International

Cheteshwar Pujara will hold the home side’s batting together while their pace-bowling options are as diverse as their spinners. est tours of India are daunting. The conditions, the unfamiliarity, the intensity of interest. More daunting just after an India team missing 10 first-choice players has won a Test series in Australia, the other toughest mission in world cricket. With England having arrived for four Tests in Chennai and Ahmedabad, what can India’s last result warn them to look out for? Pujara will bat forever

Defending champion Novak Djokovic blasted past Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in emphatic fashion Monday to ominously kick off his bid for an unprecedented ninth Australian Open title. Defending champion Novak Djokovic blasted past Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in emphatic fashion Monday to ominously kick off his bid for an unprecedented ninth Australian Open title. The Serbian world number one, who clinched his 17th Grand Slam in last year's gripping final at Melbourne Park against Dominic Thiem, wasted little energy in the 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 romp in just 91 minutes

Serena Williams launched her latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam with a 56-minute demolition of Laura Siegemund at the Australian Open. The American, 39, said it was "vintage Serena" as she thrashed the German 6-1 6-1 in front of a small, unmasked crowd on Rod Laver Arena. US Open champion Naomi Osaka also made a convincing start with a 6-1 6-2 win over Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. But former champion Angelique Kerber was the first seed to be knocked out. The German

American Brooks Koepka carded a final-round 65 to secure victory at the Phoenix Open. The four-time major winner made two eagles, three birdies and one bogey in his six-under-par round as he finished on 19 under overall at TPC Scottsdale. South Korea's Kyoung-Hoon Lee (68) and American Xander Schauffele (71) tied for second, one shot behind. Schauffele had led overnight with Jordan Spieth, who finished on 17 under after a closing 72. American James Hahn was in a promising position at the turn

Serena Williams launched her latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam with a 56-minute demolition of Laura Siegemund at the Australian Open. The American, 39, said it was "vintage Serena" as she thrashed the German 6-1 6-1 in front of a small, unmasked crowd on Rod Laver Arena. US Open champion Naomi Osaka also made a convincing start with a 6-1 6-2 win over Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. But former champion Angelique Kerber was the first seed to be knocked out. The German

Doha: Qatar is currently hosting the FIFA Club World Cup for the second time in a row — and locally-based fans of SE Palmeiras and FC Bayern Munich have been sharing their excitement for the competition with www.qatar2022.qa. The CONMEBOL and UEFA representatives will both enter the tournament at the semi-finals stage.  Palmeiras will get their campaign underway at Education City Stadium on February 7,  when they face Mexican side Tigres UANL (kick-off 21:00), while Bayern Munich take on Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC

With most of the world still living under strict coronavirus restrictions, there is some light relief for tennis fans in the form of a very different Australian Open. The first Grand Slam of the year does take place in Melbourne as planned, although it starts three weeks later than usual on 8 February. Serbia's world number one Novak Djokovic and Spain's Rafael Nadal - who is aiming to win a 21st major title and move clear of Roger Federer - lead the men's

The first edition of the Katara International Arabian Horse Festival (KIAHF), held under the patronage of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, concluded on a resplendent note yesterday. Some of the finest purebred Arabian show horses competed in the championships of the prestigious Title Show. Stallions, mares, colts, fillies, and yearling, finalists in their respective classes, graced the arena, impressing judges and spectators with their graceful trot and absolutely gorgeous looks. Noft Alnayfat, a senior mare, and Sundown K.A, a

Liverpool vs. Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton boss Graham Potter praised his side's "courage, quality and togetherness" as they stunned Liverpool at Anfield to move 10 points clear of the Premier League relegation zone. Steven Alzate got a fortuitous but deserved winner for Brighton, who are now unbeaten in four league matches, while the Reds' recent struggles at home continued. Liverpool, who are seven points behind leaders Manchester City having played a game more, have not won at home since 16 December and

New Zealand’s talismanic captain Kane Williamson has hailed India’s “truly remarkable” triumph in Australia, coming in the backdrop of a disastrous Test series opener and injuries to innumerable players. Shot out for a record low 36 in the second innings of the first Test, which they lost in two and half days, India staged an incredible turnaround to clinch the four-match rubber 2-1 for one of their biggest wins of all time. The cricket fraternity took note of India’s achievement and Williamson, a giant of

Serena Williams says she may not have been able to play in the Australian Open had it not been pushed back by three weeks. The first Grand Slam of the year was delayed to allow players to quarantine. Williams, chasing a record-equalling 24th major singles title next week, said she "needed the extra time" to fully recover from an Achilles injury sustained at the US Open in September. She and Britain's Katie Boulter won their openers as warm-up events began. The two are playing

Six tennis tournaments played simultaneously at one venue during a pandemic - that is the feat Melbourne Park is aiming to pull off next week. After two weeks of quarantine - and no shortage of controversy - players will be warming up for the Australian Open. Men's world number one Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal lead the field at the ATP Cup, one of three men's events. And top-ranked Ashleigh Barty plays her first match in almost a year in one of the

Frenchman Pierre Gasly has become the sixth Formula 1 driver to contract coronavirus. The Alpha Tauri driver said he was "feeling OK and will continue to follow my training plan from home while I am in isolation". The 24-year-old, who won last year's Italian Grand Prix, added that he had informed all his recent close contacts. His result means that 30% of the F1 grid has tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. World champion Lewis Hamilton and Racing Point

Britain's Katie Boulter beat Anna Kalinskaya in the first round of the Gippsland Trophy as players began their Australian Open preparations. Boulter, playing in just her second WTA main draw match since February 2019, beat the Russian 6-1 6-3 in 59 minutes. The 24-year-old will play world number 48 Coco Gauff next in Melbourne. American Gauff, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2020, battled past Switzerland's Jil Teichmann 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-5). Gauff squandered a 4-2 lead in

Salah scored for the first time in seven Premier League games with a brilliant double at West Ham United to help Liverpool move up to third in the table. A trademark quick shift and curling finish from the Egypt striker was reward for a bright start to the second half from the Reds after Jurgen Klopp's side had failed to add a cutting edge to their first-half possession. Salah capped a scintillating Liverpool counter-attack to double his side's lead 11 minutes later, instantly

Royal Rumble 2021 Preview: WWE's plans for WrestleMania 2021 will be revealed in the upcoming pay-per view. Royal Rumble 2021 Preview: When the Rumble comes calling there is an excitement in the air that accompanies the pay-per-view. With Wrestlemania on the horizon, Royal Rumble is the ticket to the grandest stage of them all. For fans the question on everybody’s mind is who will emerge from the namesake beating the 29 other contestants? Which Superstars will leave the pay-per-view as champions? What are WWE’s

Venus Williams opened her 2021 season with a 6-1, 6-3 thrashing of Arantxa Rus on Sunday, while former top 10 players Jelena Ostapenko and Caroline Garcia also scored wins. Ageless Venus Williams opened her 2021 season with a 6-1, 6-3 thrashing of Arantxa Rus on Sunday, while former top 10 players Jelena Ostapenko and Caroline Garcia also scored wins. Williams, 40, showed few signs of having spent 14 days in quarantine in her first-round romp at the Yarra Valley Classic, grinding down her Dutch opponent

Spain’s tennis player was diagnosed with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma and went through chemotherapy. Former world number six female tennis player Carla Suarez Navarro says she dreams of a return to competitive action following cancer treatment and this year’s postponed Tokyo Olympics would be the perfect stage to call time on her career. Spaniard Suarez Navarro said in September she was diagnosed with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer, and would need to go through six months of chemotherapy.

New normals' are being established in every corner of society as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and cricket is no different. The international game returned to unusually bare backdrops of English stadiums last summer, when the notion of social distancing in bio-bubbles was first put forward and carried out. Nearly seven months on, these sanitary havens popping up all over the world are not only considerably less bizarre than they once sounded, but are also essential to getting any kind of play

Can Maratha Arabians become the first team to win back-to-back Abu Dhabi T10 titles or will we have a new name on the trophy? Will batsmen rule the roost or will bowlers have the upper hand? The time to find an answer to all these questions has finally arrived. 29 matches in 10 days Starting on January 28 and running through February 6, The Abu Dhabi T10 will have eight world-class teams, featuring some of the biggest superstars of sports, fighting it out in 29