Gavaskar bestowed with SJAM?s Lifetime Achievement Award
Mumbai, Dec 11 (PTI) Sunil Gavaskar was today conferred with the Golden Jubilee Lifetime Achievement Award by the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai (SJAM) here. The award was presented by former India captain Ajit Wadekar and former India player Madhav Apte at the Cricket Club of India here. Gavaskar was presented with a citatation and a certificate which has details of all his 34 centuries. Gavaskar narrated incidents how West Indies great Gary Sobers touched him for luck. “My first innings in Test cricket, Gary Sobers dropped a simple catch, when I was barely on 12. The second Test, which was my second Test, again he dropped me very early and then I went on to get hundred. “In those days, the dressing rooms were not far away from each other and at the end of the days play both the teams would come together, have a beer, and Lance Gibbs and Gary Sobers started teasing me. Lance started asking me what do you eat for breakfast,” because Gary had dropped me. “The leg-pulling went on to an extend, till Gary Sobers said “From tomorrow onwards, I am going to touch you for luck,” Gavaskar fondly recalled. Gavaskar said a similar thing happened in the next Test. “Come next Test and Gary would come in, it was West Indies turn to bat, he touched me for luck and this was in Barbados, he smashed a 178. We come to the last Test, which was a 6-day Test. So, he comes and touches me for luck and he has got another 100?130. Ajit (Wadekar) was getting very upset about it and he is saying what are you doing, when he comes. Where can I hid,” he chuckled. “On the final day, he is coming, you go and hide. No, Ajit has forcibliy taken me and taken to a toilet,” he said. Gavaskar recalled when Sobers was gone, Ajit said he does not want to take a chance. He said that in that innings Abid Ali got Gary out for a duck and said when he got back to the dressing room, Ajit Wadekar is the first one to say I didnt allow him (to touch). Wadekar, Apte, his son Rohan Gavaskar, close friend and former Mumbai captain Milind Rege narrated their experiences about the legend. Indian coach Anil Kumble was present at the event. PTI NRB KHS KHSadvertisement
Only months after being prepared to sell him, Jose Mourinho hopes Anthony Martial will commit his future to Manchester United.With reports the Frenchman’s sale would be used as collateral to sign Ivan Perisic before the start of the season, his recent turn of form has prompted a change of heart from Mourinho.Despite recently rejecting a new contract offer, Martial has nevertheless stated his desire to remain. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! In the lead-up to Saturday’s trip to face AFC Bournemouth, the Portuguese manager also expressed his desire for the 22-year-old to stay at Old Trafford.”I don’t belong to the discussions of contracts,” Mourinho said. “I’m not participating in these kinds of discussions. Obviously I hope they will agree.”Obviously I would like him to stay. I know the club wants him very much to stay. Hopefully he is going to stay.”Scoring four goals in his past three Premier League matches, Martial has become a solitary spark for an otherwise grim Manchester United in possession.With Nemanja Matic commenting on Martial’s confidence impacting performance earlier in the week, Mourinho believes he is making the leap to realised potential.”One thing is that he’s a talented player that everybody knows he is. Everybody knows since he was in Monaco that he is a talented player,” Mourinho said.”Another thing is a talented player with consistency and understanding what a football match is in the globality. When you reach that level, or when you are almost reaching that level, is when you become a top player.”One thing is a top talent, another is a top player. He is now much closer to being a top player.”
New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) Sports Minister Vijay Goel today interacted with youngsters from Jammu and Kashmir in a programme called “Samvad”. The objective of the interactive session was to initiate a conversation on a host of issues ranging from culture, sports, youth affairs, to various other social issues. The students got a unique platform to share their thoughts and ideas directly with the minister. Goel said the youngsters of the J & K were multi-talented and must use their skills to gain maximum exposure to gather knowledge and work for nation-building, a release from the ministry said. The students shared their views on various issues in terms of social problems, issues pertaining to sports and education. Goel promised them full support and said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes in the mantra of “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas”. The minister added that the youngsters were welcome to participate in any activity, be it sports or youth affairs and the ministry will ensure that they get the best facilities. He said a Rs 200 crore package has already been sanctioned for the Valley and as per his interaction with J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, it will be utilised to create better sporting facilities and infrastructure, so that more players from the Valley come to the mainstream. PTI PDS PDS
Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine’s big hitting helped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) sweep aside out-of-sorts Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six wickets in a rain-interrupted Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday.It was a surprise when Narine came out to open the batting with the fit-again Lynn instead of in-form skipper Gautam Gambhir but the West Indian who has been doing the job at the top of the order for KKR this season vindicated the team management’s faith in him.Pursuing RCB’s 158/4, KKR romped home with 159/4 in 15.1 overs riding on a 105-run stand by Narine (54; 17b 6×4 4×6) and Lynn (50; 22b 5×4 4×6) in just 6.1 overs at a run rate of 17.02.Narine registered the fastest half-century in the IPL , reaching the 50-run-mark in just 15 balls.KKR are now second in the points table with 16 points from 12 outings. They play Kings XI Punjab in Mohali before ending the league engagements at home against already-qualified Mumbai Indians.The morning showed the day as far as KKR’s chase was concerned with Lynn – back from a shoulder injury – smoking Aniket Choudhary for two fours and a six on the trot.Sreenath Aravind was taken for 26 runs in one over as the maverick pair took the game away from RCB in the Powerplay itself.Narine was the first to depart, top edging a Aniket Choudhary delivery which wicketkeeper Kedar Jadhav collected safely.Lynn was castled by Pawan Negi (2/21) who also accounted for the wicket of Colin de Grandhomme (31; 28b 1×4 2×6) while Yuzvendra Chahal sent Gambhir (14; 16b; 0x4 0x6) back in the hut.advertisementYusuf Pathan (0 not out) and Manish Pandey (4 not out) saw the out the win for the men in purple.Earlier, Travis Head’s pyrotechnics towards the end of the innings helped Royal Challengers Bangalore erase a top order collapse to post 158/6 in 20 oversMandeep Singh (52; 43b 4×4 1×6) also played well to graft the innings after the big three of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers failed to contribute.Head (75 off 47 not out), who is playing in place of Shane Watson, and Mandeep stitched together a 71-run stand for the fourth wicket to stem RCB’s rot and at the end it was about the Australian’s big hitting.While Mandeep took time to steady the ship and pace his innings to perfection, Head saved his shots for the last smashing Ankit Rajpoot and Chris Woakes for two sixes in consecutive overs to up the run rate. In the last over, Head tonked Umesh Yadav (3/36) for two sixes and a four on the trot to take away 21 runs.Put in to bat, Gayle played a lazy shot first ball of the match for Gambhir to complete the simplest of catches at short cover off Umesh’s bowling.Mandeep looked to take on Chris Woakes, opening the bowling in place of injured Nathan Coulter-Nile, hitting the England pacer for a four and a six off back-to-back deliveries.Kohli’s (5; 9b; 0x4, 0x6) poor form continued unabated as the India captain could not make the most of his reprieve when Piyush Chawla grassed him at mid-off to get out in the very next ball. He fell to Umesh’s slower delivery with the ball striking his back foot for a plumb leg before wicket decision.Narine sent De Villiers (10; 8b 2×4 0x6) back in his first over with the out of form South African shuffling across the crease to miss the ball completely and losing his stumps as a result.Mandeep and Head took almost nine overs to engineer a 50-run stand for the fourth wicket. There was a period where RCB could not find the fence for five overs before Head pulled Ankit Rajpoot behind square leg for four.Play was stopped for around 38 minutes after which Mandeep brought up his half century but the interruption in their partnership saw Narine taking the prized wicket of Mandeep.Kedar Jadhav holed out to Umesh who ran from long off to pouch the ball to help Chris Woakes grab a wicket. Negi added just five runs to the total before falling to Umesh in the final over.
Steve Smith will remember this Indian summer for years to come. He brought an inexperienced Australian team to take on world beaters India in a four-Test series and led them admirably.Smith totalled 499 runs, hammered three hundreds and led the Aussies to an emphatic win in Pune before the hosts regrouped to come back strongly. However, Smith’s doggedness rubbed off on the rest of his teammates and Australia, despite losing 1-2, bowed out with their heads held high.Next up, Smith replaced MS Dhoni as skipper of Rising Pune Supergiant before the start of the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League. His popularity among Indian fans, after the heated battles in the Test series, must have nose-dived further. Dhoni, after all, is one of the most loved cricketers in the country.However, the young Australian captain, led with tact. He bonded well with Dhoni and was soon a role model for the younger players like Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar and Jaydev Unadkat. He also led from the front and amassed 472 runs for RPS, playing crucial knocks at crucial junctures.In the final, RPS had fancied their chances after restricting Mumbai Indians to a modest 129/8, albeit on a tricky pitch. Smith was again out there, scripting a chase with a determined half-century. However, the middle-order’s inability to break free against a tight attack had put too much pressure on him against world-class bowlers like Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah and former Australian teammate Mitchell Johnson.RPS eventually fell short by one run in what was their last IPL game. They finished second on the points table and qualified for the final at one go, defeating MI for the third time in the season. That their only loss against them had to come in the final and that too off the last ball, would be heartbreaking to say the least.advertisementSmith admitted as much in the post-match presentation ceremony.”It’s a hard one to swallow. I am proud of the way the boys played throughout the tournament,” he said and added that it was a tough wicket to bat on.Smith felt Mumbai Indians were below par with their score which happened to be the lowest ever by a team batting first in an IPL final.”Mumbai were probably below par with 129. It was a tough wicket to get runs, everyone could see that.”We just couldn’t get over the line. We had wickets in hand as well. It was only one or two good overs that we needed to get in front so full credit to them,” he said.Smith was gracious in his defeat but it was difficult to not notice the dismay. After the disappointment of the Test series, he would have wanted to end the summer on a high by lifting the IPL silverware.”It’s been fantastic, I’ve learnt so much from the IPL over the last two years. I’d like to thank my franchise. Who knows where we’ll be next year. It’s just disappointing to lose; it wasn’t the fairy tale finish we wanted.”
Chandigarh, Jul 7 (PTI) The famous annual mango festival of Haryana will begin at Yadavindra Gardens in Pinjore, near here tomorrow, with over 3,000 varieties of the “king of fruits” on display.As many as 3,000 entries of mouth-watering mangoes from northern part of India and a range of mango products will be on display at the 26th edition of the festival at Pinjore, about 25 km from here.Apart from showcasing various varieties of mangoes and providing an opportunity to visitors to see and taste them, the two-day event would be a grand affair featuring an assortment of cultural activities.The event is being jointly organised by Haryana Tourism and Department of Horticulture.Haryanas Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism Department, V S Kundu said a counter would also be set up for selling good quality mango plants.Kundu said a seminar would be organised during the festival to make it more useful for farmers.”Specialists and scientists from agriculture universities of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have been invited to interact with farmers,” he said.The event also provides a common platform to artisans and self-help groups to display and sell their products.In tune with its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, Haryana Tourism has invited differently-abled students to visit the Mango Mela on July eight for free.Besides, people from registered senior citizen societies of Panchkula, Kalka and Chandigarh have been invited for July nine. Their entry would also be free, he added.This year, Haryana government has decided to enhance the amount of prizes for mango quiz competitions from Rs 5,100 and Rs 2,100 to Rs 51,000 and Rs 21,000, respectively, Kundu said.advertisementTourism Minister Ram Bilas Sharma will inaugurate the Mango Mela while Agriculture Minister Om Parkash Dhankar will be the chief guest in award presentation and closing ceremony on July nine, he said.Kundu also said there is a proposal to lease out food courts of Haryana Tourism on public private partnership mode, for which master plan is being prepared.Apart from this, a scheme is being prepared to start adventure sports activities at Karna lake in Karnal, Tilyar lake in Rohtak and Badkhal lake in Faridabad, he added. PTI SUN ANU
The spending by Premier League clubs in the current transfer window is unsustainable, Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy said on Tuesday.English top-flight teams have splashed out more than $1 billion since the end of last season but Spurs, runners-up to Chelsea in May, have not yet added to their squad.”Some of the activity that is going on at the moment is just impossible for it to be sustainable,” Levy said in New York.”We have a duty to manage the club appropriately. Somebody spending 200 million pounds more than they’re earning, eventually it catches up with you.”Spurs, who sold England right back Kyle Walker to Manchester City for 45 million pounds ($58.63 million) this month, are building a new 61,000-seater stadium, which is scheduled to open next year.”We have to find the right balance but I can honestly say it (the stadium) is not impacting us on transfer activity because we are not yet in a place where we have found a player that we want to buy who we cannot afford to buy,” Levy said.”Our position on transfers is that we have a coach who very much believes in the academy, so unless we can find a player that makes a difference we would rather give one of our young academy players a chance.”Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said the transfer spending by their rivals in the current window is “out of control”, despite the club reportedly spending over 100 million pounds.British media reports say United have spent over 100 million pounds ($130.22 million) on players in adding striker Romelu Lukaku and defender Victor Lindelof to their squad.advertisementUnited’s cross-town rivals City have spent over 200 million pounds ($260.44 million), according to British media reports, on defenders Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo, midfielder Bernardo Silva and goalkeeper Ederson.League title holders Chelsea have also spent heavily on players in the current window and have added striker Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid for a club record fee.Every club is getting good players, every club is investing a lot and some clubs are paying too much and by paying too much they create a very strange and out of control market,” Mourinho told the BBC.”But this is the reality now.”It is obvious that nowadays, especially for the strikers, the amount of money is amazing.”($1 = 0.7679 pounds)
British luxury car manufacturer Land Rover has launched the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic in India at a price of Rs 2.79 crore (Ex-showroom, India). The SUV has been developed and built by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) team. Rohit Suri, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd (JLRIL), said in a statement, “We are excited to introduce the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic in India. The Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic is designed and engineered by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) team who are passionate in their commitment to explore new frontiers of luxury, performance and technology with the objective of delivering an unmatched experience to our discerning and equally passionate customers.”Underneath the bonnet, the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic has a 5.0-litre petrol V8 which is made fully of aluminium and is also supercharged. The engine is tuned to make 540bhp. All that power is sent to the wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. On the outside, it gets Graphite Atlas accents, red Brembo brake calipers and new alloy wheels that separate it from the regular Range Rover. On the inside, diamond-quilted seats which are available in four colours, a red key line on the rotary shifter and Grand Black front and rear door veneers make up the changes that Jaguar’s SVO team has made to the regular Range Rover.Jaguar’s India portfolio of cars created by the SVO team is fast expanding as the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic becomes the fourth car after Range Rover SVAutobiography, Range Rover Sport SVR and Jaguar F-Type SVR to be sold in India. All these four cars have been built by the SVO team of Jaguar.advertisement The latest SVO product in India rivals the Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG in the market.Also Read: Jaguar Land Rover commence bookings for Jaguar XE diesel variant in India
England ripped apart South Africa’s top order in Sunday’s final session at the Oval to bear down on a victory that would put them 2-1 up with one to play in the four-Test series.Two wickets from successive balls in Ben Stokes’ third over removed Quinton de Kock (5) and Faf du Plessis (0) and ended faint South Africa hopes of mounting a rearguard action in pursuit of their nominal target of 492.Although Stokes failed to record what would have been the first-ever Test hat-trick at the Oval, the damage was done. Du Plessis’ wicket, lbw without playing a shot to a first-ball inswinger, was a particular blow, with South Africa needing their captain to survive at least into Monday.The tourists limped to the close on 117-4, still 375 short of their target with a day’s play remaining.The battling Dean Elgar was unbeaten on 72 despite a painful blow to his finger, and Temba Bavuma on 16, as England turned to Moeen Ali to try to secure another breakthrough.Elgar had been fortunate to survive on nine, dropped by Keaton Jennings at third slip off Jimmy Anderson, and went on to strike seven fours in his 77-ball half-century.No one else provided much resistance. Before Stokes struck, Stuart Broad removed opener Heino Kuhn for 11 and Toby Roland-Jones dismissed Hashim Amla for the second time in the match, this time having South Africa’s danger man sharply caught by Joe Root in the slips for five.England have a further 98 overs available on Monday to complete the victory and vindicate Root’s decision to delay his declaration to apply maximum pressure to South Africa.advertisementEngland’s new captain eventually called time when Jonny Bairstow was dismissed before tea after a breezy 63 which lifted England, who had resumed on 74-1, to 313-8.After Jennings departed early for a painstaking 48, debutant Tom Westley pushed on to a maiden half-century, an innings that should ensure an extended run at England’s problem number three spot.Westley went on to make 59 before he was stumped misjudging a dash at Keshav Maharaj. Root (50) followed soon afterwards, top-edging the same bowler after recording a half-century for the ninth successive match.England gradually accelerated with Stokes (31) and Roland-Jones (23 not out) joining Bairstow in some lusty blows as England’s lead extended way beyond the Test record for a successful final innings run chase of 418.If South Africa fail to survive on Monday, it will complete a one-sided sequence in each of the Tests. England won by 211 runs at Lord’s before South Africa hit back with an even more emphatic 340-run victory at Trent Bridge.The final Test starts in Manchester on Friday, August 4.
Crystal Palace F.C. will not rush injured winger Wilfried Zaha back into action and have not put a timeframe on the Ivory Coast international’s return, the Premier League club’s manager Frank de Boer has said.The 24-year-old, who scored seven league goals and provided 11 assists to win Palace’s Player of the Year last season, sustained a knee injury during their 3-0 defeat to Huddersfield Town F.C. in the opening league game of the season.”Wilf is a very robust player, the first couple of days (after the injury) are very important to have a rest and, from now on, I think he’s going to start rehab,” De Boer said after Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Ipswich Town F.C. in the League Cup. Reuters Photo”We don’t know how long it will take. The risk is that you start too early, that he can have a setback, so we are going to see and don’t put a time on it right now.”Palace, who will play Huddersfield Town F.C. again in the third round of the League Cup in September, host Swansea City F.C. in the league on Saturday.
Manchester United are well placed to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League titles amid strong competition on both fronts, the club’s Serbia midfielder Nemanja Matic told Reuters on Monday.The 29-year old defensive midfielder blended seamlessly into Jose Mourinho’s side after joining from Chelsea during the close-season and made an immediate impact in their opening three league wins which put United top of the standings.”At the age of 29 I am an experienced player and at that stage of my career I shouldn’t need too much time to adapt,” Matic said as the Serbian national team gathered on Monday for World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ireland.”I knew many of United’s players from before as I’ve played against them quite a few times so I had a pretty good idea what I was walking into.”The team helped me adapt quickly, they treated me like one of their own in the dressing-room from the very first day. We’ve made a pretty good start in the Premier League but it’s a long season and we will see how it goes.”Hes from Serbia Hes called NemanjaThese arent the only boxes being ticked by Matic, says Nemanja Vidic: https://t.co/WGh5GgFL4l pic.twitter.com/1l9psMD7ee- Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 28, 2017United, who won a record-extending 20th league title in 2013 in Alex Ferguson’s last season as manager, scored 10 goals and conceded none in their opening three wins with Matic efficiently pulling the strings in midfield.advertisementThey captured their third Champions League crown in 2008 and won the Premier League in the same season but Matic acknowledged that repeating the feat in Mourinho’s second campaign in charge of United would be a tall order.”Winning the Premier League title will be a tough task not just for us but for everyone because there are five or six realistic contenders,” said Matic, who helped Chelsea to two league titles during his two spells with the champions.Enjoy that, @UsainBolt? ?? #MUFC pic.twitter.com/r5RXn2sCLj- Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 26, 2017″But we all know that Manchester United are expected to win every game. As far as the Champions League is concerned, we’ve had a favourable draw and we are hopeful of still being in the competition in the latter stages.”The 2-1 UEFA Supercup defeat against Champions League holders Real Madrid was a good test of our credentials to slug it out with Europe’s best.”We were outplayed but that was a one-off while the Champions League is a competition where you face different rivals in every round.”Matic earned instant praise from Mourinho after the match in Skopje, having previously worked with the Portuguese manager at Chelsea.He remained tight-lipped, however, about his move from Stamford Bridge which prompted many to conclude that Chelsea manager Antonio Conte had made a big mistake by letting him go.”No comment,” Matic replied when asked whether he wanted to leave Chelsea’s title-winning side or became a surplus to requirements after Conte signed Tiemoue Bakayoko from French champions Monaco.United were drawn with Benfica, Basel and CSKA Moscow in the Champions League group stage.”The players are giving me the answers.”Jose Mourinho on today’s triumph: https://t.co/zm1feZIOn7 pic.twitter.com/j8BGdLPKcw- Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 26, 2017
Bhopal, Oct 13 (PTI) Automobile major Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M) today launched a new model of its sports utility vehicle KUV100.The updated version, KUV100 NXT, is packed with 40 new features, the company said.”The KUV100 NXT has created a new category within the SUV segment in the price range of Rs 4.5-7.5 lakh. We have managed to successfully launch the new model within 21 months (of launch of KUV100) after seeking feedback from various quarters,” the companys senior general manager, sales, Deepak Kapoor told reporters here.Available in five variants, the SUV comes with 40 new features, including hi-tech ones like touchscreen infotainment system with GPS navigation and new driver information system with voice alert, among others.The company has sold 60,000 units of KUV100 across the country, including 3,000 in Madhya Pradesh, since its launch in January 2016, Kapoor said.The car is available in eight colours and has both diesel and petrol options, he added.The company commands 41 per cent market share in the SUV segment in the state, Kapoor added. PTI MAS ADU RSY RDS
(Eds: Changes in headline, intro)Shimla, Dec 29 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur kept key Home and Finance departments with him after the portfolios were alloted today.Besides Home and Finance, the chief minister will also look after the General Administration, Planning and Personnel department and all other departments not alloted to any minister.Mohinder Singh Thakur has been allocated Irrigation and Public Health, Horticulture and Sainik Welfare departments, while Kishan Kapoor will be in charge of Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs and Election departments.First-time MLA Suresh Bharadwaj has been given Education (Elementary and Higher), Parliamentary Affairs and Law portfolios.Anil Sharma, who quit the Congress to join the BJP ahead of the assembly polls, has been allocated Multipurpose Projects and Power and Non-Conventional Energy Sources departments.The lone women minister Sarveen Chaudhary has been allocated Urban Development, Town and Country Planning and Housing departments, while Ram Lal Markanda will be in charge of Agriculture, Tribal Development and Information and Technology departments.Vipin Parmar has been given Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, Ayurveda and Science & Technology, while Virender Kanwar will have Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries departments.Vikram Singh has been given Industries, Labour and Employment, Technical Education and Vocational and Industrial Training, and Govind Singh Thakur has been allocated Forest, Transport, Youth Services and Sports departments.Rajiv Saizal has got Social Justice and Empowerment and Cooperation.Jai Ram Thakur was sworn in as the 14th chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, along with 11 other ministers, at a ceremony at the historic Ridge Ground here on December 27.advertisementGovernor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 52-year-old Thakur, a five-time MLA from Seraj, and other ministers.The council of ministers has six new faces.The assembly polls took place on November 9 and the results were announced on December 18.The BJP defeated the Congress by winning 44 seats in the 68-member assembly.The Congress managed to bag just 21 seats. Two seats went to Independents, while the CPI(M) won one seat. PTI PCL SMN SMN
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma left for Switzerland in the intervening night of Thursday-Friday, as speculation about a possible ‘Virushka’ wedding in Italy reached fever pitch.Anushka boarded her Swiss Airways flight in Mumbai, and her beau Virat left from Delhi. The India captain reached Delhi airport at around 11.30 pm, and his flight took off at 2.45 am.India Today has learned that Virat was wearing a jacket, and had covered half his face with a hood. So that made it difficult for people at the airport to recognise him.Virat refused to let security personnel take pictures with him.#WATCH: Anushka Sharma and her family spotted at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, last night, amid speculations of wedding in Italy pic.twitter.com/fLA1SM2NDz- ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2017There’s no official confirmation from the couple yet – but if reports are to be believed, the Virat-Anushka wedding is all set to happen this weekend in Italy.The presence of Anushka’s family at Mumbai airport on Thursday further fueled speculation of an impending shaadi. Her father Ajay Kumar, mother Ashima and elder brother Karnesh all left from the airport.Photo: Yogen Shah They didn’t answer any questions.#WATCH: Anushka Sharma and her family spotted at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, last night, amid speculations of wedding in Italy pic.twitter.com/fLA1SM2NDz- ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2017Meanwhile, sources say Virat Kohli’s family and close friends have already booked their tickets to the Italian city of Milan. What’s more, his former coach Rajkumar Sharma excused himself from a crucial match on December 7advertisementThe reason? A wedding.Whose wedding? His ‘nephew’s’, he said.A spokesperson for Anushka has refuted reports about a possible wedding, and said the speculation is baseless.ALSO READ | Exclusive: Virat and Anushka’s wedding details revealed WATCH | Virat Kohli-Anushka Sharma to get married soon?
The Sri Lankan cricket team is left stranded in Dharamsala due to heavy rain in the scenic hill town.The Lankan players had to stay at the airport for nearly four hours as their chartered plane could not take off due to bad weather.The Indian team though, managed to reach Mohali in time for the second ODI of the three-match series.”While the Indian team reached Mohali on time, incessant rain and bad weather left Sri Lanka stranded at the airport for about four hours. The team then decided to head back to the team hotel and is likely to fly out tomorrow,” media in-charge of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), Mohit Sood, said.Sri Lanka crushed India by seven wickets in the first ODI on Sunday to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.”This is the first time a team has been stuck here. There have been delays earlier but it has never happened that the planes have not been able to land or take off,” said Sood.He said that the Sri Lankan team was not willing to travel by road at night. The 240 km journey by road from Dharamsala to Mohali takes about 8-10 hours.”We had a discussion with the team management and they decided to stay back. But if the weather doesn’t clear up on Tuesday then the only option left will be to take the road,” Sood added.The local MeT office has predicted heavy rain over the next 48 hours in and around Dharamsala.advertisement(With PTI inputs)
NEW YORK – Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter says he will retire after this season “with absolutely no regrets,” ending one of the greatest careers in the history of baseball’s most storied franchise.The 39-year-old New York captain posted a long letter on his Facebook page saying that 2014 will be his final year.A 13-time All-Star who has led the Yankees to five World Series championships, Jeter was limited to 17 games last season while trying to recover from a broken left ankle sustained during the 2012 playoffs.“I know it in my heart. The 2014 season will be my last year playing professional baseball,” he wrote. “I have gotten the very most out of my life playing baseball, and I have absolutely no regrets,” he said.Jeter was the last link to the powerful Yankees teams that won three straight World Series crowns from 1998-2000. Longtime teammates Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte retired after last year.“Derek Jeter is Mr. Yankee of his era,” Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner told The Associated Press. “He was the face of one of the greatest teams ever.”But Jeter’s joyride hit a big speed bump recently.“Last year was a tough one for me. As I suffered through a bunch of injuries, I realized that some of the things that always came easily to me and were always fun had started to become a struggle,” Jeter wrote. “The one thing I always said to myself was that when baseball started to feel more like a job, it would be time to move forward.”“So really it was months ago when I realized that this season would likely be my last. As I came to this conclusion and shared it with my friends and family, they all told me to hold off saying anything until I was absolutely 100 percent sure,” he wrote.“And the thing is, I could not be more sure,” he wrote. Jeter hit just .190 with one homer and seven RBIs last season.His agent, Casey Close, said Jeter wanted to declare his intentions before the Yankees start spring training later this week so that his future status wouldn’t be a distraction.“I’m excited for him. It’s kind of nice to see him go out on his own terms,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said at spring camp in Glendale, Arizona.Mattingly finished up his All-Star career with the Yankees in 1995, the same season Jeter made his big league debut.“I saw him when he first showed for spring training. I always think about spring training when I think about him, just because he was this 17-year-old kid right out of high school who looked out of place. He was skinny, but he was tough. He’s been winning since the day he got there,” Mattingly said.Jeter is the Yankees’ career hits leader with 3,316. He is a lifetime .312 hitter in 19 seasons, with 256 home runs and 1,261 RBIs. Jeter has scored 1,876 runs and stolen 348 bases. He also is a five-time Gold Glove winner.Added up, his numbers put him among the greats in Yankees history, with fans often invoking the names of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and others when mentioning Jeter’s legacy.As for rating Jeter’s place with the Yankees, Mattingly said: “It’s hard. You’re talking about DiMaggio, Gehrig and Mantle. But he’s right there. He’s got to be one of those.”Plus, No. 2 is defined by so much more than his numbers. His backhanded flip in the playoffs, his diving catch into the stands, his speech to close old Yankee Stadium and his home run for career hit No. 3,000.As for rating Jeter’s place with the Yankees, Mattingly said: “It’s hard. You’re talking about DiMaggio, Gehrig and Mantle. But he’s right there. He’s got to be one of those.”An October presence for so many years — he’s a career .321 hitter in seven World Series — he also became Mr. November in 2001. His winning, 10th-inning homer came shortly after midnight in a Game 4 that began on Halloween.“Just as DiMaggio represented his era, Mantle represented his era and Ruth represented his era. And Reggie represented the 70s teams,” Steinbrenner said.Jeter was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1996, the season the Yankees won their first World Series and re-established themselves as a major force. He was the MVP of the World Series.Jeter has said he’s fully ready for spring training this year and set to play. Jeter worked out at the Yankees’ spring training complex on Feb. 13 and left around noon, giving no hint that he was about to announce his plans.Commissioner Bud Selig said that during his tenure, “Major League Baseball has had no finer ambassador than Derek Jeter.”“Derek has represented all the best of the national pastime, on and off the field,” Selig said in a statement. “He is one of the most accomplished and memorable players of his — or any — era.”“Derek is the kind of person that generations have emulated proudly, and he remains an exemplary face of our sport,” he wrote.A staple for so long in the Yankees’ lineup, Jeter missed the first 91 games last year after setbacks in spring training and the early months of the season.Even after his 2013 debut, things didn’t go well. Jeter felt pain in his right quadriceps when he returned July 11 and again went on the disabled list.Jeter returned July 28 for three games, but strained his right calf. He played from Aug. 26 through Sept. 7, leaving for a pinch runner after hitting a single against Boston. Four days later, the Yankees said Jeter was done for the year.The Yankees will open the 2014 regular season on April 1 in Houston. Their home opener is April 7 against Baltimore.New York’s final regular-season home game is set for Sept. 25 against Baltimore. After Jeter’s announcement, StubHub said the ticket demand zoomed to make that night the highest-selling game of the 2014 season. Before Wednesday, it wasn’t among the top 50 in sales.Like Rivera last year, Jeter is sure to be saluted wherever he goes in this final season.“Now it is time for the next chapter,” he wrote. “There are many things I want to do in business and in philanthropic work, in addition to focusing more on my personal life and starting a family of my own. And I want the ability to move at my own pace, see the world and finally have a summer vacation.”“But before that, I want to soak in every moment of every day this year, so I can remember it for the rest of my life. And most importantly, I want to help the Yankees reach our goal of winning another championship,” he said.___By Ben Walker, AP Baseball Writer. AP freelance writers Mark Didtler in Tampa, Florida, and Norm Frauenheim in Glendale, Arizona, contributed to this report.TweetPinShare0 Shares
ZURICH — FIFA banned former Greece coach Fernando Santos for eight international games on Monday for verbally abusing match officials at the World Cup.Santos was banished from the dugout after extra time of Greece’s second-round match against Costa Rica, which finished 1-1. His team then lost the penalty shootout.Santos displayed “several acts of unsporting conduct toward the match officials,” FIFA said Monday in a statement.FIFA said Santos must the serve the ban in official competitive matches played by the next national team he coaches.The sanction likely ends the Portuguese coach’s top-level international career, though he can appeal. His Greece contract expired after the World Cup in Brazil.FIFA said its disciplinary committee also suspended Italy medical official Aldo Esposito for six matches.Esposito was sent from the dugout for unsporting conduct during Italy’s 1-0 loss against Uruguay. That group-stage match was made infamous by Luis Suarez biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.In a roundup of World Cup disciplinary cases Monday, FIFA noted that Suarez has eight competitive Uruguay matches left on his nine-match ban. FIFA also banned him from all football for four months.However, the new Barcelona recruit has appealed all sanctions to the Court of Arbitration of Sport which expects to give a verdict later this month.FIFA’s disciplinary panel also ruled on suspensions for red-card offenses from the World Cup, which must be served in teams’ next official competition matches.Italy midfielder Claudio Marchisio, who was sent off against Uruguay, will miss Italy’s opening 2016 European Championship qualifier in Norway on Sept. 9.Croatia, which plays in the same qualifying group as Italy, will be without Ante Rebic at home to Malta on the same date. Rebic was sent off in a 3-1 loss against Mexico.Antonio Valencia will miss Ecuador’s first match at the Copa America in Chile next June. The Manchester United winger was dismissed in a 0-0 draw against France.Cameroon’s Alex Song will serve the rest of his three-match ban during African Cup of Nations qualifiers in September against Congo and Ivory Coast. Song was sent off in Cameroon’s 4-0 loss against Croatia and was suspended for his team’s 4-1 loss against Brazil.TweetPinShare0 Shares
Three Greek swimmers won silver in the 5-kilometer open-water team event of the 32nd LEN European Swimming Championships in Berlin on Aug. 16, joining gold winners Netherlands and bronze winners Germany on the awards podium.The Greek team consisted of Spyros Gianniotis, Antonis Fokaidis and Kelly Araouzou, and they collected Greece’s first medal in this year’s European championship.In the event’s history, the Greek teams have achieved 4 golds, 8 silvers and 17 bronze medals; in open swimming, in particular, Greek swimmers have received 2 golds, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals, including this medal.Gianniotis won the 2011 World Championship 10K Open Water Swim at Shanghai and gold at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, but cried after narrowly missing a medal at the 2012 Olympics in London.The winning teams had the following times, with split timings (2.5 km) in the race given in parentheses:1. Netherlands, 55:47.8 (27:59.9)2. Greece, 56:05.5 (28:01.8)3. Germany, 56:14.8 (28:03.3)The rest of the top ten teams include, in finishing order, Hungary, Italy, France, Great Britain, Russia and Poland.The games run from August 13 to 24 and include the categories of Swimming, Diving, Open Water and Synchro (synchronized swimming).Prime Minister Antonis Samaras sent a message of congratulations to three Greek athletes, saying, “You proved that hard work and team work wins in the end. All Greeks feel proud of you; thank you.”TweetPinShare0 Shares
WASHINGTON — As he watched the last, 95 mph pitch land in the catcher’s mitt, and heard the plate umpire’s game-ending strike call, Alex Rodriguez threw his head back.“I didn’t think it was a strike,” Rodriguez said, “but I’m not the ump.”On a night that Nationals slugger Bryce Harper and Manager Matt Williams were ejected in the third inning after arguing with that same umpire, Rodriguez and the Yankees wrapped up a disaster of a road trip with a 3-2 loss to Washington on May 20.“You never want to end the game like that,” Rodriguez said after striking out as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning against Nationals closer Drew Storen, who collected his 12th save in 13 chances this season.The Yankees head home for a day off May 21, then games at their ballpark starting May 22, and they must be excited to be back in the Big Apple.The team went 2-7 on the road, including a pair of losses against the Nationals.Somehow, though, the Yankees remain atop the AL East.“We’re struggling right now,” Manager Joe Girardi said. “I said this division is going to be tough all year. Teams are going to go through their ups and downs, and right now we went through a tough road trip. We get to go home, which is good, but we need to play better there.”On May 19, the Yankees led 6-2 but lost 8-6. On May 20, they led 2-0 but lost again, and the biggest problems came in the seventh inning, which began with the game at 2-all.The first batter was Wilson Ramos, and he reached on Chase Headley’s fielding error. Adam Warren (2-3) then walked two batters to load the bases. One of those two free passes, to Dan Uggla, came after right fielder Carlos Beltran failed to chase down a fly ball in foul territory.On came lefty reliever Justin Wilson to face left-handed batter Denard Span, who bounced a single into left field to drive in the go-ahead run.Jordan Zimmermann (4-2) earned the win, allowing two runs and five hits in seven innings. Both runs came in the first inning — on Beltran’s RBI double and Brian McCann’s sac fly — and the Yankees couldn’t tack on any more.They also failed to take advantage of Harper’s departure.The two-time reigning NL Player of the Week, who entered the game with 10 homers in his previous 12 games, wound up in a bit of a he-said, he-said with home plate umpire Marvin Hudson that Harper thought was connected to him leaving the batter’s box.“I don’t think 40,000 people came to watch him ump tonight. Plain and simple. Plain and simple. I mean, I really don’t think they did. Especially when we’re playing the Yankees. … and, I mean, the way I’m hitting, I don’t want to get tossed,” Harper said. “I don’t think I really did anything bad to get tossed. But maybe he just had a bad morning. Maybe he didn’t get his coffee.”Not surprisingly, Hudson’s version was not quite the same. “Had nothing to do with the box,” he told a pool reporter.“He didn’t like the pitch, and I let him have his say, going and coming,” Hudson said. “The dugout didn’t like it, and one thing led to another and I had to run him. I had to eject him.”(HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Sports Writer)TweetPinShare0 Shares