Ishant to miss Ranji semi-final
new delhi: Delhi will miss the services of its regular skipper Ishant Sharma in the upcoming Ranji Trophy semi-final against Bengal in Pune, starting December 17. Ishant has reportedly sustained an ankle niggle during the final Test against Sri lanka in the capital earlier this month. With Test regulars Mohammed Shami and Wriddhiman Saha playing for Bengal, Delhi would have loved to get the services of its regular skipper who has taken 20 wickets in four Ranji games this season. "Ishant has a slight ankle niggle and he would not like to aggravate his injury before the South Africa series. The Delhi team reached Pune this evening without Ishant," a member of the Delhi team management said on Thursday. The BCCI has allowed all the Test regulars whose teams have qualified for the semi-finals to play for their respective states in order to get match time. The Indian team is not playing any practice game so national selectors wanted Test regulars to play Ranji semi- finals.
Batra elected as IOA president
New Delhi: International Hockey Federation (FIH) chief Narinder Batra was on Thursday elected as president of the Indian Olympic Association for a four-year term by an overwhelming majority in the polls held at its Annual General Meeting here. The 60-year-old Batra secured 142 votes while his rival Anil Khanna got 13 in the two-way contest. His election to the top post was rendered a formality after Khanna, a former All India Tennis Association president, withdrew from the contest in a surprised move. But there was an election for the president's post as Khanna sent the withdrawal letter to the IOA-appointed Election Commission after the stipulated deadline of December 3. Incumbent Secretary General Rajeev Mehta was re-elected for his second term without any contest as he was the lone candidate for the post.
Paire, Robredo for Tata Open Qualifiers
pune: World no 41 Benoit Paire will be the star attraction in the first Tata Open Maharashtra qualifiers to be held from December 30-31. The Frenchman will be joined by Spanish world no 164 Tommy Robredo for the race to grab the four spots in the main draw starting January 1-6.The ATP 250 World Tour series will played at the Balewadi Stadium hosted by Maharashtra State lawn Tennis Association in association with Govt of Maharashtra and promoted by IMG-Reliance. Paire, 2015 ATP Comeback Player of the Year, has made five appearances in the Indian ATP event. The Frenchman reached the semifinal of this marquee event thrice including in 2017, 2016 & 2012. Spaniard Robredo will be coming back to India after a 14-year gap.
22 top teams in fray for JK Tyre Orange Fury
Dambuk Valley: The fourth edition of the JK Tyre Orange 4x4 Fury off-roading event gets under way here on Friday with as many as 22 drivers along with their co-drivers representing 11 teams from different parts of the country in fray. Hosted in the breathtaking lower Dirang Valley's quaint village Dambuk, it is part of the highly popular Orange Festival of Adventure and Music that draws fans from various cities. OFAM 2017 is being held over four days, from December 15 to 18, and will see the competitors pitting themselves and their machines against Mother Nature in the semi tropical rain forests of Arunachal. MOCCA (Arunachal Pradesh), Gerrari Offroaders (Chandigarh) and KTM Jeepers (Kerala) are expected to fight it out for the title, given their experience and expertise in this form of motor-sport.