india beat belgium 5-1 in final game
Antwerp: Indian men's hockey team on Thursday produced an attacking masterclass to outclass reigning World and European Champions Belgium 5-1 in the fifth and final match and maintain a hundred percent record in their Tour of Belgium. World No 5 India won all five matches during the Tour, beating Belgium 2-0 in the opening match, and registering 6-1 and 5-1 wins over Spain in the next two games, before finishing off their Tour with two more wins (2-1 and 5-1). In the fifth match on Thursday, Simranjeet (7th), Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (35th), Vivek Sagar Prasad (36th), Harmanpreet (42nd) and Ramandeep (43rd) all scored a goal each to earn a scintillating victory for the team.
WFI terminates Karimi's contract
New Delhi: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has sacked men's freestyle coach Hossein Karimi just six months into his tenure, claiming that he brought with himself a VIP culture which cannot be followed in the country, a charge that the Iranian has rejected. Karimi's contract was to run till the Tokyo Olympics. He was handed his termination notice on Wednesday. “He was following a VIP culture and it was increasingly becoming difficult to cope with his demands. We have intimated SAI about this. We are looking for a new coach,” WFI Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar said. Karimi on the other hand, said India did not offer a good system for the growth of the sport and described WFI's move as unprofessional. “They have cancelled my contract. In India, the system is not good. There are a lot of problems,” Karimi said.
Gujarat, J&K, Bengal post easy wins
Jaipur: Gujarat posted an impressive seven-wicket win over Bihar in a Vijay Hazare Group 'C' match here on Thursday. After Bihar was bundled out for 126 in 42.2 overs, Gujarat rattled up the required runs in 19.2 overs to notch up a fifth straight win. In another match, Parvez Rasool hammered an unbeaten 118 (112 balls, 9 fours, four sixes) to power Jammu & Kashmir to a four-wicket win over Railways. In the third match of the day, Bengal rode on Abhishek Kumar Raman's 122 not out (108 balls, 11 fours) to register a five-wicket win over Rajasthan.
Puneri Paltan pip Telugu Titans
Panchkula: Puneri Paltan edged out Telugu Titans 53-50 in a closely-fought Pro Kabaddi League match at the Tau Devilal Sports Complex here on Thursday. Manjeet (12 points), Sushant Sail (11 points) and Sureejet Singh (7 tackle points) were the stars for the Pune side. The defeat meant Telugu Titans' chances of making it to the playoffs came to a halt with UP Yoddha securing the final spot in the top six.
Humpy jumps to world No 3
New Delhi: Indian woman chess player Koneru Humpy has jumped to world number 3 position in the latest rankings released by the world body (FIDE). The 32-year-old from Andhra Pradesh made a brilliant comeback after a two-year hiatus to win the FIDE women's Grand Prix tournament held in Skolkovo in Russia recently. Grand Master Humpy accumulated 17 ELO points to rise to the third spot with a global rating of 2,577. In the Open section, five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand is ranked ninth with 2,765 points, while reigning world champion Norwegian Magnus Carlsen continued to hold on to the number one spot with 2,876 points.
Pak to begin Test C'ship in England
Karachi: Pakistan will tour the Netherlands and Ireland for a limited over series before going to England next summer to play their ICC World Test Championship matches, PCB said on Thursday. Pakistan will play three ODIs against Netherlands and two T20Is against Ireland in July next year before they play two Tests in England. “The VRA Cricket Club in Amstelveen will host the three ODIs on July 4, 7 and 9, while the two T20Is in Ireland will be played on July 12 and 14,” PCB said in a statement. After this, they will travel to England where they will play three World Test Championship Tests from July 30 to August 20 before taking on the 50-over world champions in three T20Is on August 29 and 31 and September 2 respectively.