New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson credited India head coach Gautam Gambhir for backing him to succeed in T20Is, and revealed him saying that he would only be dropped from the team if he registered 21 ducks.With Gambhir taking charge as India’s head coach after the T20 World Cup win and Suryakumar Yadav appointed as the captain, Samson was given the opportunity to open the batting and has formed a formidable opening pair with left-handed batter Abhishek Sharma.“So, sudd…

Chengdu (China), Aug 9 (IANS) Alexey Glukhov and Anastasia Glazunova of Moldova claimed the standard dance gold medal at The World Games 2025 here on Saturday. The pair finished with 196.58 points to top the final at the Chengbei Gymnasium in Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province.Rares Cojoc and Andreea Matei of Romania took silver with 193.00, while Poland’s Dariusz Mycka and Madara Freiberga earned bronze with 188.04.Making their first World Games appearance, Glukhov,…

Memphis (USA), Aug 9 (IANS) Indian-American golfer Akshay Bhatia followed up his career-best round of 8-under 62 with a solid second-round 69, bringing his 36-hole total to 9-under par at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Bhatia is currently tied for second place with Collin Morikawa and Justin Rose, trailing leader Tommy Fleetwood by four strokes.Fleetwood, who shot back-to-back rounds of 63 and 64 (13-under), remains at the top of the leaderboard. He is seeking his first PGA TOUR win after seve…

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) The steady rain that lashed the National Capital on Saturday afternoon played spoilsport, leading to the abandonment of both the day’s match in Season 2 of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here.First came the news that Match 14 of DPL 2025 between Central Delhi Kings and Outer Delhi Warriors was called off due to rain without a ball being bowled. Both teams get 1 point each.Though the rain gods relented later in the evening, the second match of t…

London, Aug 9 (IANS) Indian golfer Diksha Dagar displayed remarkable resilience at the PIF London Championship, fighting back from a mid-round setback to finish with a solid 3-under 70 in the opening round. Her performance placed her Tied-10th at the prestigious Ladies European Tour event held at the Centurion Club, a par-73 course in the UK.Diksha’s round was highlighted by two birdies in her final four holes, helping her recover from an earlier double bogey and secure a strong position headi…

Bulawayo, Aug 9 (IANS) New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner hailed his side’s all-round performance in the 2-0 Test series win over Zimbabwe, adding that he was pleased with the bowlers stepping up to dismiss the hosts cheaply in both innings of the match at Queens Sports Club.On Saturday, New Zealand wrapped up their biggest-ever Test victory courtesy of thrashing Zimbabwe by an innings and 359 runs to complete a 2-0 series sweep. After declaring their second innings on 601 for 3 in 130 overs…

Chennai, Aug 9 (IANS) Germany’s Vincent Keymer continued his flawless form in the Chennai Grandmasters 2025, posting his third straight victory by overcoming Karthikeyan Murali in Round 3 at the Hyatt Regency here on Saturday. With this win, Keymer remains the only player in the Masters section with a perfect score, emerging as the early leader in India’s most prestigious classical chess tournament.The Chennai Grand Masters 2025 features two elite 10-player round-robin sections – Masters a…

Bulawayo, Aug 9 (IANS) Zakary Foulkes admitted his ‘awesome’ record-breaking Test debut for New Zealand against Zimbabwe hasn’t really sunk in yet, but added it was awesome for him to be out there and helping his team get a 2-0 series win.On Saturday, New Zealand recorded their biggest ever Test victory after thrashing Zimbabwe by an innings and 359 runs at Queens Sports Club to seal a 2-0 series sweep. Foulkes was the standout performer on Day Three, taking a five-wicket haul as Zimbabwe …

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) Former Manchester United head coach Erik Ten Hag has stated that Cristiano Ronaldo was never the problem at the club, hinting that the issues lay deeper than the Portuguese striker, who left the club on poor terms during the Dutch head coach’s reign.Ronaldo left Manchester United for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr in 2023 after having fallen out of favour with Ten Hag. “For me, it is no problem; he was never the problem. I think it was what happened. It’s the past, an…

Kakinada, Aug 9 (IANS) Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh won their respective matches in the quarterfinals of the 15th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship – Division ‘A’, sealing their spots in the semifinals here on Saturday.In the quarterfinals played on Saturday, Haryana defeated Odisha 4-1, Chhattisgarh Hockey beat Hockey Madhya Pradesh 2-1, Hockey Jharkhand overcame Hockey Punjab 3-1, while Uttar Pradesh Hockey prevailed over Hockey Maharashtra 2-1.In the first…