Author: S Kannan

Sumit Nagal is in his breakthrough year as a professional tennis player. If one goes by how European kids peak in this racquet sport in their teens, Nagal is a late bloomer. Yet, 2024 has been most productive for the boy from Jhajjar, Haryana as he will make his dream debut at the French Open, beginning Sunday, in Paris. It may seem intimidating, looking at the draw, Nagal has been drawn to meet Karen Khachanov in the first round at Roland Garros. But then the way Nagal has shown pluck and purpose this year, he will look to fight as…

The Delhi High Court has appointed a three-member Ad Hoc Administration Committee (AAC) under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) Najmi Waziri to run the day to day affairs of the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI). Former Chief Election Commissioner Dr SY Quraishi and senior advocate Ms. Rohini Musa have been named the other AAC members. Delivering a judgement earlier this week, Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju directed that the AAC shall take over EFI’s administration and functioning. The order restrains the existing office-bearers of the EFI from discharging any function but should render all assistance to the AAC as and when…

All those who thought R. Ashwin was history, his performance against RCB in IPL 2024 shows the fire is still there in his belly. IPL 2024 has been a graveyard for bowlers in the league phase. After watching the way runs were hammered in 70 league matches over the last two months, real cricket fans who understand the nuances of the game shed tears for the bowlers. In fact, some bowlers have no hesitation in saying that T20 cricket, played on its most expansive canvas at home, has become a death knell for those who ply their trade with the…

Sport is about characters and charisma. Few admire the boring types, the ones who perform like machines on the field of play and exhibit few emotions beyond the boundary. If you talk of cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL), one man who has embraced the slam-bang, whiz-thud T20 cricket and its most-hyped league is Dinesh Karthik. Where does one begin with one of the most humorous blokes in Indian cricket who is now enjoying the last few days of his cricket stardom in IPL 2024? DK, as he is popularly known, is a thinking cricketer. If you are going…

In many ways, Esha Singh is the baby in the Indian shooting team. That is, if you go by her age, just 19. But she’s already assured of a spot in the sports pistol team for the Paris Olympics. Having gone through the extreme grind of shooting multiple trials in two events – sports pistol and air pistol – Esha was low on energy by the end of it. On Sunday, in blazing-hot Bhopal, she decided not to shoot the last final, in air pistol, as she had a fever. It made sense as Esha, her enthusiastic father, Sachin Singh,…

“There is a one per cent chance, and sometimes that chance is good enough. But what matters is what you think about that one per cent. Are you willing to give absolutely everything that you have to make that one into ten, and then grow that 10 into 30 and something magical happens?” This was a motivational talk by Virat Kohli that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans made viral in the aftermath of their team qualifying for the Indian Premier League (IPL) play-offs. RCB were the butt of ridicule and Kohli, former India captain and franchise skipper for over a…

Anjum Moudgil has battled inner demons and mental fatigue to bounce back and excel in the 3P trials for the Paris Olympics. Everyone worships the rising sun, not the setting sun. If you examine the career of rifle shooter Anjum Moudgil since 2022, she has experienced a whirlpool of emotions. Amidst these emotions, she rose to the World No. 1 ranking in 2022 but then lost form and focus. Her turmoil began, though perhaps the only positive event for this 3-Position (3P) shooter in that year was getting married. On Saturday, nearly 24 hours after she performed well in the…

In the wake of news of a woman bower provisionally suspended, India’s sports officials are scrambling overtime to ensure that the country is able to field an extra challenger in the final Olympic qualifying competition to be held in Bangkok from May 24. Parveen Hooda has been identified as the boxer placed on provisional suspension by the International Testing Agency (ITA), which is carrying out the International Olympic Committee’s anti-doping programme for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The ITA has been running this programme for the International Boxing Association (IBA) since 2016. It is being reported that Jasmine Lamboria, who…

Anish Bhanwala and simplicity are an amalgam. As the 21-year-old came out smoking in the rapid-fire pistol trials for the Paris Olympics, what stood out was his maturity and coolness. The fourth trial final ended in Bhopal on Tuesday, and Anish was soon ready to drive back to his hometown in Haryana. It’s a good ten-hour drive, with his Dad at the wheel. “This has been my journey – long drives, then unpack at the range and then fire,” said Anish, relaxed after he could do well in the four trials held in New Delhi and Bhopal. In sport, pressure…

The last nine months have been hard for Dronacharya Jaspal Rana. He had been abused, condemned, and labelled as someone who destroyed a shooter’s career at the Tokyo Olympics. On Tuesday, the same much-maligned coach was happy that he could do his bit again for Manu Bhaker, the pistol queen. He has been under pressure of sorts, for training a talented shooter when not part of the national coaching squad. Private coaching has been frowned upon, but if you go by the recent results and how Manu topped the Olympic trials for Paris 2024, it is proof that he has…