Author: WebDesk

By Garfield Robinson, from the Caribbean In the Perth Test of the 2013-14 Ashes series, Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris bowled Alastair Cook with the first delivery of the second innings. It was a delivery like no other and was rightly adjudged the “Ball of the Century” by Cricinfo. Delivered with an upright seam, canted ever so slightly towards leg slip, the ball did as the bowler urged and swung in to the left-handed batsman, landing on a good length about middle and off stump. Drawn forward in studious defence, Cook appeared to have the delivery covered, only for the…

Andreas Brehme, one of the cornerstones of West Germany’s World Cup-winning side at Italia ’90, passed away of a cardiac arrest in Munich on February 20. He was 63, and his passing came a little over a month after the death of Franz Beckenbauer, who had coached that 1990 team to victory. Born in Hamburg, Brehme never played for the local giants, HSV. Instead, he made his name with FC Kaiserslautern before a two-year stint at Bayern Munich saw him win the first of his Bundesliga titles. By then, he was already a regular in the national team, having been…

India took complete control of the proceedings on Day 3 of the third Test against England in Rajkot. The hosts were 196 for 2, ahead by a substantial 322 runs at stumps. Yashasvi Jaiwal (104 retired hurt) and Moahmmed Siraj (four wickets) were the star performers. The day had started with India losing out on the services of their lead spinner, R Ashwin. The experienced spinner was ruled out of the Test due to a family emergency. Meanwhile, England had a chance to claw their way back into the game. However, somewhere, England didn’t strike the right balance between attack…

In a historic moment, the Indian women’s badminton team secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Badminton Asia Team Championships by defeating Hong Kong 3-0 in Selangor, Malaysia. This is the first time the Women’s Team will be getting a medal in the competition having played in previous three of the four editions. Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu led the team’s charge, overcoming a spirited performance by Lo Sin Yan Happy to win 21-7, 16-21, 21-12 in the opening match. Sindhu, returning after a prolonged injury-induced layoff, faced a tough challenge as Lo fought back in the second game…

In a spirited performance, the Indian men’s badminton team fought hard against China in the Group A clash of the Badminton Asia Team Championship in Selangor, Malaysia. Despite a 2-3 defeat, the Indian team had already secured a quarterfinal spot after their previous win over Hong Kong. To keep key players fresh for the knockout stage, India decided to rest the Asian Games gold medalist doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth. The decision led to a line-up shuffle, and the team showcased resilience in their matches. World No. 7 HS…

In a remarkable display at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Selangor, Malaysia, on Wednesday, the Indian women’s team pulled off an upset against China, while the men’s team secured a convincing victory over Hong Kong, ensuring their place in the quarterfinals. Led by two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, the Indian women’s team achieved a historic win against China with a 3-2 scoreline in the Group W clash. Despite challenges in the doubles and singles matches, the duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand emerged victorious in a hard-fought battle, ultimately leveling the score. National champion, Anmol Kharab, then sealed…

Anurag Singh Thakur, the respected Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, handed over the Chess Olympiad Torch to Budapest, Hungary, the designated host for the 45th edition of the Chess Olympiad. Commencing with a ceremony at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Stadium on June 19, 2022, the 1st Chess Olympiad Torch Relay was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The torch handover occurred at Delhi’s Major Dhyanchand National Stadium, featuring the minister and Indian Grand Master Vishwanathan Anand engaging in a friendly chess match against FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and Hungarian Grand Master Judit Polgár. Following the game, the Olympiad…

India’s women’s badminton team pulled off a surprising victory against China, securing a spot in the quarterfinals at the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships after a six-year absence. The team, led by double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, reigning national champion Anmol Kharb, and women’s doubles pair Treesa-Gayatri, displayed an impressive performance. The match results are as follows: – PV Sindhu defeated Han Yue with scores of 21-17, 21-15. – Tanisha Crasto/Ashwini Ponnappa lost to Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning with scores of 19-21, 16-21. – Ashmita Chaliha lost to Wang Zhi Yi with scores of 13-21, 15-21. – Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand…

The Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) is recognized as the National Sports Federation (NSF) for Para-sports in the country. The last elections were held in September 2019, but a Delhi High Court order stayed the notification and result declaration. The court later allowed result declaration on 31.01.2020. The four-year term of the Executive Committee ended on 31.01.2024. However, PCI announced elections on 28.03.2024, almost two months after the previous committee’s term expired, violating its constitution and the Sports Code. The Ministry’s circular from 10.02.2015 emphasized timely elections. The PCI’s decision to delay elections without valid reasons is seen as willful,…

The Union Budget allocation for the Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, has expectedly not shown any significant changes from the last year. One of the biggest reasons for this could be the sharp upward revision last year when the Department was allocated more than Rs 400 crore in comparison to the previous year’s figures. The allocation for the Ministry for 2024-25 has gone up by Rs. 45.36 crore to Rs. 3442.32 crore when viewed against the Revised Budget for 2023-24. The allocation for Central Sector Schemes/Projects under the Department of Sports for the year 2024-24 has…