DRS होता तो पहले ही 10 आउट कर देता: कुंबले

नई दिल्ली टीम इंडिया के पूर्व लेग स्पिनर (Anil Kumble) ने दिल्ली में पाकिस्तान ( Delhi Test) के खिलाफ पारी में दस विकेट लेकर कीर्तिमान स्थापित किया था। हालांकि कुंबले का मानना है कि अगर उनके दौर में DRS होता तो वह उस मैच में पहले ही यह करिश्मा कर चुके होते। कुंबले ने रविचंद्रन अश्विन (Ravichandran Ashwin) के साथ एक यूट्यूब चैनल पर बातचीत में यह बात कही। इस वीडियो में कुंबले ने पाकिस्तान के खिलाफ पारी में 10 विकेट (Anil in innings) के अलावा अपने अन्य क्रिकेट अनुभवों को साझा किया। कभी नहीं सोचा था अश्विन ने कुंबले से उस अनुभव के बारे में पूछा जब वह 9 विकेट ले चुके थे। और लोग उन्हें 10 विकेट दिलवाने की कोशिश कर रहे थे। जवागल श्रीनाथ लगातार ऑफ स्टंप के बाहर गेंद फेंक रहे थे। उन्होंने तो सदागोपन रमेश को कैच न लेने तक को कहा था। इस पर पूर्व कप्तान ने कहा कि उन्होंने कभी नहीं सोचा था कि वह पारी के सभी 10 विकेट हासिल कर लेंगे। वह तो बस करियर का सर्वश्रेष्ठ प्रदर्शन करना चाहते थे। कुंबले ने बताया, 'जब मैंने छह विकेट ले लिए थे तब टी ब्रेक हुआ। तो जब मैं वापस आया तो थका हुआ था। चूंकि मैंने लंच से टी तक उस स्पेल में लगातार बोलिंग की थी। तब टी पर मुझे अहसास हुआ कि मैं अपने पूर्व प्रदर्शन को सुधार सकता हूं। मैंने कभी सभी 10 विकेट लेने के बारे में नहीं सोचा था।' अनिल कुंबले ने याद किया कि उन्होंने 8वां और 9वां विकेट ओवर की आखिरी दो गेंदों पर लिया था। दर्शकों ने दी दुआएं उन्होंने कहा, 'मुझे नहीं लगता कि आप मैच में यह सोचकर जाते हो कि सभी 10 विकेट आप ही लोगे। हालांकि आप तैयारी उसी तरह करते हो यानी मैं नंबर 1 से 11 तक के बल्लेबाजों को कैसे बोलिंग करूंगा? यह आपके दिमाग में होता है। तो 8वां और 9वां विकेट उस ओवर की पांचवीं और छठी गेंद पर हुआ।' कुंबले ने दर्शकों का धन्यवाद अदा करते हुए कहा, 'जब मैं नौ विकेट लेकर थर्ड मैन पर फील्डिंग करने गया तो दर्शकों की ओर से मुझे शुभकामनाएं मिलने लगीं। लोग कह रहे थे चिंता मत करो आपको सभी 10 विकेट मिलेंगे।' अकरम ने नहीं लिया था सिंगल कुंबले ने कहा कि उनका प्लान था कि वसीम अकरम को एक रन देकर बल्लेबाजी से दूर करें और 11वें नंबर के बल्लेबाज वकार यूनिस को गेंदबाजी करें। इसके लिए उन्होंने मिड-ऑन, मिड-ऑफ को पीछे भी कर दिया था लेकिन दो गेंद बाद ही वह समझ गए कि अकरम सिंगल नहीं लेंगे। इसके बाद कुंबले ने अपनी रणनीति बदली और बाएं हाथ के अकरम को शॉर्ट लेग पर वसीम अकरम के हाथों कैच आउट करवाया। क्या अंपायर ने किया था पक्षपात? अश्विन ने कुंबले को याद दिलाया कि जब उन्होंने आखिरी विकेट लिया तो वह पीछे की ओर दौड़े थे, उस समय ऐसा लगा था कि वह अंपायर जयप्रकाश को गोद में उठा लेंगे। हालांकि कुंबले ने इससे इनकार किया। उन्होंने कहा, 'यह काफी हैरानी की बात है। मुझे लगता है कि हर कोई इस इवेंट का हिस्सा होना चाहता था। हो सकता है कि जय भी यही सोच रहे हों कि यह उनके लिए भी खास लम्हा था। मैं जानता हूं कि इस पर खूब चर्चा हुई कि जय भी बैंगलोर से हैं। लेकिन आखिर वह अंपायर हैं... मुझे लगता है कि यह बकवास है कि जब आप विकेट का श्रेय अंपायरों या अंपायर के पक्षपात को देने लगते हो।' अश्विन ने कहा कि किसी भी फैसले पर कोई डाउट नहीं था। अगर तब डीआरएस होता तो यह साबित हो जाता। इस पर कुंबले ने कहा, 'अगर तब DRS होता तो शायद वह पहले ही अपने 10 विकेट पूरे कर चुके होते।' कुंबले ने पाकिस्तान के खिलाफ 1999 में दिल्ली में हुए टेस्ट मैच की दूसरी पारी में सभी 10 विकेट लिए थे। पाकिस्तान के सामने 420 रन का लक्ष्य था। कुंबले ने 74 रन देकर 10 विकेट लिए थे और पाकिस्तान 207 रन पर ऑल आउट हो गई थी। भारत ने मैच 212 रन से जीता था। खेल और देश-दुनिया हर खबर अब Telegram पर भी। हमसे जुड़ने के लिए और पाते रहें हर जरूरी अपडेट।

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हार्दिक की गोद में नन्हा बेटा, वायरल हुई तस्वीर

हार्दिक पंड्या ने जब पिता बनने की खबर को साझा किया तब लोगों ने दिल खोलकर उन्हें बधाई दी। लव बर्ड्स हार्दिक और नताशा की तस्वीरों को सोशल मीडिया पर बहुत पसंद किया जाता रहा है। यह कपल लोगों को बहुत भाता है। और जब इनके घर खुशी आई तो लोगों ने दिल खोलकर खुशियां दीं। हार्दिक ने अब अपने बेटे की तस्वीर सोशल मीडिया पर पोस्ट की है जिसे खूब पसंद किया जा रहा है।

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We are blessed with our baby boy ❤️🙏🏾

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The blessing from God 🙏🏾❤️ @natasastankovic__

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हार्दिक पंड्या ने जनवरी में नताशा के साथ अपने संबंधों का खुलासा किया था। दोनों ने हाथों में सगाई की अंगूठी दिखाते हुए अपने रिश्ते पर मुहर लगाई थी।

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Anil Kumble says he wanted to set example by not pulling out of controversy-hit tour of Australia in 2008

Former captain Anil Kumble says pulling out of the 2007-08 Australia Tour following the controversial Sydney Test could have been an "acceptable" option but his side continued the series to set an example by winning the remaining matches under trying circumstances.

The Sydney Test in January 2008 was marred by the infamous Monkeygate scandal where off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was handed a three-match ban by the ICC for allegedly racially abusing Andrew Symonds.

India had appealed against the decision and there were also talks about a possible pulling out of the Tour.

File image of Anil Kumble. Reuters

Harbhajan was eventually let off with a fine of 50 percent of his match fees by New Zealand High Court judge John Hansen.

"You know as a captain you're generally tuned to take decisions on the field. Here I was faced with something, which was off the field, to take a decision in the larger interest of the game," the legendary spinner told R Ashwin in his Youtube show 'DRS with Ash'.

The 49-year-old Kumble, the country's highest Test wicket-taker with 619 scalps from 132 matches, also made it clear that he felt Harbhajan was "wronged" by the decision of the ICC.

"We had to obviously be together as a team but the challenge was that there was a lot of talk about the team wanting to come back at that point in time, and leave the tour and come back. Yes, you know, probably (people) would have accepted that the Indian team was wronged and that's why they came back."

There were also quite a few poor umpiring decisions, specially in the Sydney Test which went against India. Umpire Steve Bucknor, who was officiating the Test, recently accepted the errors.

India had lost the first Test by 337 runs and second Test by 122 runs but went on to win the third Test by 72 runs in Perth and the fourth and final Test in Adelaide ended in a draw.

Kumble said: "I think as a captain, or as a team, we had gone there to win the series. Unfortunately, with the first two results not going our way, the best result could have been a drawn series because two more Test matches remained and I just wanted to rally around the team.

"We got around as a unit and then we sort of took a decision to continue and make sure that we go on and win the next couple of matches because that would be the best message that we can give back our fans."

Kumble had led India in 14 Tests, winning three, losing six and drawing five times after taking over the reigns from Rahul Dravid in 2007. He is the world's all time third highest Test wicket-taker in an illustrious career between 1990 and 2008.

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NBA: James Harden scores 49 points, Houston Rockets outlast Dallas Mavericks in overtime

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: James Harden scored 49 points and the Houston Rockets outlasted the Dallas Mavericks 153-149 in overtime Friday night in their first game in the NBA bubble.

Harden made 1 of 2 free throws before Trey Burke made a 3-pointer to get the Mavericks within 3 with about 15 seconds left in OT. Harden made 1 of 2 free throws after that, Burke missed a 3, and Harden got the rebound to secure the victory.

In regulation, Dallas led by 3 before Harden made the first of two free throws, and Robert Covington tipped in a miss on the second to tie it with 3.3 seconds left. Luka Doncic missed a shot at the buzzer to send it to overtime.

Russell Westbrook added 31 points for the Rockets after arriving to Florida late after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Kristaps Porzingis had 39 points and 16 rebounds for Dallas, and Doncic had a triple-double with 28 points 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Burke had 31 points, making eight of 10 3-pointers.

🚀 49 PTS (14-20 FGM)
🚀 9 REB, 8 AST
🚀 3 STL, 3 BLK@JHarden13 does it all in the @HoustonRockets overtime victory! #OneMission #WholeNewGame pic.twitter.com/41rVp1KhNN

— NBA (@NBA) August 1, 2020

Harden, who had 23 points in the first quarter, passed Calvin Murphy to become the second-leading scorer in franchise history behind Hakeem Olajuwon.

The teams combined for the most first-half points in the NBA this season, with Dallas leading 85-75 to tie its franchise record.

BUCKS 119, CELTICS 112

Giannis Antetokounmpo converted a tiebreaking three-point play with 1:28 left on an overturned call that kept him in the game and helped Milwaukee beat Boston.

Man it feels good to be back! pic.twitter.com/SyYir879Cj

— Giannis Ugo Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) August 1, 2020

Antetokounmpo had 36 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in the Bucks' first game in the restart. Milwaukee improved the NBA's best record to 54-12 and moved within a victory of clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the second straight year.

Boston overcame a poor start to tie it at 107. Antetokounmpo was then called for a charging foul, appearing to negate his basket and giving him a sixth foul. The call was changed to a blocking foul on Boston's Marcus Smart after review, and Antetokounmpo made the free throw to make it 110-107.

Khris Middleton then knocked down a 3-pointer for a six-point advantage.

Middleton added 18 points for the Bucks, who played without Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton while they work on their conditioning after testing positive for the coronavirus. Marvin Williams sat out with a strained left groin.

Smart scored 23 points for the Celtics and Jaylen Brown had 22, but star forward Jayson Tatum had a nightmarish restart. He had five points on 2-for-18 shooting — though he actually only made one basket.

Kemba Walker scored 16 points but played just 19 minutes as the Celtics look to keep the All-Star guard healthy after he's been battling a sore knee.

TRAIL BLAZERS 140, GRIZZLIES 135, OT

Portland delivered down the stretch to secure their first win in Orlando 💪 pic.twitter.com/wryKUYYe6j

— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 31, 2020

CJ McCollum scored 33 points, teaming with Damian Lillard for 11 of Portland's 16 in overtime, and the Trail Blazers pulled out a desperately needed victory to resume their season by beating Memphis.

Lillard finished with 29 points and nine assists to help the Trail Blazers boost their hopes for a seventh consecutive playoff appearance. Carmelo Anthony added 21 points as Portland moved within 2 1/2 games of the Grizzlies for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.

McCollum started fast, scoring 19 points in the first half, and finished strong with two crucial 3-pointers in overtime. The first one to open the extra period gave Portland the lead for good, and he added six assists.

Jaren Jackson Jr. had 33 points and rookie Ja Morant added 22 points and 11 assists for Memphis.

Memphis rallied from a 13-point, third-quarter deficit to take an 11-point lead, then gave it away almost as quickly. When the Grizzlies recovered to take a 112-103 lead with 6:01 left in regulation, it appeared the Grizzlies might pad their lead in the standings. Instead, Anthony's 3 with 37.5 seconds left tied it at 124 and Morant fell on a last-second fast break, sending the game to overtime.

MAGIC 128, NETS 118

Evan Fournier scored 24 points, Nikola Vucevic had 22 and Orlando picked up where it left off before the NBA season was suspended, beating Brooklyn.

Playing as the designated road team not far from their arena, the Magic looked right at home at Disney — whose name they wear as their jersey patch. They extended their winning streak to four and moved back ahead of the Nets into seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Brooklyn also won its last three before the stoppage, but the decimated team that returned is a shell of the one that beat the Lakers in Los Angeles in its final game. The Nets are missing Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan and Taurean Prince after they tested positive for the coronavirus. They are already playing without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who had season-ending surgery.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 24 points for the Nets.

SPURS 129, KINGS 120

The NBA Standings after Day 2 of Seeding Games in Orlando. #WholeNewGame pic.twitter.com/nucVtbIV1e

— NBA (@NBA) August 1, 2020

DeMar DeRozan scored 17 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter to help San Antonio beat Sacramento.

Before the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and assistant Becky Hammon stood for the national anthem while the remainder of the coaches and players for both teams knelt.

DeRozan shot 10 of 13 and had 10 assists, and the Spurs shot 53.3% from the field.

Derrick White matched a career high with 26 points in San Antonio's first game of the restart. The Spurs needed to find offense because LaMarcus Aldridge, the team's No. 2 scorer, had shoulder surgery in April and will not play in the restart.

De'Aaron Fox scored a career-high 39 points for the Kings.

SUNS 125, WIZARDS 112

Devin Booker scored 27 points, Deandre Ayton added 24 points and 12 rebounds and Phoenix beat Washington.

Booker made all nine of his free throws and the Suns hit 30 of 32 from the line. They shot 52% from the field, with Ayton hitting two of three 3-pointers and going 11 of 14 overall.

Rui Hachimura scored 21 points and Jerome Robinson added 20 for the Wizards on coach Scott Brooks' 55th birthday.

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Former England all-rounder Ian Botham made member of House of Lords

Legendary England all-rounder Ian Botham has been made a member of the House of Lords of the British Parliament.

The 64-year-old Botham, a former captain, was among 36 new peers announced by the government to join the unelected House.

File image of Ian Botham. Reuters

Botham, who played 102 Test matches for England between 1977 and 1992, is a prominent Brexit supporter. He was knighted in 2007 in recognition of his services to charity and cricket.

He will sit as a crossbench – independent – peer.

He is the first cricketer to be awarded a peerage since former England women's team captain Rachael Heyhoe-Flint in 2011. David Sheppard, Colin Cowdrey and Learie Constantine were the others who were honoured with House of Lords seats earlier.

Botham's most famous moment on the cricket field came in 1981 when he inspired England to a sensational win over Australia in the Ashes.

After retirement, he has been involved in charity campaigns, including raising funds for research into leukaemia, besides doing commentary of cricket matches.

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IPL से पहले विदेशी प्लेयर्स के सामने है यह 'टेस्ट'

के. श्रीनिवासराव, मुबंई इंग्लैंड और ऑस्ट्रेलिया के बीच सीमित ओवरों की सीरीज 16 सितंबर को खत्म होगी और इंडियन प्रीमियर लीग (IPL) का 13वां सीजन उस महीने की 19 तारीख को शुरू होना है। लेकिन डेविड वॉर्नर, स्टीव स्मिथ, जोफ्रा आर्चर, बेन स्टोक्स, पैट कमिंस और अन्य खिलाड़ी अपनी-अपनी टीमों के साथ फौरन नहीं जुड़ पाएंगे। उन्हें कम से कम एक सप्ताह का इंतजार करना पड़ेगा। यूएई सरकार, IPL को लेकर अपने SOPs बनाने मेंलगी ह। इसमें विदेशी यात्रियों के लिए एक सप्ताह का क्वॉरनटीन और दो बार कोरोना टेस्ट शामिल हैं। उदाहरण के लिए अगर सनराइजर्स हैदराबाद (Sunrisers Hyderabad) और राजस्थान रॉयल्स (Rajasthan Royals) अगर पहले ही हफ्ते में अपना मुकाबला खेलते हैं तो दोनों ही टीमों के कप्तान- वॉर्नर और स्मिथ- नहीं खेल पाएंगे। इन्हें एक सप्ताह क्वॉरनटीन में रहना होगा। वायरस का खतरा अभी टला नहीं है और ऐसे में यूएई सरकार कई कदम उठा रही है। इसमें क्वॉरनटीन और कोरोना टेस्ट के अलावा भी कई कदम हैं। इस बीच, सभी क्रिकेट बोर्ड- जिनके खिलाड़ियों ने आईपीएल में भाग लेना है- उन्होंने अपने प्लेयर्स को अनापत्ति प्रमाण पत्र (NOCs) दे दिए हैं। अब यह फ्रैंचाइजी की जिम्मेदारी है कि वे खिलाड़ियों को उनके देश से यूएई ले जाएं और वापस छोड़ें। कैरेबियन प्रीमियर लीग (सीपीएल) 10 सितंबर को समाप्त हो रही है और उसके फाइनल में पहुंचने वाली टीमों के खिलाड़ी दूसरे सप्ताह के अंत से पहले यूएई पहुंच जाएंगे। यानी आईपीएल शुरू होने से करीब एक हफ्ता पहले। श्रीलंका प्रीमियर लीग (SLPL) सितंबर के मध्य तक चलेगी, लेकिन इससे आईपीएल पर बहुत ज्यादा फर्क नहीं पड़ेगा। चूंकि सिर्फ लसिथ मलिंगा ही पहले हफ्ते में नहीं खेल पाएंगे। मामले को करीब से देख रहे एक सूत्र ने बताया, 'खिलाड़ियों की उपलब्धता कोई बहुत बड़ा मुद्दा नहीं है अब सवाल उन्हें यूएई लाने और क्वॉरनटीन विंडो में रखने का है।' आईपीएल गर्वनिंग काउंसिल ने हालांकि अभी मीटिंग की आधिकारिक तारीख की घोषणा नहीं की है। वह अभी सरकार की ओर से अनुमति का इंतजार कर रही है। लेकिन फ्रैंचाइजी ने अपनी ओर से तैयारी शुरू कर दी है। उन्होंने यात्रा और रहने आदि का इंतजाम करना शुरू कर दिया है। भारतीय टीम के सपॉर्ट स्टाफ, जिसमें फिजियोथेरेपिस्ट नितिन पटेल और ट्रेनर निक वेब शामिल हैं भी यूएई जाएंगे. वे राष्ट्रीय टीम के उन खिलाड़ियों के साथ संपर्क में रहेंगे जिन्होंने आईपीएल के बाद ऑस्ट्रेलिया दौरे पर जाना है। सारे इंतजाम देख रहे एक शख्स ने बताया, 'वे खिलाड़ियों के साथ पिछले चार महीने से वीडियो कॉन्फ्रेंसिंग के दौरान संपर्क में रहे हैं। यूएई में उनके पास बेहतर तालमेल बनाने का मौका होगा।' खेल और देश-दुनिया हर खबर अब Telegram पर भी। हमसे जुड़ने के लिए और पाते रहें हर जरूरी अपडेट।

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Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, Sam Horsfield share halfway lead at Hero Open on European Tour

Birmingham: Overnight leader Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez of Spain held off a spirited challenge from England's Sam Horsfield to retain a share of the lead at the Hero Open on Friday at the halfway mark of the European Tour's latest stop in England.

After setting a course record 10-under 62 in the opening round at the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel and Country Club, Garcia Rodriguez cooled somewhat in the second with a 3-under 69 that included birdies on the last two holes.

"The key yesterday was the putter, today it was difficult with the irons to get it pin high because it was so windy, but I'm so happy with my round today," said Garcia Rodriguez. "It was very important to birdie the last two holes. It was in my mind to hit a good drive on 17, it wasn't perfect but a good line. I had an eagle in my mind with an eight iron in my hand, but it was a little right so it was a good birdie."

Horsfield, meanwhile, completed a sparkling 9-under 63 that included an eagle and seven birdies for a share of the lead with Garcia Rodriguez at 13 under.

"Holing a wedge from 110 yards on four (for an eagle) was an obvious highlight and I just got on a bit of a roll and ended up with a 9 under round," said Horsfield who has yet to win on the tour. "I'm just having fun, it's nice to be playing tournament golf again, it's been a while for everyone and I'm just thankful of that, to get some tournaments going. I've been looking forward to it for a while and I'm just enjoying it."

Thomas Detry was third after a 5-under 67 that matched his first-round score and leaves him three shots back of the leaders on 10-under.

Alexander Bjork of Sweden and Antoine Rozner of France share fourth place another stroke back after both shot 67s.

Miguel Angel Jimenez, making his record 707th European Tour appearance, shot an even-par 72 for a five-way share of sixth place on 8 under.

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EFL Championship: Sheffield Wednesday to begin 2020-21 season with 12-point deficit

English football's second-tier club Sheffield Wednesday will begin the 2020-21 Championship season with a 12-point deficit over their peers. The club have been sanctioned for breaching profit and sustainability rules, English Football League (EFL) announced.

Wednesday, one of the oldest clubs in English football, were charged with misconduct by EFL in November 2019 after the club sold the Hillsborough Stadium to their Thai owner Dejphon Chansiri in an effort to ensure they did not breach spending rules.

A hearing last month found Wednesday guilty of having included profits from the sale in the club’s financial statements for the period ending July 2018.

"Sheffield Wednesday will receive a 12 point deduction for breaching the League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules for the three-season reporting period ending with season 2017-18," the EFL said in a statement.

“The sporting sanction will take effect in season 2020-21.”

EFL went on to add that the club were not guilty of “deliberately concealing information” on the filings from the league.

Wednesday, in a statement, said they acknowledged the decision of the independent disciplinary commission and were “extremely disappointed” by the points deduction.

"The club will await the written reasons for the sanction and upon receipt will digest and consider the full detail with its legal advisers before making any further comment," Wednesday said in a statement.

Since the deduction applies next season, Sheffield Wednesday retain their 16th place in the Championship. Had the decision been applicable for 2019-20, The Owls would have dropped to the League One – having finished eight points above the relegation zone.

Charlton Athletic, who finished third from bottom, and were relegated to the third division, questioned the decision to punish Wednesday next season. The London based club have threatened a legal challenge.

"We fail to understand why the deduction will take place next season rather than the current season, which seems to be irrational, and are writing to the EFL to get an explanation of the justification," Charlton said in a statement.

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महेंद्र सिंह धोनी का बेस्ट अब गुजर चुका है: रोजर बिनी

नई दिल्ली भारतीय क्रिकेट टीम के पूर्व ऑलराउंडर () ने () के क्रिकेट भविष्य पर अपनी राय रखी है। 1983 विश्व कप विजेता टीम के सदस्य रहे बिनी ने कहा है कि पूर्व भारतीय कप्तान अपना सुनहरा दौर पार कर चुके हैं, और अब मैदान पर वह पहले जैसा मैच-विनिंग प्रभाव नहीं रखते। बिनी ने कहा कि धोनी के अच्छे दिन बीत चुके हैं (Dhoni has past his best) और अब वक्त आ गया है कि वह अगली पीढ़ी के लिए रास्ता बनाएं। स्पोर्ट्सकीड़ा वेबसाइट से बात करते हुए बिनी ने कहा, 'पिछले कुछ सीजन से उन्हें देखकर लगता है कि उनका सर्वश्रेष्ठ वक्त अब गुजर चुका है। मुझे लगता है कि अपनी समझ और ताकत के दम पर वह जो हारा हुआ मैच जिता देते थे वह समय अब बीत गया है। और साथ ही खिलाड़ियों का हौसला बढ़ाने की उनकी खूबी भी अब पहले जैसी नहीं रही।' बिनी ने धोनी की फिटनेस पर भी सवाल उठाए। उन्होंने कहा, 'उनकी फिटनेस भी अब पहले जैसी नहीं रही और कई युवा खिलाड़ी भी इस सिस्टम में आ रहे हैं। सही मायनों में उनका बेस्ट गुजर चुका है और इसका सही फैसला करने वाले वह खुद होंगे।' बिनी से राष्ट्रीय चयनकर्ता के रूप में महेंद्र सिंह धोनी के साथ काम करने को लेकर उनके अनुभव के बारे में भी पूछा गया। धोनी उस समय टीम के कप्तान थे। पूर्व ऑलराउंडर ने कहा कि धोनी के साथ काम करना आसान था क्योंकि वह पद पर बैठे व्यक्ति का सम्मान करते थे। बिनी ने कहा, 'महेंद्र सिंह धोनी पूर्व क्रिकेटरों का बहुत सम्मान करते थे। इस चीज की मैं करता हूं। वह काफी जमीन से जुड़े इनसान हैं और क्रिकेटर्स के लिए उनके मन में बहुत सम्मान और समय था। वह आपके पास आकर बात करते थे और बताते थे कि आखिर उन्हें क्या चाहिए।'

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Palermo Open: All COVID-19 tests on players, coaches come back negative ahead of WTA Tour restart

Palermo: More than 400 coronavirus tests were carried out on tennis players and staff members ahead of the Palermo Ladies Open and all of them came back negative.

The WTA tournament, with qualifying beginning Saturday, marks the return of tour-level tennis following a five-month break for the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s the first official event — for men or women — since early March.

“We carried out 190 nasal swab tests,” Dr. Antonio Cascio, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Palermo who is the tournament’s anti-virus coordinator, said Friday. “All of them came back negative. The exams will continue under strict protocols."

Another 220 serological tests that were carried out also came back negative.

After former French Open champions Simona Halep and Jelena Ostapenko withdrew, the main draw is headlined by last year’s Roland Garros finalist Markéta Vondrousova, No. 15 Petra Martić and No. 20 Maria Sakkari.

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NBA: Gregg Popovich, Jonathan Isaac, Becky Hammon choose to stand for anthem in bubble

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: Jonathan Isaac stood, and stood out. And later Friday, Gregg Popovich and Becky Hammon did the same.

Most players and coaches, but not all, are kneeling while pre-recorded versions of the national anthem are being played at the restarted NBA season. Isaac became the first player to not kneel when he stood before he and the Orlando Magic played the Brooklyn Nets.

In a later game, Popovich — a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, and coach of USA Basketball's national team in addition to his longtime duties as head coach in San Antonio — stood with his arms at his sides before the Spurs played Sacramento.

Hammon, one of Popovich's assistant coaches, also stood. She draped one arm over the shoulders of Spurs assistant Will Hardy, kneeling to her right, and the other over veteran San Antonio guard Patty Mills, kneeling to her left. Popovich and Hammon both wore "Black Lives Matter" T-shirts, as almost all players and coaches have for warm-ups and the anthem.

"I'd prefer to keep that to myself," said Popovich, when asked what went into his decision. "Everybody has to make a personal decision. The league's been great about that; everybody has the freedom to react any way they want. For whatever reasons I have, I reacted the way I wanted to."

Isaac did not wear the shirt. He wore his white Orlando jersey instead, standing with his hands behind his back, the ordained minister praying silently as the song played.

"Kneeling while wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt doesn't go hand-in-hand with supporting Black lives," Isaac said.

Isaac's decision was not a surprise to his teammates; he revealed it in a team meeting earlier in the week. Isaac expected there would be some critical reaction, given how the kneeling is part of a statement against racial injustice and police brutality following the deaths of, among others, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in recent months.

"That's a personal decision," Magic coach Steve Clifford said of Isaac's choice to stand. "We're all supporting each other in this. And if guys are not comfortable kneeling and they want to stand, nobody has a problem with that. I support him. His teammates support him. The organisation supports him. That's part of living in our country."

Isaac has a history of being active with various charities and churches.

"We all support him," Magic guard Evan Fournier said.

Players and teams at the restart at Disney have elected to kneel for the playing of the anthems, doing so along the sideline nearest their benches — which also happens to be the one where "Black Lives Matter" has been painted onto the playing surface.

Popovich, who often speaks out on political and racial matters, has been vocal in recent weeks about the opportunity that the platform of the NBA restart at Walt Disney World provides. Television ratings for the first two games Thursday night were massive; Turner Sports, which aired the doubleheader on TNT, said the average of 3.4 million total viewers "more than doubled the network's average viewership" for regular season games.

Popovich has said these games, and the eyeballs that will be on them, provides "a tremendous opportunity" to spark change. He said the NBA is committed to emphasising a need for change for the rest of the season, including the playoffs.

"We're hoping that we can keep everybody's mind on that," Popovich said. "A lot of things go on in this country day after day after day. ... Things get lost sometimes and we don't want this to be one of those things."

Isaac, in his first game since January because of a knee injury, played well. He had 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting in 16 minutes, helping the Magic to a 128-118 victory.

"I don't think that kneeling or putting on a T-shirt, for me personally, is the answer," Isaac said.

The NBA has had a rule since the early 1980s saying players must stand for the anthem. But Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday night, when players from New Orleans, Utah, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers all knelt for the anthem, that he was relaxing that policy in these times when a desire for equality and social justice is at the forefront of many conversations in this country.

"Listen, the national anthem means different things to different people," TNT analyst Charles Barkley said in televised comments Thursday. "I'm glad these guys are all unified. But if people don't kneel, they're not a bad person. I want to make that perfectly clear. ... He should not be vilified."

The National Basketball Players Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Isaac's decision.

Isaac received the Magic's community service award last year. He has donated money to feed children affected by the coronavirus pandemic, led a Hurricane Dorian relief effort and has raised money to help organizations promote literacy for children in Central Florida.

"We all sin and the answers to all of the world's problems, not only racism, is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ," Isaac said.

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IPL 2020- लीग की इस बात से दुखी हैं स्टीव स्मिथ

नई दिल्ली भारत में क्रिकेट खेलने को लेकर विदेशी खिलाड़ी भी खूब उत्साहित रहते हैं। आईपीएल की बदौलत उन्हें हर साल भारत में आकर खेलने का मौका मिलता है। लेकिन इस बार यह टी20 लीग (IPL) कोविड- 19 (Covid- 19 in India) के चलते भारत में आयोजित नहीं होगी। ऐसे में (RR) के कप्तान और दिग्गज ऑस्ट्रेलियाई बल्लेबाज स्टीव स्मिथ (Steve Smith) ने निराशा जताई है। राजस्थान रॉयल्स पर एक खास डॉक्यूमेंट्री '' बनाई गई है। इसी के खास प्रीमियर के मौके पर स्टीव स्मिथ वीडियोकॉन्फ्रेंसिंग के जरिए मीडिया से मुखातिब हुए। उन्होंने कहा, 'खिलाड़ियों को जल्दी ही यूएई की परिस्थितियों के हिसाब से खुद को ढालना होगा लेकिन यह कोई समस्या नहीं है क्योंकि जब से कोरोना वायरस के चलते क्रिकेट पर ब्रैक लगा है, उसके बाद अब हर खिलाड़ी मैदान पर लौटने को बेताब है।' उन्होंने कहा, 'बतौर प्रफेशनल खिलाड़ी सभी को कैसी भी परिस्थितियां हों उनके हिसाब से ढलना आता है। दुबई की परिस्थितियां भी भारत जैसी हो सकती हैं और यह यहां से अलग भी हो सकती हैं। एक-दो खिलाड़ियों को वहां खेलने का अनुभव है क्योंकि साल 2014 में आईपीएल वहीं आयोजित हुआ था, तब कई खिलाड़ियों ने वहां आईपीएल खेला था।' 31 वर्षीय इस बल्लेबाज ने कहा, 'मैं समझता हूं कि सभी खिलाड़ी अब क्वॉलिटी क्रिकेट खेलने को उत्सुक होंगे। स्वभाविक रूप से यह निराशाजनक है कि इस बार आईपीएल भारत में नहीं हो रहा है हम निश्चितरूप से यहां खेलना बहुत पसंद करते।' खेल और देश-दुनिया की हर खबर अब Telegram पर भी। हमसे जुड़ने के लिए यहां और पाते रहें हर जरूरी अपडेट।

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Brendon Todd takes 2-stroke lead with 5-under 65 at WGC-St. Jude Invitational in Memphis

Memphis: Brendon Todd's putter is more than making up for any lack of power off the tee at the World Golf Championship.

Todd shot a 5-under 65 Friday and grabbed a two-stroke lead through 36 holes of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

"I have not hit the ball as crisply the first two days and maybe some other tournaments this year, but I've probably putted the best of any tournament this year so far," Todd said. "I'm really excited about how I played and looking forward to the opportunity this weekend."

Todd trailed defending champion Brooks Koepka after the first round by two strokes. He quickly erased that deficit and took the lead to himself with a bogey-free, five-birdie round for a 129 total at the World Golf Championships event at TPC Southwind.

Rickie Fowler closed with birdies on his final two holes for a 67 and 131 total just behind Todd thanks to his own putter.

"I feel like I'm heading in the right direction," Fowler said. "I think that's been my main goal is go through some changes for the better. Sometimes you've got to take that step back to take two steps forward. I feel like we already made the step back. I feel like we've made a step forward. I'm looking for that next step."

Koepka had the lead to himself at 10 under before falling apart on his back nine with a double bogey and two bogeys. He finished with a 71, his first time over par at this course in seven rounds. He was four strokes back, tied with Byeong Hun An (65) and Chez Reavie (67).

But Koepka said he wasn't worried with 36 holes remaining.

"I just putted bad," Koepka said. "It wasn't really anything other than that. Felt stress-free other than just missing some short ones. On the back nine they felt good, they were just missing, and on the front they just weren't good putts."

Jon Rahm shot a 74 and now is 4 over in his first event as No. 1 in the world.

Justin Thomas, who could go back to No. 1 in the world with a win, was seven strokes back after a 70. Rory McIlroy's bid to be No. 1 again may have to wait until the PGA championship next week. He shot a 66, but is 10 strokes back.

This round started early Friday morning to avoid expected thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Todd won back-to-back tournaments last November for his first win on tour since winning the Byron Nelson in 2014. Since the return to play in June, Todd missed two cuts with his best finish a tie for 11th at the Travelers Championship.

On Friday, his putter worked well enough that he needed only 24 putts in a round that featured a 50-footer for birdie on the par-3 No. 14. Todd hit a 6-iron to the left side of the green, and he had to roll the ball over a mound breaking left at least 5 feet.

"My caddie really kind of set me up with a good spot there beyond the hole to aim at, and I just focused all on speed," Todd said. "It happened to just drift right there in the middle of the hole. Bonus birdie there, but that's what you've got to do to win golf tournaments sometimes, and that's how you shoot low rounds."

Todd sunk a 13-footer on the par-3 island green of No. 11 to go 9 under just as Koepka became the first to reach double digits under par.

Koepka then double-bogeyed No. 2 when he three-putted after missing a par putt from 3 feet. His putter cost him a birdie chance on the par-5 No. 3.

That put Todd atop the leaderboard at 9 under, and his putter helped him birdie consecutive holes including the big putt on No. 14. He sunk a 12-footer on No. 15 to go 11 under and a four-stroke lead until Fowler's birdie-birdie finish.

Fowler might've had a piece of the lead if not for hitting his tee shot into the water in front of the island green at No. 11. He rebounded by hitting his approach 175 yards on No. 17 to 3 feet for birdie, and he chipped in from just off the front of the green on No. 18.

"It's been nice to see some putts go in," Fowler said. "These greens are about as good as they get. It's been nice to kind of have them stay on the softer side and make it very playable when you're driving in the fairway."

DIVOTS: Todd made only five of 39 cuts combined in 2016, '17 and '18. He got his tour card back by finishing seventh in points on the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in 2019. Tommy Fleetwood holed out from 106 yards to wrap up his round with a 67.

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French League Cup final: Paris Saint-Germain beat Lyon on penalties to complete domestic treble

Saint-Denis: French champion Paris Saint-Germain edged out Lyon on penalty kicks to win a tightly contested last edition of the League Cup on Friday and complete a domestic treble, denying Lyon their first trophy since the French Cup in 2012.

The match finished 0-0 and Lyon were a save away from winning it, leading 5-4 in the shootout.

But Neymar held his nerve well, slotting the ball into the bottom corner to draw PSG level and Lyon winger Bertrand Traoré's subsequent penalty was saved by Keylor Navas.

Winger Pablo Sarabia confidently placed the next penalty past goalkeeper Anthony Lopes to give PSG the win to follow up on last Friday's 1-0 win against Saint-Étienne in the French Cup.

Lyon won the League Cup in 2001, losing four other finals in the competition.

Although Lyon played better in extra time, defender Rafael was shown a red card moments from the end for a clumsy foul on PSG winger Ángel Di María on the edge of the penalty area.

PSG were missing star striker Kylian Mbappé, who is recovering from ankle ligament damage sustained playing against Saint-Étienne, and now has other injury worries.

Striker Mauro Icardi, right back Layvin Kurzawa and veteran captain Thiago all went off during the game with what appeared to be leg-muscle injuries.

The match kicked shortly after 9 pm local time in exhausting heat of around 32 degrees Celsius (90 Fahrenheit).

An even contest saw chances for both sides before extra time, with Lyon goalkeeper Lopes making superb saves to keep out a long shot from midfielder Idrissa Gueye near the end of the first half and a point-blank header from Neymar in the 87th minute.

PSG goalie Navas was also sharp when it mattered, leaping to save a fine freekick from Maxwell Cornet in the 81st.

from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/314uu9L

जोश हेजलवुड ने ऑस्ट्रेलिया-भारत संयुक्त टेस्ट इलेवन का किया चयन

जोश हेजलवुड ने भारत-ऑस्ट्रेलिया सीरीज की तुलना एशेज से की है

from Sportskeeda https://ift.tt/33dBh3G

3 WWE सुपरस्टार्स जिन्हें जॉन सीना ने टॉप पर पहुंचाया

पढ़िए जॉन सीना को हराकर कौन-से स्टार्स टॉप पर पहुंचे

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आईसीसी वर्ल्ड कप सुपर लीग पॉइंट्स टेबल

इंग्लैंड और आयरलैंड के बीच सीरीज के साथ आईसीसी वर्ल्ड कप सुपर लीग की शुरुआत हुई है

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ENG vs IRE: इंग्लैंड ने पहले वनडे में आयरलैंड को 6 विकेट से हराया, डेविड विली की घातक गेंदबाजी

इंग्लैंड के लिए डेविड विली और सैम बिलिंग्स ने बेहतरीन प्रदर्शन किया

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4 मौजूदा सफल WWE सुपरस्टार्स जिनकी उम्र 30 साल भी नहीं है

WWE के 4 मौजूदा सुपरस्टार्स जिन्हें 30 की उम्र से पहले काफी सफलता मिली

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MI आधी जंग तो नीलामी में ही जीत लेती है: चोपड़ा

नई दिल्ली भारतीय टीम के पूर्व सलामी बल्लेबाज आकाश चोपड़ा ने में की कामयाबी के पीछे के राज से पर्दा हटाया है। चोपड़ा ने कहा है कि नीलामी के दौरान मुंबई की टीम जो रणनीति अपनाती है वही उसे कामयाबी दिलाती है। इसके साथ ही चोपड़ा ने टीम द्वारा युवा खिलाड़ियों में अधिक निवेश और भरोसा करने की भी तारीफ की है। उन्हें लगता है कि इन खिलाड़ियों ने मुंबई की टीम को काफी फायदा पहुंचाया है। चोपड़ा ने अपने यू-ट्यूब चैनल पर आईपीएल में मुंबई इंडियंस की कामयाबी को लेकर चर्चा की। क्रिकेटर से कॉमेंटेटर बने चोपड़ा ने कहा कि रणनीति बनाने में मुंबई इंडियंस शानदार है। इसी वजह से वह आधी जंग तो नीलामी में ही जीत लेती है। उन्होंने कहा, 'उनकी रणनीति टॉप क्लास होती है। वे अकेली टीम है जो आधी जंग तो आईपीएल टेबल पर ही जीत लेती है। वे वहां इतनी अच्छी टीम बना लेते हैं। उनके पास हर पोजीशन के लिए बैकअप मौजूद होता है।' चोपड़ा ने कहा, 'जब आप इतने अच्छे खिलाड़ी जमा कर लेते हो, तब आपके किन्हीं खिलाड़ियों को चोट लग जाए या फिर उनकी फॉर्म अच्छी न हो, तब भी आपको कोई समस्या नहीं आती। यह उनकी कामयाबी का एक राज है। वे अच्छे सिलेक्शन की नीति को अपनाते हैं।' चोपड़ा ने इसके साथ ही मुंबई इंडियंस द्वारा युवा खिलाड़ियों को चुनने की भी तारीफ की। उन्होंने कहा कि टीम ने युवा खिलाड़ियों को तैयार करती है। और कुछ साल में वे बड़े खिलाड़ी बन जाते हैं।

from Sports News in Hindi: Latest Hindi News on Cricket, Football, Tennis, Hockey & more | Navbharat Times https://ift.tt/2ECfvMF

वेगनेर की तरह प्रभावी नहीं होंगे भारतीय पेसर: वेड

मेलबर्न ऑस्ट्रेलिया के विकेटकीपर का मानना है कि आगामी ऑस्ट्रेलिया दौरे पर भारत का मजबूत तेज आक्रमण बाउंसर फेंकने वाले न्यूजीलैंड के नील वेगनेर की तरह प्रभावी नहीं होगा। वेगनेर ने पिछले सत्र में टेस्ट सीरीज के दौरान ऑस्ट्रेलियाई बल्लेबाजों पर बाउंसर्स की बौछार कर दी थी । उन्होंने स्टीव स्मिथ, और मार्नस लाबुशेन को मिलाकर दस बार आउट किया। भारतीय टीम को साल के आखिर में ऑस्ट्रेलिया का दौरा करना है। वेड ने क्रिकेट डॉट कॉम डॉट एयू से कहा, ‘टीमें कोशिश कर सकती हैं लेकिन मुझे नहीं लगता कि वे कामयाब होंगी।’ उन्होंने कहा, ‘मुझे नहीं लगता कि किसी ने उतने बाउंसर डाले होंगे जितने वेगनेर ने और वह भी लगातार। उसने विकेट भी चटकाए।’ उन्होंने कहा, ‘भारतीय गेंदबाज भी कोशिश करेंगे लेकिन मुझे नहीं लगता कि वे उतने प्रभावी होंगे। वेगनेर के पास अनुभव है। मैने ऐसा गेंदबाज नहीं देखा जो बाउंसर इतने सटीक डालता हो।’ वेड ने कहा कि विराट कोहली की टीम के खिलाफ सीरीज टिम पेन की टीम के लिए सबसे कठिन चुनौतियों में से एक होगी। उन्होंने कहा, ‘हर किसी को इसका इंतजार है। इसके लिए कड़ी मेहनत करनी होगी। भारतीय टीम आक्रामक है और काफी कठिन चुनौती पेश करती है।’ उन्होंने कहा, ‘मैदान पर विराट को देखिए। वह जीत के इरादे से ही उतरता है और सभी में जोश भरता है। यह बहुत बड़ी चुनौती होगी।’

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NRAI postpones compulsory shooting camp for Olympic core group due to COVID-19

The national shooting federation has postponed the compulsory training camp for its Olympic core group planned from Saturday after taking into the account the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, a shooting coach at the camp's venue – Dr. Karni Singh Range – tested positive for COVID-19 but the development will not force a closure of the facility. Delhi's COVID-19 case count is over one lakh.

Representational image. Reuters

"The camp stands postponed at the moment. We are trying to work out a few things and by next week we hope to have a clearer picture," the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) secretary Rajiv Bhatia told PTI.

A handful of shooters, part of the core group, have been training at the facility since it was reopened for use on 8 July and they are likely to continue with their daily practice by adhering to the health and safety protocols.

But the latest development has come as a setback to the NRAI's quest to arrange the camp from Saturday.

"Maybe we can start in the second week of August depending on the situation," Bhatia said.

Shooters such as World Cup medallist Sanjeev Rajput, Manu Bhaker and Anish Bhanwala have been training at the facility for the last few days alongside shotgun marksmen like Sheeraz Sheikh and Mairaj Ahmad Khan.

While the shooters residing in places such as Delhi and Haryana went ahead with resuming their training at the range, those living outside the National Capital Region (NCR) are learnt to be apprehensive considering the threat travelling from their respective natives could pose.

Even as the likes of Rajput, Bhanwala and Bhaker are training, some shooters and coaches have questioned the urgency in resuming training and conducting the camp.

Both Bhaker and Rajput are quota holders for the Tokyo Olympics. Bhanwala also has a bright chance of making the Indian team for the Games.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI), in a press release, said the woman coach, who tested positive, intimated her result to it on Thursday but since she did not come in contact with any of the shooters, the facility will remain open for training.

A total of 15 Indian shooters have secured quota places for the Olympic Games, postponed to next year due to the raging pandemic.

The NRAI had appointed High-Performance Manager and former India shooter Ronak Pandit as the Nodal Officer in charge of overall coordination for hygiene and medical protocols of the camp.

The global pandemic has affected more than 16 lakh people so far in India while claiming over 35,000 lives.

from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/3jXrYe0

'It'll be exciting to play some cricket again,' says New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner as he leaves for CPL 2020

Christchurch: Setting aside initial concerns over travelling amid the COVID-19 pandemic, New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner says he will take shelter in a corner of the airport lounge as he flies out into the Caribbean via mainland America.

He is excited at the prospect of playing in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League and IPL after the long coronavirus-enforced break.

The 28-year-old, who last played in an ODI series against Australia in March before the pandemic brought all sporting activities to a grinding halt, will turn up for Barbados Tridents when the CPL begins on 18 August.

"t's an interesting one. I'm going through America and I'll park up in the (airport) lounge in the corner somewhere. It's one of the risks we've got to think about,"Santner, who was scheduled to fly out on Thursday night, told stuff.co.nz.

"Tey've put an extensive booklet together about what happens in each circumstance which has been good, and a bit of clarity around where we're staying. It seems like they've got it under control.

"At this stage, we'll just fly straight across (from the Caribbean). I'm not sure what quarantine looks like yet, but there are some other big dogs like Dwayne Bravo and Brendon McCullum I can tag along with."

Santner, who has taken 52 wickets in 44 T20Is, will join his New Zealand colleagues Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Jimmy Neesham in UAE for the IPL, which gets underway on 19 September, nine days after the end of CPL.

After CPL, Mitchell Santner would feature for Chennai Super Kings in IPL. Image: Sportzpics

Santner is looking forward to some competition after a long hiatus due to the pandemic.

"I'm used to bowling in the nets to them and they've been running down at every ball so it'd be nice to play some of these guys on some spinning wickets and see if they want to try that again," said the left-handed spinner, who was bought by Chennai Super Kings in the 2018 IPL auction.

"It'll be exciting to play some cricket again. It's been a slow winter but good to be at home for a bit and train and do all the fitness work. Chris put us through the wringer the last six weeks so it's nice to go away and not see him for a few months.'

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Formula E to resume in Berlin with compressed calendar, no spectators, and trimmed staff

This weekend, Formula E will join the list of international sporting events to have resumed operations despite the ongoing pandemic. If anything, one assumes that the comeback would have been tougher for a Motorsport series that races on city circuits. Forget circuits, accessing cities has been a fundamental challenge in recent times and Formula E has done well to adapt and evolve over the last few months. In this post, we offer a summary of the key mid-season news, driver-team changes, and more.

Championship Challenge

Unlike the other premier Motorsport series that had a delayed start to their season in 2020, Formula E’s unique split-year format (the current season is 2019-20) meant that COVID-19 forced a mid-season pause.

The series hosted five races between November 2019 and February 2020 before being forced to rethink their plans for the remainder of 2020. Jamie Reigle, Chief Executive Officer of Formula E, said, “Since taking action to suspend our season in March, we have emphasised a revised calendar that places the health and safety of our community first, represents Formula E’s distinct brand of city centre racing and offers an exciting conclusion to the compelling season of racing we had seen so far.”

Like the previous seasons, the 2019-20 Formula E season has been an entertaining one, too - on-track and in the championship standings. Techeetah’s Antonio Felix da Costa leads the Drivers’ Championship with 67 points, 11 points ahead of Jaguar Racing’s Mitch Evans.

BMW’s Alexander Sims is third with 46 points - with a narrow margin of eight points to seventh place. Lucas di Grassi in the fifth is the highest placed former Formula E champion - with a 29 points gap to the leader whereas defending champion Jean-Eric Vergne is eighth with only 31 points. Moreover, no driver has won more than one race this season and ten drivers have stood on the podium in the first five races of the season.

In the Teams’ Championship, reigning champions Techeetah have an eight-point advantage to BMW. However, the gap widens with Jaguar Racing managing only 66 points in third place - 32 points away from the top. Indian-owned Mahindra Racing have suffered from their worst start to a season and are only 10th with 17 points. Teams from fourth to eighth place, which includes debutants Mercedes and Porsche, are separated by only 17 points - so expect a close battle in the mid-field when racing resumes this weekend.

Driver Changes

The biggest news story in the break was the series of driver changes despite the season still being in progression. Audi announced that Daniel Abt would be replaced by reigning DTM champion, Rene Rast. Abt was released after he controversially fielded a substitute in a virtual racing event - a move that was criticised by his fellow drivers. Abt, a former winner of the Berlin ePrix, will take Ma Qinghua’s seat at NIO given that the Chinese driver will be unable to travel due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The biggest winner of this merry-go-round is Rast, who drove one race for Super Aguri in the 2015-16 Formula E season - coincidentally at the 2016 Berlin ePrix. The 33-year-old’s career received a major fillip after dominating DTM for three seasons with Audi.

Rast said, “The demands on the drivers in Formula E are high. In addition to pure speed, it’s also a question of efficiency, battery management, and the perfect strategy – and all of this on tight city circuits, where things are usually quite turbulent.”

Mahindra Racing lost the services of the uber-talent Pascal Wehrlein and decided to replace him with Alex Lynn who has formerly raced in the series with Virgin Racing and Jaguar. Brendon Hartley, the two-time World Endurance Champion, was the other driver to be replaced mid-season. His seat at Dragon Racing has been taken by Red Bull Racing’s reserve driver in Formula 1, Sergio Sette Camara.

It will be interesting to see how the drivers making their series debut or returning to the series fare under the demanding schedule of the remaining six races. While simulator sessions with their teams would definitely help them prepare, adjusting to the fast-paced nature of the series where practice, qualifying, and race are all held on the same day will be a new challenge.

Find out more about the tracks and the #BerlinEPrix here * https://t.co/DwWMxRw99w pic.twitter.com/WlnzXEQUS5

— ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) July 21, 2020

Berlin ePrix: 9 days, 6 races

In these unprecedented times, Motorsport series has been forced to host multiple rounds at the same venue to ensure a sizable number of races in the season. In Formula E’s case, the series has decided to race six times around the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit in Berlin using three different circuit layouts. The aim of the different layouts is to open up different strategies while keeping unpredictability high. And of course, the safest way to host a race is to do so behind closed doors - so just like all other Motorsport series, Formula E will be ‘fan-free’, too.

That apart, the races in Berlin will also follow the ‘10 rules for behind-closed-door-racing’ as announced by Formula E. This includes reducing the maximum capacity of personnel on-site to 1,000 - a fifth of the numbers followed before.

Furthermore, roles that can be managed remotely would be encouraged to do so as will be adherence to social distancing norms, wearing of PPE/surgical masks, and more. Formula E and the FIA have worked on plans to back-up key roles and responsibilities if the need arises.

Fanboost is now OPEN for race one of the Berlin E-Prix! It will close 15 mins into the race. Don't forget that we will plant a tree for every vote received by @thereal_JDA and @alexlynnracing https://t.co/TiQF29j4iJ pic.twitter.com/IOodW3llNe

— Mahindra Racing (@MahindraRacing) July 27, 2020

The most-stressful part about the remaining six races would be that they will be hosted over only nine days as opposed to the regular five-month period. The compressed calendar will demand as few errors in the races from both teams and drivers as possible.

For the teams, it would mean preparing for six races in one go, instead of taking each race at a time. The focus would be on using their simulation tools to the maximum to ensure a good baseline for setup as well as energy management. Given the back-to-back nature of the races, catching up might not be as easy as before.

Likewise, for the drivers, the six races will be all to play for given that over 180 points are still available in the championship. While physical fitness wouldn’t be a concern, one must remember that this is probably one of the longest gaps these drivers would have had in their racing careers.

The drivers will be working hard to shed off the ‘rust’ and the one-day format of Formula E will further add to their challenge. For the drivers, keeping mistakes to a minimum and scoring points consistently would be the not-so-secret formula to succeed. “With so many points still available, it’s anybody’s championship to take,” summed up Evans, one of the season’s eight championship challengers.

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IPL in UAE: फ्रैंचाइजी के सामने खिलाड़ियों और सपॉर्ट स्टाफ को लेकर चुनौतियां

अरानी बासु, नई दिल्ली इंडियन प्रीमियर लीग (IPL) की गर्वनिंग काउंसिल की रविवार को बैठक होनी है। इसमें आईपीएल के आयोजन को लेकर कई मुद्दों पर चर्चा होगी। लीग कैसे करवाई जाएगी, उसके लिए क्या दिशा-निर्देश होंगे, ये इस बैठक में चर्चा के अहम बिंदु होंगे। इस बैठक में यूएई में होने वाले आईपीएल के लिए स्टैंडर्ड ऑपरेटिंग प्रोसिजर (SOPs) को अंतिम रूप दिया जाएगा। एक में आमतौर पर 25-28 खिलाड़ी होते हैं। इसके अलावा कम-से-कम 10 से 15 सदस्य सपॉर्ट स्टाफ के होते हैं। हमारे सहयोगी अखबार टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया को पता चला है कि आईपीएल फ्रैंचाइजी को अपना खुद का बायो-बबल तैयार करना पड़ेगा। इसमें टूर्नमेंट शुरू होने से करीब एक महीना पहले यूएई पहुंचना भी शामिल है। इसके अलावा अपने दल के सदस्यों की संख्या भी कम रखना भी एक विकल्प हो सकता है। पिछली बार आईपीएल 2014 में यूएई में खेला गया था। उस दौरान टीमें छोटा दल लेकर गई थीं। आमतौर पर फ्रैंचाइजी सीजन के बीच में ही कई खिलाड़ियों को रिलीव कर देती हैं, अगर वह अंतिम एकादश तय नहीं कर पाते हैं। टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया को पता चला है कि फ्रैंचाइजी से कहा गया है कि खिलाड़ियों की संख्या 20 तक सीमित करने को कहा गया है। इसके पीछे ड्रेसिंग रूम में कम से कम भीड़ रखना है। हालांकि, फ्रैंचाइजी को लगता है कि खिलाड़ियों की संख्या कम नहीं करनी चाहिए। एक वरिष्ठ फ्रैंचाइजी अधिकारी ने बताया, 'अगर दल की संख्या कम करने की बात भी होती है तो फ्रैंचाइजी नॉन-प्लेइंग स्टाफ की संख्या मे ही कमी की जा सकती है। कुछ फ्रैंचाइजी कोच या टीम मैनेजमेंट पर आखिरी फैसला छोड़ सकती है। अगर कोई लिमिट लगाई भी जाती है तो बेहतर होगा कि कुल संख्या पर लगाई जाए।' उन्होंने आगे कहा, 'मैच के दिनों पर, यह हो सकता है कि फ्रैंचाइजी पर मैदान पर लाने वाले खिलाड़ियों को लेकर एक लिमिट लगा दी जाए। इसके अलावा सपॉर्ट स्टाफ के कुछ सदस्यों को भी होटल में ही रहने को कहा जा सकता है।' नेट बोलर भी हैं चुनौती फ्रैंचाइजी के लिए बड़ी चुनौती प्रैक्टिस के लिए सही सुविधाएं उपलब्ध करवाना भी है। इतने सख्त नियम कायदों के बीच प्रैक्टिस के लिए सही साधन मुहैया करवाना पिछळी बार की तरह आसान नहीं होगा। एक अधिकारी ने कहा, 'इसी वजह से फ्रैंचाइजी को अधिक खिलाड़ियों की जरूरत होगी। टीमें यूएई में करीब दो से ढाई महीने तक रहेंगी। इतनी टीमों के लिए नेट बोलर्स का इंतजाम करना आसान नहीं होगा।' चेन्नै सुपर किंग्स बाकी टीमों से पहले जाएगी चेन्नै सुपर किंग्स की टीम 10 अगस्त को दुबई पहुंच जाएगी। टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया को पता चला है कि कोलकाता नाइट राइडर्स 19-20 अगस्त वहीं बाकी टीमें 25 अगस्त तक पहुंच सकती हैं। बीसीसीआई के एक सूत्र ने बताया, 'चेन्नै सुपर किंग्स ने अधिक सक्रिय रही है। उन्होंने खिलाड़ियों को तैयार रहने और 10 अगस्त को निकलने को कहा है। लेकिन बीसीसीआई द्वारा SOPs में देरी के चलेत उनका प्लान तब्दील हो सकता है।' (खेल और देश-दुनिया की हर खबर अब Telegram पर भी। हमसे जुड़ने के लिए यहां और पाते रहें हर जरूरी अपडेट।)

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India pacers will not be as effective as Neil Wagner in bowling bouncers, says Australia's Matthew Wade

India's formidable pace attack will not be as effective as New Zealand speedster Neil Wagner in bowling bouncers during their upcoming tour of Australia, feels wicketkeeper Matthew Wade.

Wagner bowling a barrage of bouncers and dismissing Australia's three leading batsmen Steve Smith, David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne a combined 10 times was one of the rare positives for New Zealand in an otherwise one-sided Test series last season.

India are now preparing for a four-Test tour of Australia this summer.

"Teams may try it but I don't think it will be as successful," Wade told cricket.com.au.

"I don't think anyone in the game has bowled bouncers the way he bowled and been so consistent, and not gotten scored off while also picking up wickets.

"I think we'll see it a bit (from India) but I don't think it will be as effective as Wagner. He's done it for a long time now to be honest I've never faced a bowler who is so accurate at bowling bouncers."

Wade said the series against Virat Kohli's men is going to be one of the toughest challenges for Tim Paine's side since they got together as a group.

"Everyone, although they might not admit it, is looking towards that Indian series. It's going to be hard work. They (India) are a fierce team. They're as hard a team as I've ever played in terms of the way they compete.

"Led by Virat, you can see the way he goes about it on the field, you can see what it means to him and he drives all those guys, they jump on the back of him. It's going to be as big a challenge as this team has faced for the 12 months we've been together."

Though they achieved their maiden Test series win Down Under in 2018-19, India will be facing a sterner challenge when they return to face an Australian side bolstered by the presence of Smith and Warner alongside an in-form Labuschagne.

Australia have since then won the Ashes after a drawn series in England and crushed New Zealand 3-0 at home earlier this year.

Both Warner and Smith were serving their one-year ban for ball-tampering during India's last tour of Australia.

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NBA: LeBron James gets go-ahead basket with 12.8 seconds left, LA Lakers edge Clippers in restart

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers showed some rust. They knocked it off with time to spare.

Anthony Davis scored 34 points, James had the go-ahead basket with 12.8 seconds left and the Lakers moved closer to clinching the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs by topping the Los Angeles Clippers 103-101 on Thursday night in the second game of the NBA's re-opening doubleheader.

James had 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to help the Lakers move 6 1/2 games ahead of the Clippers in the West with seven games remaining. Kyle Kuzma added 16 points.

What a finish to the Lakers/Clippers game pic.twitter.com/nXwfG9CNMF

— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 31, 2020

LeBron's lockdown defense seals the @Lakers win in Orlando! #LakeShow #WholeNewGame pic.twitter.com/MdHl6pzQjS

— NBA (@NBA) July 31, 2020

Paul George had 30 points and Kawhi Leonard scored 28 for the Clippers, who had an 11-point lead midway through the third in a game with deep ebbs and flows.

JAZZ 106, PELICANS 104

Rudy Gobert sank two free throws with 6.9 seconds left to cap a 14-point, 12-rebound and three-block performance, giving Utah the victory in the first game of the NBA's restart.

New Orleans, which led for most of the game and by as many as 16 points, nearly pulled out the victory as time expired when Brandon Ingram's 3-point attempt rimmed out in a bitter end to his 23-point night.

Zion Williamson, who missed nearly two weeks of practice after leaving the team for a family medical matter on July 16, was deemed fit to start, although his playing time was limited.

He scored 13 points in just more than 15 minutes, highlighted by a couple alley-oop dunks, one on a nearly half-court lob from Lonzo Ball. But Williamson checked out for good with 7:19 left in the fourth quarter and had to watch the tense finish from the sideline.

This pass by Zion pic.twitter.com/DInWMi29x6

— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 31, 2020

Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points for Utah and helped lead a second-half comeback, while Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley each added 20.

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NBA: Zion Williamson starts, but doesn't finish, for New Orleans Pelicans in 104-106 loss to Utah Jazz

Zion Williamson completed the Pelicans' opening possession by slicing through two converging Jazz defenders and laying the ball in off the glass with his left hand as he was fouled.

It was an auspicious beginning to a performance that was efficient and produced some dazzling moments — while it lasted.

The Pelicans stuck to a cautious plan to ease Williamson back into action after he missed nearly two weeks of practice this month while attending to a private family medical matter. Perhaps just a few more minutes on the court for the NBA's top overall draft choice would have made a difference in a 106-104 loss to Utah in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Thursday night.

"It is frustrating, but it's not so frustrating," Williamson said, noting the Pelicans "could probably not even let me play. But I'm able to play, so I'm going to do as much as I can while I'm out there."

Williamson scored 13 points in about 15 minutes, using spin moves and explosive drives to hit contested, leaning layups. He also used a sudden spin to leave defender Georges Niang flat-footed in the high post and then raced to the hoop to throw down Lonzo Ball's alley-oop lob from near half court. He later added another dunk on an alley-oop feed from Jrue Holiday.

ZO TO ZION! 🔨 pic.twitter.com/d5wQdVNwIU

— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 30, 2020

"He looked good," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. "He had some good moments and obviously we're a much better and a much different basketball team when he's out on the floor."

But with 7:19 left in the fourth quarter, Williamson checked out for good and watched the tense final minutes from the sideline.

"Of course we wish we could have played him down the stretch, but he'd used the minutes that was given to us so that's the way it is," Gentry said. "We weren't going to stick him back out there."

Right knee surgery forced the 6-foot-6, 285-pound Williamson to miss the first 44 games of his rookie season and the team also limited his minutes when he first came back, putting his career longevity first. But in 19 previous games since being activated in January, he averaged 23.6 points and 6.8 rebounds.

Williamson was able to practice only twice from the time he rejoined the Pelicans this week before the NBA restarted its pandemic-altered season Thursday night at Disney's Wide World of Sports, where 22 teams have converged to play eight more regular season games, followed by playoffs.

The Pelicans now have seven games left to make a playoff push, starting Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

"As a competitor, I do want to be out there doing whatever I can to help my team win," Williamson said.

His obstacle to more playing time, he said, is "not even just conditioning. It's just getting my flow to the game back.

"This is the NBA. It's the best players in the world and you want to feel comfortable," Williamson continued. "I don't want to hurt my team more than I help them."

Based on Williamson's production whenever he's played, that would seem unlikely.

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'30 साल साथ रहकर भी नहीं जान सकते धोनी के मन की बात'

नई दिल्ली भारतीय क्रिकेट टीम के पूर्व विकेटकीपर (Vijay Dahiya) ने हाल ही में (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) के अंतरराष्ट्रीय करियर के बारे में अपनी राय रखी है। दाहिया का मानना है कि धोनी में अभी काफी क्रिकेट बाकी है। दाहिया ने धोनी के करियर () को लेकर चल रही तमाम चर्चाओं के बीच कहा है कि सिर्फ पूर्व कप्तान खुद ही जानते हैं कि वह क्या करना चाहते हैं। स्पोर्टसकीड़ा के साथ बातचीत में उन्होंने कहा कि धोनी ने भारतीय क्रिकेट में बहुत योगदान दिया है और उसे हमेशा याद रखा जाएगा। दाहिया ने कहा कि धोनी के दिमाग (Dhoni Future Plan) में क्या चल रहा है यह सिर्फ वही जानते हैं। उन्होंने कहा, 'मुझे लगता है कि महेंद्र सिंह धोनी के साथ अगर कोई 30 साल भी रह ले तो वह इनसान भी नहीं जान पाएगा कि धोनी क्या सोच रहे हैं और आगे क्या करने वाले हैं। ऐसे ही हैं महेंद्र सिंह धोनी।' दाहिया ने आगे कहा, 'जहां तक भारतीय क्रिकेट पर उनके प्रभाव की बात है वह शानदार है। कुछ खिलाड़ी होते हैं और कुछ खास शानदार खिलाड़ी होते हैं और फिर फिर महान खिलाड़ी होते हैं जो अपना असर डालते हैं। जहां तक महेंद्र सिंह धोनी की बात है वह उन खिलाड़ियों में शामिल हैं जो प्रभाव डालते हैं और ऐसा असर जो हमेशा के लिए बना रहता है।' दाहिया ने कहा कि अगर भारतीय क्रिकेट पर कोई किताब लिखी जाएगी तो उसमें धोनी पर जरूर एक अध्याय होगा। कोलकाता नाइट राइडर्स (Kolkata Knight Riders) के पूर्व सहायक कोच का मानना है कि महेंद्र सिंह धोनी जैसा खिलाड़ी अभी चुका नहीं है। (खेल और देश-दुनिया की हर खबर अब Telegram पर भी। हमसे जुड़ने के लिए यहां और पाते रहें हर जरूरी अपडेट।)

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Juventus appoint 'maestro' Andrea Pirlo as coach of their under-23 team

Turin: World Cup winner Andrea Pirlo was named coach of Juventus’ under-23 team, which plays in Serie C, on Thursday.

The announcement comes three years after the 41-year-old Pirlo ended his playing career and five years after he left Juventus for New York City FC.

Nicknamed “the maestro” for his passing skills, Pirlo helped Italy win the 2006 World Cup and also won Serie A six times — twice with AC Milan and four times with Juventus. He also won the Champions League twice with Milan.

Last month, Juventus’ under-23 team won the Serie C Italian Cup title.

UFFICIALE | @Pirlo_official è il nuovo allenatore della #Under23!
Welcome 🔙, Coach Pirlo!

➡️ https://t.co/nJTwph9VuF pic.twitter.com/voyxO4q9Yi

— JuventusFC (#Stron9er 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆) (@juventusfc) July 30, 2020

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मांजरेकर ने BCCI से कहा, दोबारा ऐसा नहीं होगा

गौरव गुप्ता, मुंबई क्रिकेटर से कॉमेंटेटर बने () ने भारतीय क्रिकेट कंट्रोल बोर्ड (BCCI) से उन्हें (IPL) के लिए कॉमेंटरी पैनल ( Panel) में शामिल करने का अनुरोध किया है। मांजरेकर को इस साल मार्च में भारत-साउथ अफ्रीका (India vs South Africa) सीरीज से पहले अपने कॉमेंटरी पैनल से हटा दिया था। यह सीरीज हालांकि कोविड-19 (Covid-19) के कारण नहीं हो पाई थी। अब मांजरेकर चाहते हैं कि उन्हें 19 सितंबर से 8 नवबंर के बीच होने वाले आईपीएल के लिए दोबारा कॉमेंटरी पैनल में शामिल किया जाए। बोर्ड को लिखे एक मेल (जिसकी कॉपी हमारे सहयोगी टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया के पास है) में मुंबई रणजी टीम के पूर्व कप्तान ने बोर्ड को आश्वासन दिया है कि वह द्वारा जारी गाइडलाइंस पर टिके रहेंगे। इस बाबत बोर्ड को मांजरेकर की ओर से यह दूसरा ईमेल भेजा गया है। मांजरेकर ने लिखा है, 'बीसीसीआई के आदरणीय सदस्यों, आशा है आप सभी ठीक होंगे। आपको पहले भी मेरी ओर से वह ईमेल मिला होगा जिसमें मैंने कॉमेंटेटर के रूप में अपनी भूमिका के बारे में बताया था। अब जब आईपीएल की तारीखों का ऐलान हो चुका है तो बीसीसीआई.टीवी जल्द ही अपने कॉमेंटरी पैनल का चयन करना। आपके द्वारा तय किए गए गाइडलाइंस के तहत काम करने में मुझे बहुत खुशी होगी। आखिरकार हम आपके प्रॉडक्शन के तहत ही तो काम कर रहे हैं। पिछली बार शायद इस मुद्दे को लेकर पूरी तरह स्पष्टता नहीं थी। धन्यवाद, सादर।' इस मुद्दे पर हमने संजय मांजरेकर से बात करने की कोशिश की लेकिन वह उपलब्ध नहीं थे। इसे भी पढ़ें- सूत्रों के मुताबिक, पिछले साल वर्ल्ड कप (World Cup) के दौरान मांजरेकर ने रविंद्र जडेजा () को लेकर कोई टिप्पणी की थी जिसके बाद टीम इंडिया के कुछ खिलाड़ियों ने बीसीसीआई को इसकी शिकायत दर्ज करवाई। जिसके बाद मांजरेकर को कॉमेंट्री पैनल से हटाया गया। बोर्ड के एक अधिकारी ने कहा, 'हम इस बात को अब यहीं खत्म करते हैं और मांजरेकर को माफ कर देते हैं। उन्होंने जडेजा पर अपनी टिप्पणी के लिए माफी मांग ली है और संबंधित खिलाड़ी से ही मसले को सुलझा लिया है। उन्होंने वादा किया है कि वह टीवी कॉमेंटेटरों के लिए तय 'नियम-कायदों' का पालन करेंगे। आखिरकार, वह एक अच्छे कॉमेंटेटर हैं और उन्हें क्रिकेट की बहुत गहरी समझ है।' इस बात पर आखिरी फैसला बोर्ड अध्यक्ष सौरभ गांगुली और सचिव जय शाह लेंगे। गावसकर कॉमेंट्री के लिए यूएई जाएंगे इस बीच महान बल्लेबाज टीवी कॉमेंटेटर की अपनी भूमिका निभाने के लिए यूएई जाएंगे। इससे पहले, यह अंदाजा लगाया जा रहा था कि 71 साल के हो चुके गावसकर ब्रॉडकास्टर से मुंबई से ही 'वर्चुअल कॉमेंटरी' के लिए कह सकते हैं। खेल और देश-दुनिया की हर खबर अब Telegram पर भी। हमसे जुड़ने के लिए यहां और पाते रहें हर जरूरी अपडेट।

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Golfer Brooks Koepka gets his groove back at World Golf Championships, leads by two shots

Memphis: Brooks Koepka has been working hard to fix his game even with an injured left knee.

He put everything together Thursday.

The defending champ matched his career best with an 8-under 62 to take a two-stroke lead over Rickie Fowler and Brendon Todd after the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

A week after missing the cut in Minnesota in the 3M Open, Koepka had nine birdies and a bogey on a windy day at TPC Southwind in the World Golf Championship event. He credits all his work with coaches Claude Harmon and Pete Cowen rather than how comfortable he is on this course.

“It’s the first time I feel like I know where my misses are, I know when the club’s in the correct spot, I know when the putting stroke’s nice," Koepka said. "It’s all just the work we’ve put in over the last three weeks of countless hours of beating balls and on the putting green.”

Koepka also will defend his PGA Championship title next week at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, and his coaches helped him realize last weekend how much he was favoring his injured left knee.

He sure found something at TPC Southwind, where he turned in his lowest round of the year and best in seven events at this course. This was his eighth time shooting under par in his last nine rounds here. He needed 26 putts after working earlier this week with Phil Kenyon.

“It's nice to see those results and all the changes we’ve made come through,” Koepka said.

Fowler, who last missed the cut at Memorial, chipped in from 30 feet to tie Koepka. Then Fowler two-putted for bogey after putting his tee shot in the left rough on his final hole to finish at 64.

It was Fowler's lowest round after missing three cuts since the PGA Tour's return to play in June. He credited getting back to playing golf instead of just working on the range.

“I was able to get a lot of good work with the putter last week and get myself back into some better positions to free up the putter," Fowler said. "I was pulling a lot of putts, I was kind of tense with it, so it’s nice to see things kind of pay off.”

Sung Kang shot 65. Justin Thomas, who can move back to No. 1 in the world with a victory, shot a 66 and was tied with Matt Kuchar, Chez Reavie and Max Homa.

Jon Rahm, playing his first event since becoming No. 1 with a win at Memorial, shot 70. He said he didn't play like a No. 1 player, especially on a day where players could lift, clean and place on perfect greens. Rahm said Koepka and Fowler made it look easy.

“I just didn’t have a swing today,” Rahm said. “I felt terrible, I could not figure out where the ball was going to go, and I was just trying to minimize mistakes."

Rory McIlroy also could move back to No. 1 with a win. He opened with a 73.

Koepka, teeing off in the next-to-last group, made clear his injured left knee won't slow down his title defense. He birdied his first four holes to shoot up the leaderboard and went to 4 under to share the lead with Bryson DeChambeau after rolling in a 23-footer for birdie on the par-3 No. 4.

Koepka bogeyed No. 7. when he missed a 10-footer. He hit his tee shot on the par-3 No. 8 within 7 feet and made the birdie putt. He used his putter again for a second straight birdie, rolling in an 18-footer on No. 9 to make the turn with the best front nine of the day with a 30 that tied him for the lead at 5 under.

The defending champ just kept making birdies. He added two of his first four on the back nine, the second sinking a 7-footer on No. 13. He tapped in for birdie after just missing an eagle on the par-5 No. 16.

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Formula 1: COVID-19 lockdown gave energy to Lewis Hamilton to race on for 2-3 years

Silverstone, England: The pandemic-enforced break from Formula One could prolong Lewis Hamilton's career.

"The COVID-19 lockdown, whilst it was a negative, in some ways it gave a lot of life, a lot of energy to focus on some other things," Hamilton said Thursday, "and that time off was a bit of breathing space, and provided a bit of energy to perhaps go longer."

How much longer for the 35-year-old world champion in his 14th season?

"Ultimately I want to be able to perform at the level I am right now but there is a point at which the physicality and the mental side can tail off," he said. "I've no divine right to be here. My goal is to continue to deliver for as long as I can. So I do see myself going for at least another two or three years."

Hamilton's Mercedes contract is due to expire in five months.

"I want to earn my position here," Hamilton said, "and I feel like every year that is not a given just because I've world championships under my belt."

He heads into the British Grand Prix on Sunday as the favourite to win at his home circuit of Silverstone for a seventh time but for the first time without any fans there to cheer him on due to the pandemic. The race is the fourth in a championship that should have begun in March. The coronavirus has hit the Silverstone race with Sergio Perez forced out after testing positive on Thursday.

Hamilton's bid for a record-equalling seventh world championship — to match Michael Schumacher — has been played out against the backdrop of his personal fight against racism.

After dominating the Hungarian Grand Prix earlier this month, Hamilton then accused Grand Prix Drivers' Association director Romain Grosjean of failing to convince the grid to be united in kneeling before the race.

Grosjean spoke to Hamilton for 45 minutes on Tuesday, saying that he wanted to provide a voice for as many as eight drivers who were opposed to the anti-racism stance. But he also apologised to Hamilton for indicating that it might have been the wrong call.

"Romain originally reached out to me and we had a great conversation," added Hamilton. "We learned we had more in common than we perhaps thought. He is clearly a caring person. It's not easy for anybody to admit they're wrong. And that's a great first step.

"We're really working towards the same end goal so I really appreciate that from Romain. And that's really what it is going to take from all of us; open up our minds, don't put barriers up, don't be defensive, be open-minded. Acknowledging that there is an issue is sometimes the first step and then work towards making it better."

Hamilton has also been in dialogue with F1 chairman Chase Carey and FIA president Jean Todt this week. The pit-lane will open 10 minutes earlier than normal on Sunday to allow the drivers time for a more organised demonstration against racism ahead of the race.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc are among those drivers who have stood rather than taking a knee.

"Everybody has their own way of expressing it," said Verstappen. "We are all united in fighting racism and that is the most important thing. It is not about taking a knee or not taking a knee because that is not going to solve the issue."

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