India A in control, bowl out NZ for 147
Vijayawada: India A put themselves in a commanding position as New Zealand collapsed from 72 for no loss to 147 all out on day one of the first unofficial four- day Test here. Opting to bat, New Zealand A were sitting pretty with both the openers George Worker (33) and Jeet Raval (34) looking solid, but the introduction of spinners triggered a slide, from which the Black Caps could never recover. From 72 for no loss, the visitors lost 10 wickets for the addition of just 75 runs. Tim Seifar remained unbeaten on 35, as his team was bowled out in 63 overs at the ACA Cricket Ground. left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem (4/39) and leg-spinner Karn Sharma (4/58) shared eight wickets between them in a very impressive display of spin bowling. In reply, India A were comfortably placed at 71 for two when the stumps were drawn.
Pranaav-Sikki lose in Japan Open semis
tokyo: India's campaign ended at the Japan Open Super Series after the mixed doubles pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N Sikki Reddy suffered a narrow loss in the semifinals, here on Saturday. Pranaav and Sikki, who had clinched the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold title at lucknow this year, squandered the opening game advantage to go down 21-14, 15-21, 19-21 to the local pair of Takuro Hoki and Sayaka Hirota. During the 60-minute battle, the Indian moved ahead with a short burst of points to eventually grab the opening game comfortably. Takuro and Sayaka changed gears in the second and led 4-1 before entering the break at 11-8 eventually sealing the game to bounce back into the contest. The decider turned into a roller-coaster ride initially as both the pairs fought tooth and nail. In the end, Takuro and Sayaka managed to grab the one point needed to seal the issue at 20-19.
Mary Kom to be AIBA representative
new delhi: Five-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom has become the first Indian to be picked as the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) representative for the IOC Athletes' Forum scheduled in November. The 33-year-old, who is also an active parliamentarian, has been invited to attend the 8th International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Athletes' Forum in lausanne from November 11 to 13. "This bi-annual forum brings together athlete representatives from across the Olympic Movement and provides an in-person community where athletes can exchange and discuss their viewpoint," the AIBA wrote in its invitation letter to the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) President Ajay Singh. "In this respect we would like to designate Ms Mary Kom to attend the forum as AIBA representative," the letter stated.
Men's, women's A teams to play in Aus league
New Delhi: The men's and women's India A hockey teams on Saturday left the country to take part in the Australian Hockey league, beginning on September 28 in Perth. The league will see 10 teams, including defending champions Victoria, fight for top honours. The men's India A team was based at Sports Authority of India's Bengaluru center while the women's team trained at the SAI Centre in Bhopal as part of their preparations for the Australian challenge. The men's India A team led by goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya comprises several players from the Indian side that won the 2016 Junior World Cup in lucknow. For the women, the AHl will be a platform to test their abilities against a strong set of opponents in tough Australian conditions.
Prakash wins silver in Asian Indoor Games
Ashgabat: Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash won a silver medal while Divya Gurling Shilwant and Pratiksha Chandrakant Parhar bagged a bronze each in the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games here on Saturday. Taking part in the short course swimming discipline, Prakash finished second on the podium in men's 100m butterfly. Competing in belt wrestling discipline, Divya and Pratiksha won in women's alysh classic -70 kg and -75 kg categories. Meanwhile, Sourav Kothari assured himself of a medal after winning his semifinal contest against Thailand's Thawat Sujaritthurakaran 3-0 in men's billiards singles. India are at 11th spot in the medals tally with 5 gold, 7 silver and 7 bronze.