Month: August 2023

Bopanna and Ebden, who are seeded sixth, brushed aside the Australian duo 6-4 6-2 in less than an hour (55 minutes) to win their first-round match comfortably on Wednesday. The 43-year-old Bopanna and 35-year-old Ebden converted three of their five break points while giving no break opportunity to their rivals.

Ansu Fati is set to head to Brighton for a medical with the Premier League side ahead of completing his move to the Seagulls.
Sevilla had emerged as a late option for Fati, but it seems the youngster has made up his mind and will play in England for the rest of the 2023-24 season.
Fabrizio Romano reports the loan deal is all agreed, with Brighton set to pay 80% of his salary during his season-long loan.
Ansu Fati will travel to England in less than 1h to complete his loan move to Brighton as #BHAFC will cover 80% of his salary.
Agreement reached yesterday night as revealed, now time to formally complete the move from Barça.
Here we go, confirmed. pic.twitter.com/SiGcGlpwSc
Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 31, 2023
The Athletic are also reporting its a done deal and make it clear there is no purchase option for Fati in the transfer. He is due to undergo a medical on Thursday before putting pen to paper on his move.
The Barcelona No. 10 has also been spotted at the airport on his way to England.
¡ANSU AL BRIGHTON, INMINENTE!
Ansu Fati ya está en el aeropuerto de Sevilla y viaja a esta hora a Inglaterra para fichar por el Brighton, donde jugará un año cedido.
El delantero viajará a Londres y de ahí se trasladara a Brighton para firmar su contrato.
[ : pic.twitter.com/ziV4AWJAjq
Jijantes FC (@JijantesFC) August 31, 2023
Fatis move presents the youngster with the chance to try and get back on track after a couple of difficult seasons due to injury and lack of minutes.
The youngster is eager to play regular football this season and will be hoping he can shine as part of Roberto De Zerbis impressive team at the Amex Stadium.

With all roads leading to the ICC World Cup 2023, legendary cricketer Sourav Ganguly has identified three star performers of the Indian team who can propel the Men In Blue to their third title triumph in the 50-over format. Two-time champions India are set to host the 50-over World Cup for the first time since 2011. Under the leadership of MS Dhoni, Team India had ended a 28-year-long wait to lift the ODI World Cup at home.
Ganguly asserted that Virat is playing very well in the lead-up to the World Cup(ANI-AP)
Ganguly, who guided Team India to the final of the ICC World Cup back in 2003, believes Rohit and Co. are favourites on home soil. The former India skipper also picked run-machine Virat Kohli, skipper Rohit and youngster Shubman Gill as the three key players for the Indian team at the grandest stage of them all. The former India batter opined that an in-form Kohli and captain Rohit are India’s go-to players at the ODI World Cup.
ALSO READ: Babar Azam lands first blow with remark on India after Pakistan thrash Nepal in Asia Cup opener
‘Rohit is playing his first and last World Cup’
The former Indian skipper predicted that veteran opener Rohit will feature in his last 50-over World Cup. Virat is playing very well. He has looked very good in the last few months and is batting extremely well and will be Indias go-to man along with Rohit Sharma. Rohit as captain is playing his first and last World Cup. I am speaking about the 50-over World Cup here which will come after 4 years. He could play T20 but this is a different format,” Ganguly said on the Backstage With Boria show.
Rohit had a blockbuster World Cup in 2019. The 36-year-old had smashed centuries against South Africa, Pakistan, England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at the last 50-over World Cup. “And he too has a superb record in world cups. 5 hundred in the last World Cup where he was brilliant. Finally, it is Shubman Gill who has that class to stand up and win matches for India. Each of them will have to stand up if India has to win the tournament, Ganguly added. Former champions India will kickstart its World Cup campaign against five-timer winners Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8.
India at Asia Cup
Warming up for the ICC World Cup 2023, India will meet arch-rivals Pakistan in the action-packed Asia Cup. Co-hosts Sri Lanka and Pakistan have joined Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Nepal for the 16th edition of the Asia Cup. The most successful side in the history of the Asia Cup, Team India is drawn in Group A with Pakistan and Nepal.

In the inaugural clash of the Asia Cup 2023 on Wednesday, Pakistan showcased their dominance over Nepal with a resounding 238-run triumph in Multan. Babar Azam, the top-ranked batsman in the world, along with Iftikhar Ahmed, delivered exceptional performances; Babar’s impressive knock of 151 runs from 131 deliveries marked his 19th ODI ton, while Iftikhar’s unbeaten 109 runs off 71 balls was his maiden century in the format. Riding on the hundreds, Pakistan out a mammoth 342/6 before the bowlers made easy work of Nepal batters, bowling them out for merely 104 in 23.4 overs.
Pakistan’s players celebrate after the dismissal of Nepal’s Gulsan Jha (not pictured) during the Asia Cup 2023(AFP)
Pakistan did, however, faced initial setbacks with openers Fakhar Zaman (14) and Imam-ul-Haq (9) departing cheaply; the lack of form for Fakhar remains a particular concern for the team management. The left-handed opener had endured a poor outing in the recent ODI series against Afghanistan as well, registering scores of 2, 30, and 27 across three games. With match against India up next and key games coming up in Asia Cup as well as the ODI World Cup in October-November, an out-of-form opener is a far from ideal situation for Pakistan.
Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja believes that Fakhar needs to be sidelined for a significant period of time to ensure he regains focus.
The big problem is Fakhar Zaman. He is an unorthodox hitter, but when someone like that gets out of form, it takes some time to fi nd solutions on the drawing board. He’s a bottom-handed player, plays on the leg-side, somehow he adjusts with that and scores, said Ramiz on his official YouTube channel.
He played three matches against Afghanistan and couldn’t make a mark as well. His body language is suffering, and Pakistan need an in-form opener. If Imam also gets dismissed cheaply, it creates pressure. Pakistan need to assess Fakhar. I believe they should rest him, give him some time out. Sidelining him is better for him as well as the Pakistan side. He’s a good player, Pakistan has given him chances. But against India, with the form that he has, that chance is not worth being taken.
India next
Pakistan will take on India in an electrifying Group A clash up next on Saturday. Babar Azam’s men traveled to Sri Lanka for the game in Kandy, as India aim to start their campaign with a victory over their arch-rivals.
India and Pakistan can potentially meet thrice throughout the tournament, given both sides qualify for the Super Fours and the final.

Former Pakistan cricket team batter Basit Ali has warned the Babar Azam-led side ahead of their Asia Cup clash against arch-rivals India. Pakistan and India face-off in Kandy on Saturday, September 2, and the two nations could feasibly come up against each other again later in the tournament. Basit feels that the India versus Pakistan clash will happen three times during the tournament, including the final on September 17. While Basit suggests that Pakistan has the best bowling attack in the world, as a former batter, he is wary of the threat possessed by former India captain Virat Kohli. The Asia Cup is being looked a perfect preparation for the cricket world Cup, and hence Virat Kohli’s performance will be closely followed.
“I feel India and Pakistan will play each other 3 times. I think India and Pakistan will play the final. The first match is Kandy and I think it will be a bowling vs batting encounter. Pakistan has the best bowling attack in the world. But, India have a dangerous batter in Virat Kohli. He always performs well against Pakistan. Being a batter, if I am afraid of someone, it is Virat Kohli,” Basit said on Nadir Ali’s podcast.
The 34-year-old enjoys a stunning record against Pakistan in ODIs. In 13 matches, he has amassed 536 runs at an average of 48.72. The Asia Cup will help. The Asia Cup will help the Indian cricket great prepare for Cricket World Cup.
In fact, Virat Kohli scored his highest-ever ODI score to date against Pakistan in an Asia Cup match in Mirpur, in 2012. Chasing a mammoth 330 to win the important clash against its arch-rival and Kohli stepped in to demolish Pakistan.
Virat Kohli was dismissed for 183 of just 148 balls but India won the match with six wickets to spare.

Experienced forward Akashdeep Singh and youngsters Jugraj Singh and Selvam Karthi, who were all part of Indias Asian Champions Trophy winning squad in August, were dropped from the Asian Games-bound squad as Hockey India (HI) on Thursday announced the mens and womens teams heading to Hangzhou.
India’s Akashdeep Singh celebrates after scoring a goal during the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 final (PTI)
Once the main forward of the team, Akashdeep, who also missed the cut for Tokyo Olympics, was not selected in the 18-member outfit despite being Indias second highest scorer in Chennai with four goals. Forward Karthi and drag-flicker Jugraj, who scored two and three goals in Tamil Nadu, were also not picked.
Instead, Olympic bronze medallist Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, drag-flicker Sanjay and midfielder Abhishek will aim to help India win gold and earn a direct berth for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The team will be led by skipper Harmanpreet Singh with Hardik Singh as his deputy. India are in Pool A with defending champions Japan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore and Uzbekistan. South Korea, Malaysia, China, Oman, Thailand and Indonesia are in Pool B. Harmanpreet and company will open their campaign against Uzbekistan on September 24.
Chief coach Janneke Schopman, on the other hand, will be heading to Hangzhou with the same squad that went to Terrassa for the four-nation invitational tour of Spain in July the last international outing for the Indian womens team.
The Indian women’s team are placed in Pool A with South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Holders Japan, China, Thailand, Kazakhstan and Indonesia are in Pool B. The Savita Punia led team, with Deep Grace Ekka as her deputy, will open against Singapore on September 27.
“I feel very proud that the teams are on the right path to greater success. The recent Asian Champions Trophy victory in Chennai and the women’s team winning some important matches in their recent tours and the inaugural FIH Nations Cup is a testimony to the team’s determination and calibre. I have no doubt in my mind that both teams will succeed in China and win their Olympic berths,” HI President Dilip Tirkey said during a send-off ceremony in Bengaluru.
The Indian teams will leave for Hangzhou on September 19 and will continue to train in Bengaluru until then.
Mens squad: PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Sanjay, Sumit, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Abhishek, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay.
Women’s squad: Savita Punia (C), Bichu Devi Kharibam, Deepika, Lalremsiami, Monika, Navneet Kaur, Neha, Nisha, Sonika, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, Deep Grace Ekka, Vandana Katariya, Sangita Kumari, Vaishnavi Vittal Phalke, Nikki Pradhan, Sushila Chanu and Salima Tete

-To be conducted in Bangalore, Coimbatore, Kolhapur and Ahmedabad
-Participants to be provided with GT 650 during the programme
Royal Enfield has set out on a mission to make track racing more accessible for aspiring racers and motorsport enthusiasts in India. It first introduced the GT Cup and following its success, the manufacturer has introduced its track racing school. To be conducted in Coimbatore, Bangalore, Kolhapur and Ahmedabad, this initiative by Royal Enfield aims to nurture the racing culture in the country.
Royal Enfield will be using its track-tested Continental GT 650 as the training tool. Moreover, there will be a bunch of trained racing specialists to guide young racers in becoming better riders both on and off the track. The dates for the track school have already been announced. The first school will be conducted on 9 – 10 September at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore followed by 15 October in Bangalore, 5 November in Kolhapur, and 26 November in Ahmedabad. 
The Chennai-based manufacturer is looking at building a motorsport community in India and abroad. So, the track school will coexist alongside the GT Cup, Build. Train. Race. event, women’s racing and American Flat Track in the United States, DTRA flat track racing in the United Kingdom, drag racing in Europe and India, and Slide Schools in six countries.

Team India enjoys a relaxed day ahead of Asia Cup opener against PakistanThe Indian cricket team took a break in Kandy before their Asia Cup opener against Pakistan on September 2. Senior pacer Mohammed Shami shared a group photo of his teammates, including pace sensation Mohammed Siraj, promising young talent Tilak Varma, adept batter Suryakumar Yadav, and versatile

Which Asian cricketing rivalry is the spiciest? India-Pakistan, Afghanistan-Pakistan or Bangladesh-Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka, usually regarded on par with New Zealand as a nice friendly cricketing nation, get into simmering battles with Bangladesh.
In some ways, it would have been understandable had the politics centred on the birth of a nation had spilled over to the cricket field when Pakistan and Bangladesh face each other. Instead, Bangladeshs fiercest rivalry is with Sri Lanka, notwithstanding mauka-mauka taunts amongst their fans and Indias. Sri Lanka, usually regarded on par with New Zealand as a nice friendly cricketing nation, get into simmering battles with Bangladesh. (READ MORE)
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Predicted XIs
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh tip-off XI: (Left) Mustafizur Rahman, Anamul Haque and Dushan Hemantha during the practice session. (AP Photos)
Sri Lanka Predicted XI: Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Kasun Rajitha
Sri Lanka Predicted XI: Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Kasun Rajitha (READ MORE)