Asian Junior Chess: Vivaan wins Rapid crown with late surge; Shohradova bags Girls' title

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Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) Vivaan Vishal and Shohradova Lala emerged champions in the Open and Girls’ sections as India and Turkmenistan shared the top honours in the Asian Junior Rapid Chess Championship 2026 at the ITC Maratha Sheraton, Mumbai, on Wednesday.The Open Championship witnessed a dramatic turnaround on the final day, with halfway leaders, Akhilbay Imangali of Kazakhstan and Madhavendra Pratap Sharma of India, suffering crucial defeats in the concluding rounds, throwing the title race wid…

Former India selector Neetu David appointed Chief Scout of UP Warriorz (Ld)

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New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) Former India chief selector Neetu David has been appointed as the Chief Scout for UP Warriorz ahead of the 2027 Women’s Premier League (WPL) season, the franchise announced on Wednesday.During a distinguished 13-year international career from 1995 to 2008, Neetu represented India in 10 Tests and 97 ODIs, and took 182 international wickets (including 141 in ODIs) across both formats. She holds the world record for the best bowling figures in an individual innings in Women…

Hockey World Cup: Indian women’s team takes on England, eyes top spot in Pool D

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Amstelveen, Aug 19 (IANS) The Indian women’s team will look to seal the top spot in Pool D when it takes on England in their concluding fixture in the first phase of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, on Thursday, with the battle to stay in the race to the semi-finals finely poised.With only the top two teams from each of the four pools staying in that race, every moment of the final round of matches carries added significance.India currently occupy the top spot in P…

1st Test: No big-stage jitters for new players due to robust domestic setup, says Rahul

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Galle, Aug 19 (IANS) India’s robust first-class ecosystem and ‘A’ team exposure tours have significantly reduced the gap for youngsters stepping into the high-pressure environment of Test cricket, said vice-captain KL Rahul after the side secured a dominant 165-run victory over Sri Lanka here on Wednesday.At the Galle International Stadium, India unearthed match-winners like top-order batter Devdutt Padikkal and left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who played pivotal roles in the crucial triumph. Whil…

Unnati's BWF World Championships debut ends in Round-of-32

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New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) Unnati Hooda’s campaign at her debut BWF World Championships ended in the second round after the Indian suffered a close, hard-fought loss at the hands of Michelle Li of Canada on Wednesday. The 18-year-old Indian, agonisingly close to shocking her higher-ranked Canadian opponent, suffered a heartbreaking 21-11, 9-21, 21-23 defeat in a match that lasted just under an hour here at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex. Unnati had come in the second round after a hard-fought st…

Badminton WCC: Arjun/Amsakarunan duo rue mistakes after losing to Korean pair

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New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) India’s M.R Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan blamed costly mistakes and their inability to close out a tight opening game after their men’s doubles campaign at the BWF World Championships 2026 ended with a straight-game defeat to South Korea’s M.H. Kang and D. Ki in the Round of 32 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.The Indian pair, having progressed to the last 32 after their opponents in the first round, Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds of Ireland, re…

Aston Villa complete signing of goalkeeper Suzuki and defender Ruggeri

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London, Aug 19 (IANS) Aston Villa have strengthened their squad ahead of the new Premier League season by completing permanent deals for Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and Italian defender Matteo Ruggeri.The English club confirmed the arrivals on Wednesday, with both players joining as Villa look to build further depth across the squad under manager Unai Emery.Suzuki, 23, arrives from Serie A side Parma and has quickly established himself as one of Japan’s leading goalkeeping prospects. The shot…

'He is in a good mental space': Carey backs Renshaw to make impact on Test return

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Mackay, Aug 19 (IANS) Wicketkeeper batter Alex Carey believes Matt Renshaw is in the right mental space to make an immediate impact on his Test return as Australia look to bounce back from their nine-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the series opener. Renshaw has been recalled to Australia’s Test squad after a three-year absence and is set to open alongside Travis Head in the second Test at Great Barrier Reef Arena, beginning Saturday.The 30-year-old replaced Jake Weatherald at the top of the or…

ICC Rankings: Brook dethrones Head as No. 1 Test batter; Shanto achieves career-best rankings 

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Dubai, Aug 19 (IANS) England batter Harry Brook reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, dethroning Australia opener Travis Head, who dropped down the list following his low scores in the first match of the ICC World Test Championship series against Bangladesh. Bangladesh produced a superb team performance to defeat Australia by nine wickets in the opening match of their two-match series in Darwin.It is the fourth stint at the top for Brook, who first achieved the number…

Former India selector Neetu David appointed as scouting head of UP Warriorz

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New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) Former India spinner and Women’s ODI World Cup-winning selector Neetu David has been appointed as the head of scouting for UP Warriorz (UPW) ahead of the 2027 Women’s Premier League (WPL) season, the franchise announced on Wednesday. Neetu had joined the support staff led by head coach Abhishek Nayar in last week’s off-season camp for their domestic players at the Sai Krishnan Grounds in Bengaluru, as the team looks to overhaul its talent identification process follo…