PV Sindhu shocks Olympic champion Li Xuerui

September 15, 2012

P_V_Shindu

 

Her exploits against Chinese shuttlers have earned Saina Nehwal the nickname of 'Dragon Slayer'. On Friday, another shuttler from Saina's own city joined in the act.

 

For some time now, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu has been talked about as Saina's successor. On Friday, as thousands of Chinese fans watched in stunned silence, the 17-year-old took a giant leap towards confirming that status with an incredible victory over newly-crowned Olympic champion Li Xuerui, 21-19, 9-21, 21-16, in the quarterfinals of the China Masters Super Series in Changzhou on Friday.

 

With the three-game triumph against China's most consistent player of the year, Sindhu proved she is the next best thing for Indian badminton. "I am extremely delighted. Though I wanted to beat her I never thought I could do it. She is in great form this year and beating her is just amazing. I began well in the third game and succeeded in maintaining that momentum," Sindhu said.

 

However, Notwithstanding the biggest win of her career, Sindhu has no plans to celebrate. "I have a match on Saturday. I know the occasion demands celebration but my concentration is only on my next match," said Sindhu, who reached her first Super Series semifinal.

 

Sindhu will now meet fourth seed Jiang Yanjiao of China in the semifinal while world No. 1 Wang Yihan (China) will take on Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand in the other semifinal.

 

There was more cheer for India when Ajay Jayaram also made it to the semifinals in the men's section after defeating compatriot and national champion Sourabh Varma 12-21, 21-14, 21-16 in the quarters. However, R M V Gurusaidutt lost to Chen Long of China 8-21, 12-21. Jayaram faces Yun Hu of Hong Kong in the semifinals.

 

Xuerui, who has won five titles this year including the Olympics and the prestigious All England Championship, had lost only once before this year this year. Incidentally, the other defeat was at the hands of Saina, in the final of the Indonesia Open on June 17.

 

Though Sindu is ranked No. 24 in the world, the Chinese did not take her lightly. The fact that their chief national coach, Li Yongbo accompanied Xuerui to the court explained how serious the Chinese were about this match. Yongbo hardly takes the courtside seat unless the opponent is of the calibre of men's world No. 2 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia or Saina.

 

But despite the support of the most famous coach of the world, Xuerui could not get past the Indian youngster. The 45-minute enthralling battle witnessed fortunes swing either way before lady luck smiled on the lanky lass from Hyderabad.

 

The daughter of former captain of Indian volleyball team, P V Ramana, Sindhu has been showing great promise for the last few years. She won the senior national title and a few minor events at the international level. But on Friday, she reached a different level. Beating a top Chinese player and that too in China is considered next to impossible in the world of badminton. But Sindhu did that with aplomb.

 

Pouncing on the net to kill the high serve, employing the deceptive but powerful smash on the rival's backhand side and displaying immaculate ability to reach anywhere and retrieve everything, Sindhu was a treat to watch.



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News Network
February 14,2020

Los Angeles, Feb 14: Tributes to the late Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers legend who died last month in a helicopter crash, will play a major role in Sunday's 69th NBA All-Star Game.

This year's annual showcase of league talent will be played in Chicago and feature numerous nods to Bryant, a five-time NBA champion who also matched a league record with four NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player awards.

Bryant, an 18-time NBA All-Star, died at age 41 on January 26 in a crash near Los Angeles that also took the life of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.

All-Star teams guided by LeBron James of the Lakers and Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks will compete to win each of the first three quarters, which will all start 0-0 and last 12 minutes.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the clock will be turned off and a final target score will be established by taking the leading club's cumulative score through the first three quarters and adding 24 points -- the number representing the jersey number worn by Bryant for the final 10 seasons of his NBA career.

The first team to reach the cumulative target score will win the NBA All-Star Game.

All-Star Game jerseys will also honor Bryant and his daughter.

Team Giannis players will wear jersey number 24 in tribute to Kobe while Team LeBron players will wear jersey number two, the number his daughter wore when playing youth basketball.

Both teams will wear jersey patches displaying nine stars, representing the nine people who were killed in the crash.

Academy Award-winning actress and Grammy Award-winning singer Jennifer Hudson, a Chicago native, will perform a special tribute to Bryant, his daughter and the others who were killed in the crash. Her performance will begin the night ahead of the player introductions.

James and Antetokounmpo each chose their squads from available starters and reserves voted and selected to the All-Star contest.

Team LeBron starters will include James, his Lakers teammate Anthony Davis, NBA scoring leader James Harden of Houston, Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers and Slovenian guard Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.

Team Giannis starters include the Greek big man, Cameroon stars Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and Pascal Siakam of Toronto and guards Kemba Walker of Boston and Trae Young of Atlanta.

A record eight All-Star Game players from outside the United States also include Frenchman Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz on Team Giannis and Team LeBron reserves Ben Simmons of Australia and the Philadelphia 76ers, Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis of Indiana and Serbian Nikola Jokic of Denver.

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News Network
March 21,2020

London, Mar 21: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has suspended all professional cricket till May 28, delaying the start of the new season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ECB took the decision following discussions with the First-Class Counties, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA).

"It was agreed that, given the current information available, a seven-week delay to the start of the season is the most appropriate approach," an ECB media statement said.

The Board also announced that it is working on three new options, including the three-Test series against West Indies, the T20 Cup and the women's schedule against India, for a possible start in June, July or August.

"Close liaison with the Government will continue, with discussions on the potential of starting the season behind closed doors and giving sports fans the opportunity to live broadcast action," the statement said on Friday.

"The potential for reduced versions of competitions, should the season become further truncated, will also be discussed."

The ECB said it will meet as needed to review the position and make further decisions as the UK situation unfolds.

"During this period of deep uncertainty it is the ECB’s first priority to protect the wellbeing of everyone within the cricket family, from players, to fans and colleagues across the game,’’ ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison said.

"The decision to delay the start of the season has been essential, given the circumstances the nation faces. I am reassured by the collaborative effort from across the game that together, we will make the very best of whatever length of season we are able to safely schedule in the coming months," he added.

He said this would give the ECB time to keep pace with a fast-moving situation and continue to plan for how a revised season might look.

"Critically, we can also remain as flexible and adaptable as possible, within the obvious restrictions we face."

Last week, England's tour of Sri Lanka was called off mid tournament in view of the rising threat of the pandemic.

"Securing the future of the game will be a primary focus as we plot a revised schedule with an emphasis on the most financially important forms of the game for the counties across international and domestic cricket," Harrison said.

The COVID-19 global death toll has climbed past 11,000 with more than 250,000 infected. In UK, close to 4000 have tested positive so far and 177 died.

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Agencies
March 15,2020

Chennai, Mar 15: Wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni has left the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) training camp following the postponement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) amidst the coronavirus scare.

The former India skipper had joined the CSK's camp earlier this month in order to practice for the upcoming IPL season.

CSK's official handle tweeted a video of Dhoni and captioned the post as: "It has become your home sir!" Keep whistling, as #Thala Dhoni bids a short adieu to #AnbuDen".

Thirty-eight-year-old Dhoni has been currently enjoying some time away from the game. He last played competitive cricket during the 2019 World Cup.

Dhoni had to face criticism for his slow batting approach during India's matches in the tournament.

Earlier this year, Dhoni did not find a place for himself in the BCCI's centrally contracted players list.

BCCI had released the list of central contract list of players for the period from October 2019 to September 2020.

On Friday, BCCI decided to postpone the IPL until April 15 as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus pandemic.

On Saturday, all the IPL franchises met in Mumbai to discuss as to how to go on with the tournament in the future.

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