SPORTS

New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS) Ayush Mhatre has been named as India’s captain for the upcoming Men’s Under-19 World Cup, to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15 to February 6.But Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra, also named in the U19 World Cup squad, will not be a part of the pre-tournament 50-over tour of South Africa, to take place from January 3-7, after sustaining wrist injuries.In Mhatre’s absence, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will lead the side on the tour of South Africa, where they will play all of their three matches at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, while Yuvraj Gohil and Rahul Kumar are added to the squad selected by the Junior Men’s Selection Committee.IANS understands that both Mhatre and Malhotra were in Mumbai on Friday for further assessments of their wrist injuries, and their status ...

Rio de Janeiro, Dec 27 (IANS) Former Palmeiras, Cruzeiro, and Santos midfielder Robinho Signorini has announced his retirement after a professional career spanning two decades.The 38-year-old's contract with Brazilian Serie C side Brusque ended this month, and he declined offers to continue playing to accept an assistant coaching role with Nautico, which will compete in Serie B next year. "I am putting a full stop to my journey as a professional athlete. However, I will continue in the world of football, now from outside the four lines," he said in a social media post.Robinho's career highlights include a Brazilian Serie A title and a Copa do Brasil trophy with Palmeiras, and two Copa do Brasil triumphs with Cruzeiro. His career also included spells at Varginha, Mogi Mirim, Avai, Coritiba,...

Jamshedpur, Dec 27 (IANS) Shubham Jaglan and Yuvraj Sandhu were neck-and-neck in a two-horse race ahead of the final round of the Tata Open 2025, an INR 2 crore event and the PGTI’s season-finale, being played at the Beldih and Golmuri golf courses in Jamshedpur.The 21-year-old Shubham Jaglan (68-66-65), who turned professional earlier this year and is playing only his third event on the PGTI, came up with a top-notch and error-free six-under 65 on Day Three to move up one spot into the joint lead at 14-under 199. Gurugram-based Shubham, who finished runner-up on his PGTI debut last month in Chandigarh, is now searching for his maiden title on the tour.Yuvraj Sandhu (67-64-68), the halfway leader by three shots, struck a three-under 68 in round three to end the day tied for the lead at 14-...

Melbourne, Dec 27 (IANS) England's dramatic two-day victory over Australia in the fourth Test of the Ashes 2025-26 series has ignited fierce debate about the green pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with former skipper Michael Vaughan saying that while the result merits celebration, the quality of cricket on display will not be celebrated much by fans.“A win is a win, and England should celebrate, but NO Test cricket fans should be celebrating what we have seen for 2 days .. #Ashes,” wrote Vaughan on his ‘X’ account on Saturday.The 10mm of grass left on the pitch resulted in 36 wickets falling in six sessions at the MCG, as England ended a 14-year wait for a Test match victory in Australia with a four-wicket win. England dismissed Australia for 132 in their second innings to set themse...

Bhopal, Dec 27 (IANS) Tilottama Sen produced a composed performance to win the gold medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 Positions final at the 68th National Shooting Championship Competitions, finishing on top with 466.9 at MP State Shooting Academy in Bhopal on Saturday.The Karnataka shooter carried her strong qualification form into the final to stay ahead of a competitive field. Kerala’s Vidarsa K. Vinod secured the silver medal with 462.9, finishing four points adrift, while Railways’ Ayonika Paul completed the podium with the bronze medal after scoring 451.8.Earlier, Tilottama had topped the qualification round with 591-29x, underlining her consistency across all three positions. Vidarsa followed closely in second place with 589-29x, while Karnataka’s Anushka H Thokur finished third in q...

Chennai, Dec 27 (IANS) Bengaluru’s speed maestro Hemanth Muddappa strengthened his grip on the title race with two commanding victories and a podium finish in the third and penultimate round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship 2025 at the Madras International Circuit in Chennai on Saturday.Riding for Mantra Racing, Muddappa was in blistering form, storming to victory in the Unrestricted Super Sport 4-stroke class with a time of 8.269 seconds, edging out Hanuman Pawshe of Fast Track Racing India, who clocked 8.301s. Muddappa’s stunning comeback in this class saw him close the gap with Pawshe, as both are on 55 championship points each, while Alimon Sai Dalvi is on 53 after he faced issues with which bike.Muddappa was once again untouchable in the 1051–1650c...

Melbourne, Dec 27 (IANS) Former England captain Nasser Hussain described the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch for the fourth Test of the Ashes series as ‘farcical at times’, as he and Michael Atherton joined a chorus of fierce criticism after the match ended inside two days.The 10mm of grass left on the pitch resulted in 36 wickets falling in six sessions at the MCG, as England ended a 14-year wait for a Test match victory in Australia with a four-wicket win. England dismissed Australia for 132 in their second innings to set themselves a chase of 175 to win, which they completed after losing six wickets."I don't think the great Shane Warne would have thought that was acceptable, and I don't think it's acceptable not having spin at all, and there being so much movement in the surface."I...

New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS) As the Hockey India League (HIL) gears up for its second edition in its new innings on January 3 at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai, India’s ace midfielder Hardik Singh has shared his thoughts on leadership, recognition, and the challenges that lie ahead.In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Hardik touched upon everything from his Khel Ratna recommendation to the pressures of captaincy and the learning opportunities the HIL presents.Asked about how it feels to be recommended for India’s highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna award, Hardik chose to remain grounded while acknowledging the significance of the achievement. “I will still wait for the formal announcement. When you win two Olympic medals for your nation after 40 years and then back-to...

Melbourne, Dec 27 (IANS) England captain Ben Stokes said the wicket for the fourth Test of the Ashes series at Melbourne would likely attract greater criticism if it had been prepared somewhere else in the world, adding that one wouldn’t like to see a game finish in less than two days.The 10mm of grass left on the pitch resulted in 36 wickets falling in six sessions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), as England ended a 14-year wait for a Test match victory in Australia with a four-wicket win. England dismissed Australia for 132 in their second innings to set themselves a chase of 175 to win, which they completed after losing six wickets."When you go out there, and you're faced with conditions, you've got to crack on and deal with it. But, being brutally honest, that's not really what y...

Dublin, Dec 27 (IANS) Cricket Ireland has announced its 15-player squad for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier in Kathmandu, Nepal, from January 18 to February 1, 2026. Gaby Lewis is set to serve as the team captain again, with Orla Prendergast as her deputy.The Irish squad will leave on January 6, 2026, to attend a six-day preparation camp in Dubai, before travelling to Nepal on January 12. The team will participate in two official warm-up matches against Nepal and Zimbabwe.The Qualifier will feature teams from Bangladesh, Ireland, the Netherlands, Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand, the USA, and Zimbabwe. These teams are divided into two groups of five, with Ireland placed in Group A. After all group matches, the top three teams from each group will...