Asian Champions Trophy title in 2016 in Singapore, while Japan has bagged the crown twice, in 2013 and 2021.

The recent win is India’s first title since December 2022 after the team lifted the FIH Nations Cup in Valencia to qualify for the Pro League.

The Indian men’s team won the continental tournament at Chennai in August.

Skipper Savita Punia was brilliant in goal as she saved three successive penalty corner (PC) opportunities. She also saved a penalty stroke in the final quarter. India scored their second goal via a PC variation as Deepika passed to Deep Grace Ekka, who struck the ball and Neha, in front of the goal, scored. The team scored their third goal when Lalremsiami scored via a PC. Vandana rounded it off in the final minute.

China beat South Korea 2-1 in the third place playoff.

The top seven cricket teams at the end of the league stage of the ongoing Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 in India will qualify for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, besides hosts Pakistan, to compete in the eight-team event.

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is one of the eight men’s global tournaments that are scheduled to be held in 2024-31. In November 2021, the ICC unveiled several global events for both men and women in the 2023-24 cycle, including the 2025 and 2029 editions of the ICC Champions Trophy.

The selection process for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy also means that other Full Member nations such as West Indies, Zimbabwe, and Ireland will not even have the opportunity to qualify for the championship, since the teams failed to qualify for the ongoing 2023 ODI World Cup.

For the 2027 men’s ODI World Cup, which will be a 14-team tournament co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, two Full Member hosts – South Africa and Zimbabwe – and eight highest-ranked teams as of March 31, 2027, and four remaining teams through global qualifier tournaments will qualify.

The 2013 and 2017 editions of the Champions Trophy witnessed the top eight teams in the ODI rankings qualify for the event.

Singapore defeated Papua New Guinea 59-56 in the netball final of the Mirxes Nations Cup at the OCBC Arena on October 28, ending a 16-year title drought. This was Singapore’s third title and first since the 2007 championship. The team also won the inaugural competition in 2006.

The last time Singapore won the title was in 2007, after defeating Trinidad and Tobago 56-32. It is the first country to win the Cup three times, surpassing Sri Lanka and Cook Islands, both of whom are placed higher in the netball world rankings.

Singapore had lost to Papua New Guinea 52-50 in the tournament opener. In the final match, its goal-shooter Amandeep Kaur Chahal converted 44 of 50 goal attempts. The young player was one of four players in the starting line-up aged 24 and under; the other three players are aged 27.

In the opening 15 minutes of the final match, the Papuans ended the quarter with an 18-16 lead. However, the hosts were calm and changed the momentum of the match during a four-minute spell in the second period.

The Singaporeans scored seven points in succession and went into half-time with a 35-26 advantage. After three quarters, the team widened the gap to 48-37. The visitor retaliated, outscoring Singapore 19-11 in the final quarter, but the hosts held on to prevail.