Bihar’s 22-year-old batter Sakibul Gani etched his name on the history books by breaking the record for the highest individual score by a cricketer on first-class debut.
Becoming the first batter to score a triple hundred on first-class debut, Gani amassed 341 runs off just 405 balls with the help of 56 fours and 2 sixes in a Ranji Trophy Plate Group match against Mizoram at Jadavpur University Campus 2nd Ground in Kolkata on Friday. He maintained a strike rate of 84.20.
India skipper Mithali Raj maintained her second spot in the ICC Women’s ODI player rankings even as New Zealand batter Amy Satterthwaite moved up to number three after a splendid show in the series-opener against India.
The Indian Premier League auctions, where life-altering sums of money are on offer to cricketers from around the world, generate as much interest as the tournament matches.
A ‘mega auction’, with a bigger pool of players vying for a bigger total purse, will draw that much more attention. Over the weekend, 590 cricketers will be up for new contracts, with franchises entitled to spend upto ₹561.50 crore to acquire their services.
Among the 10 marquee players, David Warner, Shreyas Iyer and Pat Cummins could go for megabucks. They are proven performers, who double their value as potential captains. They will pique the interest of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) — franchises in search of a concrete leadership group.
India’s Olympic gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was on Wednesday nominated for the prestigious Laureus ‘World Breakthrough of the Year’ award, making him the first Indian to be featured in the short-list for this category. He was clubbed alongside tennis stars Daniil Medvedev and Emma Raducanu among others.
The 23-year-old Chopra last year became only the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal and first in track and field in Tokyo with a throw of 87.58 metres in his second attempt. The performance catapulted him to superstar status in India and also brought him worldwide acclaim.
In 2020, Indian women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal became the first Indian to win the honour.
Veteran India hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh on Monday won the prestigious World Games Athlete of the Year for his 2021 performances, becoming only the second Indian to receive the accolade.
In 2020, Indian women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal became the first Indian to win the honour for her 2019 show.
Sreejesh beat competition from sport climber Alberto Gins Lopez of Spain and Italy’s wushu player Michele Giordano for the award.
The 16-year-old from Gujarat was rewarded for last year’s stellar run when she had secured titles in three junior international tournaments to jump three places to grab the top position in the junior world rankings.
When Jewel Mariam Basil embarked on her first swim outside a pool, little did the seven-year-old fully comprehend the scale of her potential achievement. By the end of it all, she is set to write her name into the book of Guinness World Records. Her parents, on the other hand, always believed their daughter’s love for swimming could be channelled into something special.
Teaming up for the first-time on the ATP Tour, India’s Rohan Bopanna and Ramkumar Ramanathan won the Adelaide International doubles trophy with a hard-fought 7-6 (6) 6-1 win over top seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo on January 9.
Bopanna’s excellent service returns at crucial times and Ramkumar’s all-round game tilted the match in their favour.
India opener Mayank Agarwal was on Saturday nominated for the ICC Player of the Month award for December following his stellar performance in the Test series against New Zealand and South Africa.
Besides Agarwal, New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel and Australian pacer Mitchell Starc were also short-listed for the award.
Lauding the feat of over two crore youngsters in the 15-18 age group getting vaccinated against COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for continuing the momentum.
He tweeted, “Excellent! Well done my young friends. Let us continue this momentum. Urging everyone to follow all COVID-19 related protocols and get vaccinated, if you haven’t already.” He was reacting to Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s tweet regarding the feat.