Singapore Open: Saina Nehwal set to relive feat achieved in 2010

April 11, 2016

Singapore, Apr 11: Six summers ago, Saina Nehwal had stood at the podium here with the gold medal dangling around her neck and the Indian ace will hope to relive those moments by clinching the title once again when the Singapore Super Series begins here tomorrow.

Saina

Saina has played only three times in the last five editions here at the Singapore Indoor Stadium but she could not go beyond the quarterfinals. The Indian will look to cross that mark this time around when she starts her campaign against USA's Beiwen Zhang on Wednesday.

World No. 8 Saina, who had to go through a nagging injury since late last year, has reached the semifinals in the last three tournaments -- Swiss Grand Prix Gold, India Open Super Series and Malaysia Super Series Premier.

The tournament will start with the qualifiers tomorrow while the main draw will commence only a day after when besides Saina, P V Sindhu, H S Prannoy, Ajay Jayaram and K Srikanth will take the court with an eye on the World ranking.

Two-time bronze medallist at World Championship, Sindhu, who reached the quarterfinals in the last two events at India and Malaysia, will open her campaign against Thailand's Busanan Ongbumrungphan.

The 20-year-old from Hyderabad has beaten Busanan six times in the past, including a three-game victory recently in the second round of the India Open Super Series.

In men's singles, Swiss Open champion Prannoy, who is looking to seal an Olympic berth ahead of the May 3 deadline, will have a towering task of getting across World No. 1 and top seed Chen Long of China in the opening round.

The World No. 22 Indian had lost to the two-time All England and World champion, Long in straight games during the 2014 India Open.

World No. 24 Ajay Jayaram, who is also in fray for an Olympic berth, will face Marc Zwiebler, a couple of weeks after the German ended his India Open campaign in the opening round.

World No. 14 Srikanth, who was ousted in the first round in the last two events, will square off against Chinese Taipei's Hsu Jen Hao. The Indian has beaten him twice in the last two years at 2014 Denmark Open and 2015

World Championship.

In men's doubles, newly-crowned national champion duo of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar will face China's Liu Cheng and Lu Kai.

World No. 15 combo of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa will meet Korean Go Ah Ra and Yoo Hae Won in the opening round of the women's doubles competition.

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Agencies
January 23,2020

Aurangabad, Jan 23: An FIR has been registered against three people including former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin for allegedly duping a travel agent, Mohammad Shadab, of more than Rs 20 lakh.

However, Mohammad Azharuddin has refuted allegations and said: "I strongly rubbish the false FIR filed against me in Aurangabad. I am consulting my legal team and would be taking action as necessary."

Azharuddin's personal assistant Mujeeb lives in Augurangabad and has good relations with the travel agency of Shadab.

The travel agent alleged that Mujeeb asked him to book some flight tickets but did not pay the amount.

The police have booked the three under Section 406, 420 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

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News Network
June 15,2020

Melbourne, Jun 15: Star Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is the best fielder in the game right now, according to Australian batting star Steve Smith, who also rated KL Rahul as the most impressive among the younger crop.

Smith, who answered questions sent in by his fans on Instagram on Sunday, also said the Indian Premier League is his favourite tournament to play in.

Jadeja known for his quick and sharp fielding tactics has earned praise from several former players and respect from the current stars and Smith is no different.

Asked who the best fielder in the current lot of players Smith simply replied stating it was Jadeja.

When quizzed about which Indian player has impressed him the most, the Australian batting mainstay said: "KL Rahul. Very good player!"

Rahul, who has played 36 Tests, 32 ODIs and 42 T20Is for Indian, has become a regular member of the national team in white-ball cricket. Besides showcasing his skills with the willow, Rahul also bears the responsibility of being the wicketkeeper in the limited overs format.

Asked Mahnedra Singh Dhoni, Smith responded saying the former Indian skipper is a "Legend! Mr Cool". While he called the current captain Virat Kohli a "freak" when it comes to batting ability.

The Rajasthan Royals batsman, who rated his first innings his 144 at Birmingham in the first Ashes Test last year as his favourite Test knock till date, said the Indian Premier League (IPL) is his favourite tournament.

"Tough to beat the IPL. Playing with and against the best players from around the world."

India is scheduled to travel to Australian for a full series later the year and the 31-year-old said : "Can''t wait. Going to be awesome."

Asked about his opinion on India batting great Rahul Dravid, Smith said "what a lovely gentleman and seriously good player."

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News Network
July 23,2020

New Delhi, Jul 23: With one year to go for the Olympic Games to begin in Tokyo on July 23, 2021, Indian women's hockey team skipper Rani Rampal on Thursday said the side has performed well against top teams in recent times and can do the same at the Olympics.

The Indian team has competed well against top teams in the recent past and has registered memorable victories at the FIH Series Finals and the FIH Olympic Qualifiers last year.

"We have competed against top teams in the recent past and we have shown that our team has the capability of winning a medal and making our country proud at the Olympics. We have a good group of experienced players, who are guiding the junior players very well. Our team has been getting better with each tournament we have played and we will definitely improve our game even further in the next one year," said the 25-year-old said in a statement.

Speaking about her participation at the Olympics, Rani said that the experience will help her make better decisions at the Tokyo Olympics.

"It was great to be a part of the Olympics in Rio. We made history by qualifying for the tournament after 36 years. It was a great feeling to be playing at the biggest of stages. Even though we didn't register the best of results, I have certainly learned a lot by playing the Olympic Games matches in 2016. I am sure all the players, who played in the 2016 Olympics, will make much better decisions on the pitch at the Tokyo Olympics, based on their experience in Rio," she said.

The Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, while the Paralympics will take place from August 24 to September 5, 2021.  

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