The competition for Olympic qualification intensifies as the full-strength Indian squad participates in the French Open and All England tournaments this fortnight. These competitions, which give significantly more points than the Swiss Open and Madrid Masters later this month, will determine the destiny of several Indian athletes as the qualification deadline of April 28 approaches. Notably, the Thomas and Uber Cup stands as the sole tournament in April. HS Prannoy and the top-ranked doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have secured Olympic berths. PV Sindhu's qualificati
On Sunday, Hakahiro Hataji made history by winning the New Zealand Open, becoming the first Japanese golfer to achieve this milestone. His remarkable performance at Millbrook Golf Resort saw him finish 17-under par, securing victory with a composed four-under 67. The tournament reached a climax as Hataji narrowly edged out Australian contender Scott Hend, who missed a crucial 4-foot putt on the 18th green, sparing Hataji from a playoff. The 30-year-old Japan Golf Tour player's victory resonated deeply within the Japanese golfing community, which had previously seen its players secure ru
On Monday, the Indian men's and women's teams created history by earning their first Olympic qualification based on their world rankings. Seven spots in the team events remained after the World Team Championships Finals in Busan, which acted as the last Olympic qualifying event for Paris 2024. These spots were assigned based on rankings. According to the ITTF, the highest-ranked teams that have not yet qualified in the latest World Team Ranking secured their tickets to Paris 2024. In the women's category, India (ranked 13), Poland (12), Sweden (15), and Thailand clinched their passage. Mea
Tickets for India's T20 World Cup matches, notably against Pakistan and Canada, have sold out, with resale prices soaring to over double the original cost, reaching a staggering ₹1.86 crore on platforms like StubHub and SeatGeek. Initially priced between ₹497 and ₹33,148, these VIP tickets are now fetching close to ₹33.15 lakh, ballooning to ₹41.44 lakh with platform fees. Comparatively, the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup's highest-priced secondary market ticket for India vs. Pakistan was ₹57.15 lakh. Phase 1 sales for the 2024 T20 World Cup began on February 22, with tickets quickly e
On February 24, the promising Indian batsman, Yashasvi Jaiswal, achieved a significant milestone by becoming the fifth Indian cricketer to surpass 600 runs in a Test series. He reached this landmark during the ongoing fourth Test against England in Ranchi. Jaiswal, who made his India debut in July 2023, accomplished the feat in his seventh inning by scoring 73 runs off 117 balls before Shoaib Bashir dismissed him. The left-handed batter from Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh, impressed with two double centuries in the series against England, aiding India to a 2-1 lead. His total tally stands at 618 r
The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season is scheduled to kick off on March 22, according to IPL chairman Arun Dhumal, with all matches set to be played in India despite coinciding with general elections. The BCCI is closely coordinating with government agencies and stakeholders to ensure the smooth conduct of the IPL. The tournament schedule will be revealed in stages, with the first 15 days being revealed first, followed by the remaining days when election dates are confirmed. IPL has occasionally taken place overseas, but this time around, special efforts are being made to make sure t
Manika Batra secured victories in both her singles matches as the Indian women's team narrowly overcame Hungary 3-2, marking its inaugural win at the World Table Tennis Championships. In a commendable turnaround, Manika rebounded from her previous defeats against China on Friday, where India narrowly missed a significant upset, falling short at 2-3. Facing off against Dora Madaras in the opening singles, Manika displayed resilience, clinching a hard-fought 8-11, 11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-4 victory on Sunday. Despite Manika's triumph, Georgina Pota levelled the tie by securing an 11-3, 11-7,
India's dominant performance against England in the third test highlighted flaws in the touring side's aggressive batting strategy. Joe Root's doubtful dismissal caused England to collapse from 224-2 to 319 all out, squandering a 126-run lead, despite Ben Duckett's gallant century. Yashasvi Jaiswal's spectacular 214 not out led India to declare at 430-4, setting England a daunting target of 557. Sarfaraz Khan and Shubman Gill both made substantial contributions. Prior to Mark Wood's courageous 33 leading them past 100, England stumbled in their pursuit, falling to 50-7. India's skipp
BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced that Rahul Dravid will continue to be India's head coach until the T20 World Cup. For the second time in the competition's history, Rohit Sharma will captain India in the men's T20 World Cup in 2024. Shah acknowledged that Rohit led the team during the T20 World Cup, as suggested by his comeback to the lead against Afghanistan. Even if India loses the ODI World Cup final, Rohit's leadership is still very important. The long-term option is still Hardik Pandya, who captained India in the Twenty20s in 2023. After discussions, Dravid's contract was extended
On Wednesday, India shocked China 3-2 in the women's badminton Asia Team Championships, marking the comeback from the injury of two-time Olympic medalist P V Sindhu. Despite having been guaranteed a ticket in the knockout phase, India left its imprint by triumphing over the Chinese team ranked first. India led 1-0 after Sindhu, who hasn't played since October because of a knee injury, defeated Han Yue 21-17, 21-15. Ranked 11th, Sindhu outplayed world number eight Yue. Ashmita Chaliha lost to Wang Zhi Yi, behind 1-2, and Tanisha Castro/Ashwini Ponappa lost, both causing setbacks for India.