David Luiz says he remains happy at Chelsea and has welcomed the promise of an exciting new era of attacking football at Stamford Bridge with the arrival of Maurizio Sarri into the managerial dugout.It is a stark change from the end of last season, when the 31-year-old was widely tipped to leave the club where he has spent five-and-a-half seasons after a fallout between himself and the former manager Antonio Conte.That, along with injury woes, left Luiz a long way from the Chelsea team last year. He made just 17 appearances last season but, with Conte gone, Sarri has started him in both pre-season games and has Luiz committed and optimistic for his future in west London. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! “I came back to Chelsea to stay here,” Luiz said. “When I took my decision to come back here from Paris it was to win the Premier League and to do something again with Chelsea, so I am very happy here.””I love this philosophy. We play high, with a lot of possession of the ball, in a technical way. He’s trying to help us every single day to quickly learn his philosophy, to do our best for Chelsea. You guys know me – I like to be happy, to enjoy my life.”We have the best job in the world. He came with this idea as a human being, so I think if you’re not happy to do your job it doesn’t matter if you’re a footballer or not. We have to be happy to do our best. A new philosophy always takes time. But it also depends on us.”We are dedicated every day and doing things every single day in training, especially in this beginning with these friendly games – we are trying to learn quickly. It depends also on us. It is a physical and tactical challenge in pre-season, every single aspect every day, physical, tactical, technical. Football depends on everything. It is not just tactical, it is not just physical, you have to try every single day.“Yes, it is a challenge for everybody. It is good to have fantastic players, more than just 11. You have many players that can play in the starting 11, so it is a positive challenge for everybody. We are trying to train really hard every single day, double sessions, to learn quickly. It’s not just like that, we’re doing that every single day.”Luiz is hugely respected at Chelsea having made close to 150 appearances in his time at the club, while winning Premier League and the club’s first Champions League trophy in the blue shirt.He has welcomed £57m (€65m/$86m) Jorginho, who signed from Napoli along with Sarri at the beginning of pre-season. Jorginho has quickly established himself as a pivotal player in Sarri’s system and Luiz believes that the Brazil born Italy international is ‘top class.'”He’s a fantastic player, I’m so happy to play with him,” he added. “He’s top, top class. He always wants the ball, he’s always in good space, always creates a line to pass. He knows already the philosophy of our coach, so I’m so happy to have this kind of player in our team.”
Chelsea followed up their pre-season 1-0 win against Perth Glory with a penalty shootout win over Inter in the International Champions Cup on Saturday.Luiz has partnered 17-year-old Ethan Ampadu in both of his side’s pre-season games so far, with Arsenal coming up next in Dublin. Luiz believes Ampadu has proven that he is already “a man” in his appearances in the Chelsea shirt.“He’s a fantastic boy, a fantastic player. He’s humble, he has his feet on the ground, he tries to learn every day,” Luiz continued. “He’s 17, almost 18 but for me he is already a man playing football, he’s great for me to have this opportunity with this youngster who is already a man.”I have played with many players, different age, different times of life, so it is great to a player like him here. I try to advise him with many things, I have seen a lot of things in my career have lived a lot of things in my career, so I try to help him in the best way because he deserves the best advice.”
Dendoncker excited by Wolves move
Leander Dendoncker is relishing the chance to test himself in the Premier League after completing his move to Wolves from Anderlecht.The 23-year-old was the only member of Roberto Martinez’s Belgium World Cup squad to play football in his homeland at club level, but he has now joined several of his compatriots in the Premier League.Dendoncker has moved to Molineux on an initial season-long loan, with the deal expected to be made permanent next summer for £12m ($15m). Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! Having spent the last five years of his career with Anderlecht, where he has picked up two league titles, a move to one of Europe’s biggest leagues has beckoned for some time, and he is looking forward to playing for Wolves.Last season’s Championship winners have had an extremely busy summer in the transfer market, bringing in a host of new faces for their return to the top tier of English football, including Joao Moutinho, Adama Traore and Diogo Jota.Speaking to Wolves’ official website following his move, Dendoncker said: “I’m very happy to be here and I hope I can help the team as fast as possible.”I’m very excited to start. I followed Wolves a little bit last year and saw they did really good, they took 99 points and won a lot of games with attractive football.”I think it’s an ambitious club and that’s what attracts me the most. I’m ready to give everything.”Dendoncker has been given advice on the English game by his fellow Belgium internationals and is hoping the transfer will help him to improve.He added: “I’m excited by the challenge. They say the Premier League is like playing in the Champions League every week and I don’t think that’s a lie, I think the best players are in the Premier League.”I’ll do everything to give my best.”They say it’s the biggest league in the world, that it’s really nice to play every week in the Premier League,”They told me to come here, that I would become a better play. We will see.” Check out Goal’s Premier League 2019-20 fantasy football podcast for game tips, debate and rivalries.
Srimaka sacked as Thailand U-23 boss
BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter Thailand U-23 head coach Worrawoot Srimaka has been sacked by the Thai FA, following the team’s failure to shine in the Asian Games men’s football event.Srimaka’s charges only finished in third place in Group B, behind Uzbekistan U-23 and Bangladesh U-23, and failed to advance to the knockout stage. They drew 1-1 against Qatar U-23, 1-1 against Bangladesh, before losing 1-0 to Uzbekistan. In comparison, neighbouring Southeast Asian countries Indonesia and Malaysia reached as far as the round of 16, while Vietnam have booked a spot in the semis. Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! In the 2014 edition, Thailand U-23, then led by legendary former Thailand international Kiatisuk Senamuang, reached fourth place in the tournament.The 46-year old’s sacking was confirmed by Thai FA president:”Srimakha paid me a visit on Friday, asking for a chance to improve, which I carefully considered. (But) after the freedom to work without any intervention that he had been given, without delivering proper results, there will be no further chances given to him.”He has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect, and I believe he’ll understand. We thank him and his staff for their hard work all these years,” he was quoted as saying.The former AFC Champions League and AFF Championship winner had first taken the rein in 2016, and in his first stint he led the team to the Dubai Cup title, the 2017 Southeast Asian Games gold medal, and the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship finals.He was replaced by Bulgarian coach Zoran Janković for the finals in early 2018, but was put in charge again for the Asiad.
‘That makes you old!’ – Beckham trolls Zlatan over 500th goal
David Beckham joked that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is “really, really old” as he lauded the LA Galaxy superstar following his 500th career goal.Ibrahimovic joined Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi as the third active player to score 500 goals between club and country during the Galaxy’s 5-3 loss to Toronto in MLS on Saturday.The 36-year-old striker celebrated the milestone thanks to an outrageous roundhouse finish – Ibrahimovic spinning and volleying with the outside of his foot in the first half. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! Former Galaxy captain Beckham, who played alongside Ibrahimovic at French champions Paris Saint-Germain, heaped praise on Sweden’s all-time leading scorer.”500 goals! That makes you really, really old.” David Beckham congratulates @Ibra_official on #Zlatan500 pic.twitter.com/RIS7178Zbt— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) September 17, 2018″Zlatan, I want to say congratulations,” Beckham said in a video shared by the Galaxy”500 goals. What a career, what a player, what an achievement. Pleasure to play with you and against you. Pleasure to be your friend.”500 goals… that makes you really, really old. But on a serious note, congratulations mate.”One thing you need to work on. You’re a little bit shy. So, work on it. You’ll get better. Congratulations mate. Incredible.”ARE YOU SERIOUS? #Zlatan500 in the most Zlatan way possible. pic.twitter.com/CSvyF9vszv— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) September 16, 2018After starting his career at Malmo (18) in Sweden, Ibrahimovic has gone on to score goals for Dutch giants Ajax (48), Juventus (26), Inter (66), Barcelona (22), AC Milan (56), Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United (29).Ibrahimovic was PSG’s top goalscorer with 156 goals before Edinson Cavani broke his record in January.
Real Madrid soundly beaten by Sevilla
Real Madrid suffered their first LaLiga defeat of Julen Lopetegui’s reign on Wednesday, as they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by an Andre Silva-inspired Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.Lopetegui’s side were hoping to make the most of Barcelona’s loss at Leganes earlier in the day, but they were taken apart by Pablo Machin’s Sevilla and rarely looked like clawing their way back.Madrid had no answer to the hosts in the first half, with a Silva brace and Wissam Ben Yedder volley leaving Los Blancos stunned at the interval. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! Any chance of a comeback appeared to vanish early in the second half when a goal from Luka Modric – named the Best FIFA Men’s Player on Monday – was correctly disallowed by VAR, and Sevilla were ultimately good value for the win.3 – Real Madrid have lost by three goals margin at the first half of a LaLiga game for the first time since November 2003, also against Sevilla at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan (4-0). Pain. pic.twitter.com/P9OfvQOvxT— OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 26, 2018Madrid struggled to cope with Sevilla’s intensity and the hosts deservedly went ahead 17 minutes in – Pablo Sarabia releasing Jesus Navas after intercepting Marcelo’s wayward pass and the winger teed up Silva for a simple finish.Navas was vital to Sevilla’s second four minutes later, devastating Madrid on the break before Thibaut Courtois parried his shot right to the lethal Silva.Gareth Bale and Franco Vazquez were thwarted by the frame of the goal before the half-hour mark, but Ben Yedder was not denied when he slammed Vazquez’s header into the top-left corner six minutes before the break.Madrid stepped things up after half-time, but VAR prevented Modric from pulling one back and Sevilla almost capitalised, only for Bale to block Guilherme Arana’s six-yard effort.Bale was kept out by a fine save from Tomas Vaclik when one-on-one just after the hour mark, and Modric was withdrawn as Lopetegui looked to avoid further damage ahead of El Derbi. What it means: Madrid dented before the derbyAll of a sudden, Madrid look entirely beatable, and Atletico Madrid are not a side known to have mercy. Saturday’s derby is even more tantalising for this defeat, with Sevilla showing Lopetegui’s side have plenty of weaknesses to exploit. Diego Simeone and Atletico will surely be licking their lips at the prospect of really putting the pressure on their rivals at the Santiago Bernabeu.Vazquez oozes classHe may not have found the net, but Vazquez had no equal on the pitch with respect to his craft and captivating nonchalance. Time and time again, the Argentina international sliced through Madrid’s lines, while he also calmed Sevilla with his composure on the ball and got an assist for Ben Yedder’s goal.Benzema disappearsKarim Benzema has enjoyed a decent start to the season, but at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan he was utterly anonymous. Although Bale missed some good chances, at least he could pinpoint some valuable contributions. Benzema, on the other hand, was rightly hooked after an hour.Key Opta facts:7 – @WissBenYedder’s last nine shots on target for Sevilla in all competitions:Hunter. pic.twitter.com/cW9nKQwDi4— OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 26, 2018- Madrid have lost more LaLiga away games against Sevilla than versus any other side in the 21st century (11).- Machin is the only head coach to have won twice against Madrid in LaLiga since the start of last season (two wins).- Sevilla have beaten Madrid in four straight home league games for the first time since January 1958 (five).- Benzema has played more LaLiga away games without scoring against Sevilla than versus any other side (eight). The Frenchman has failed to score with any of his 15 league shots at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan (five on target).What’s next?Madrid will hope to get back to winning ways against Atletico, while Sevilla travel to Eibar in the hunt for a fourth straight victory. read more
IPL 2017: Mumbai beat Gujarat, Pune defeat Bangalore
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India, Egypt under-16 football teams to play friendly matches
By Youssra El-Sharkawy Cairo, Apr 19 (PTI) An India-Egypt Friendship Cup football match series for Under-16 teams will be held in Egypt on April 22 and 23 as part of India at 70 and India by the Nile (IBN) cultural festival. Indias Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya said during a press conference today that the football series is in fulfillment of the objective of Prime Minister Narendra Modis recently launched campaign “Mission 11 Million” (MXIM). “The mission is to promote football as a sport and healthy life choice among children of India. It is now unfolding across India in schools and colleges to start playing football when they are still very young,” the ambassador said. Indias Under-16 football team, which will visit Egypt from April 20 to 25, will play two matches against Egypts Under-16 national team. Members of this team are Youth Ambassadors of India.”The team will play two friendly matches with their counterpart from Al-Ahly club in Cairo and Smouha club in Alexandria on 22 and 23 April,” the ambassador said. The visit is the first ever by an Indian football team to Egypt to play matches with their Egyptian counterparts. The ambassador added that this will deepen the friendship between India and Egypt, strengthen people-to-people contacts, promote youth exchange and build new bonds between the players on both sides. The football series is being organised by The embassy of India in Egypt, in collaboration with Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, All India Football Federation, Al-Ahly Club, Smouha Club and Embee Group. “We believe that our young footballers will return to India with positive experiences of high-level football, training techniques and new friendships. Further, this could open the avenue for closer cooperation in football and other sports between the two countries,” the ambassador said. PTI YES PDS PDSadvertisement
Coolpad Cool Play 6 with 4600mAh battery, dual rear camera set up launched
Chinese company Coolpad has unveiled a new smartphone named Cool Play 6 in its home country. The smartphone has been announced at 1499 Yuan and will be sold in Gold and Black colour variants. The phone sports a metal build and the main highlight of the phone is its dual rear-camera set up. The smartphone also features a fingerprint scanner at the back along with the company’s logo.The Cool Play 6 sports a 5.5-inch fullHD display with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution. The smartphone dons a metal unibody design giving phone a premium look. In terms of storage, Cool Play 6 comes loaded with 6GB RAM along with massive 64GB internal storage which can be expanded via microSD card. The smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 653 64-bit octa-core processor paired with Adreno 510 GPU. Cool Play 6 runs latest Android 7.1.1 Nougat with company’s custom UI on top. Cool Play 6 is backed by a non-removable 4060 mAh battery which claims to offer to up to 252 hours on standby.Also Read: Coolpad Note 5 Lite with 3GB RAM, front LED flash launched at Rs 8,199On the camera front, Cool Play 6 comes with a 13MP dual rear camera set up with phase detection autofocus and dual tone LED flash technology. On the front is an 8MP selfie-shooter with /2.2 aperture. The dual SIM smartphone includes connectivity options like VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB Type-C port. The device will go on sale starting May 16 in China with no words on India availability yet.Coolpad recently launched its budget smartphone-Coolpad Note 5 Lite in India. The smartphone is an addition to company’s Note 5 series and come with a sleek metal body design. The device is available in Gold and Grey colour variants. On the specs front, Note 5 Lite sports a 5-inch HD IPS display with scratch resistant 2.5D curved glass on top. The smartphone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and is powered by quad-core MediaTek MT6745 processor, Mali-T720 GPU paired with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The phone is backed by 2,500mAh battery.advertisement
PCB to review Arthur & Cos performance after CT
Karachi, Jun 8 (PTI) The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will review the performance of national team head coach Mickey Arthur and support staff after the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has indicated in an interview that the performance of the coaches and support staff would be scrutinised by a committee which will submit its report to the board of governors after the Champions Trophy. “It is a wrong impression that we have formed another committee to probe Pakistans defeat to India. That is not the case. Before the Champions Trophy I had already formed this committee to look into the performance of the teams support staff,” Shaharyar said. He said the committee included former Test players Mudassar Nazar and Haroon Rasheed, who are already working in senior positions in the Board. “Win and loss are part of the sport and no panic button is being pressed because of the defeat to India. But this committee has been asked to talk to the players and support staff and gather feedback on their performances. We have been observing things and have got information from our managers,” he said. Shaharyar said although there was concern over the inconsistent batting performances of the team but otherwise the feedback about batting coach Grant Flower and even trainer Grant Ludon was good. “Everyone we have spoken to says the batting coach is doing well. But obviously he has been there for nearly four years and we want to see more results,” he said. Shaharyar also noted that contracts of some of the support staff were due for reviews after the tournament. PTI Cor SSC SSCadvertisement
Harry Kane looks to ‘role model’ Cristiano Ronaldo for pathway to success
Harry Kane has dreams of holding aloft the Ballon d’Or trophy like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi but the Tottenham Hotspur striker knows his club must start collecting silverware if he is to have any chance of such individual success.Ronaldo is on course to win his fifth Ballon d’Or after helping Real Madrid to La Liga and Champions League success and Kane, 23, said the Portuguese forward was a great role model.”Who wouldn’t want to win that big gold trophy? It’s definitely something I aspire to do,” Kane told reporters when asked about the Ballon d’Or.”Doing that, you have to win the big tournaments, for club and country. Ronaldo won the Euros and the Champions League… Messi’s in a similar situation.”To do that, it isn’t just individual, I think it’s part of a team thing as well, winning team trophies. That’s hopefully what we can do at Tottenham.”Kane, who scored 29 goals in 30 Premier League games last season, said he hoped to emulate Ronaldo’s big-game mentality.”You see him do that game in, game out, in the finals, in the semi-finals,” Kane said of Ronaldo’s goal-scoring record in the knockout stages of the Champions League.”That’s what I aspire to be. Ronaldo’s a great role model, a fantastic player. That’s hopefully something I can achieve one day.”Kane will be in action on Saturday when Group F leaders England face Scotland in a 2018 World Cup qualifier. England then face France in a friendly on June 13.
Selected children of Delhi Police personnel to be trained as
sportspersonNew Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) Selected children of Delhi Police personnel will be trained in collaboration with the sports ministry so that they can compete at the Olympics level.The children will be trained in five types of sports – athletics, shooting, badminton, football and wrestling, an official release said.A function was held today at New Police Lines, Kingsway Camp here on the completion of a month-long trial in the first phase of the initiative, during which 178 of 569 children who participated, were selected for training.Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik was present at the event.In collaboration with the sports ministry, the children who have been shortlisted will be imparted training to make them grow as sports achievers, the release said. PTI SLB NSD
Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford steps down before Zimbabwe series
Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford has stepped down after 15 months in his second stint with the team, the cricket board announced on Saturday.South African Ford, who first coached Sri Lanka between 2012 and 2014, rejoined the team in February last year, signing a contract until the 2019 World Cup.The 56-year-old led the team to memorable Test and twenty20 series wins over Australia but Sri Lanka’s performance this year has been inconsistent with the team suffering their first ever Test loss to Bangladesh and a whitewash in South Africa.They could not make the semi-finals of this month’s Champions Trophy either.”We have to thank Fordy for his invaluable contribution to Sri Lanka Cricket,” board president Thilanga Sumathipala said in a statement.”This was a decision arrived at mutually after careful consideration and deliberation..we are indeed sorry to see him go. We wish him the very best in where his path lies.”Ford previously worked with English county club Surrey and was the director of cricket at Kent.”It’s been a privilege to work with these talented young men over the past 15 months. Their passion for the sport is inspiring, as is indeed this nation’s,” Ford said.”I wish Sri Lanka Cricket and the boys the very best, and I must offer a word of advice to the young men – Always believe in yourself, believe in your team, and play from your heart.”Sri Lanka host Zimbabwe in a five-match one day international series starting on Friday.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 render leaks again, flaunts 6.3-inch display, dual cameras
Anticipation about the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 is rising almost every passing day. A report leaked last week revealed that Samsung may delay the launch of the Note 8 to September, which was earlier tipped to launch on August 26. Now a newly leaked image of the purported Note 8, which is going to succeed last year’s Note 7 shows that the device with sport dual cameras at the rear. The renders further highlight that the upcoming Note 8 may come with a 6.3-inch display.Rumours and leaks about the Note 8 has been surfacing online for quite some time now. One of which confirms that the upcoming device will be much bigger in size when compared to the Note 7, which was launched last year, but failed to gain much success due to battery issues and explode incidents reported by the users worldwide. Now a newly leaked image posted on Weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging site show the Note 8 from both front and back side. As per the leaked image, Note 8 will come with a 6.3-inch display screen. On the other hand, a previously leaked rumour suggested that the device will come packed with a screen much bigger than 6.2-inch and offer an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. This means that Note 8 is going to be the first ever device by Samsung to come with 4K resolution.Photo Credit: WeiboApart from the display, the leaked render on Weibo further confirm dual rear cameras for the Note 8. Similar to the previous rumours, it reveals that Note 8 will come packed with dual cameras at the rear and will sit at the top centre on the device. That being said, Note 8 can possibly be the first dual camera phone by the South Korean company. Meanwhile, Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI Securities has revealed that Note 8 will sport a 12-megapixel wide-angle CIS (CMOS image sensors) which will be coupled with dual photodiode and enable users to capture better low-light shots. While the secondary camera will sport a 13-megapixel telephoto CIS with dual 6P technology and 3X zoom.advertisementAlso Read: Galaxy Note 8 could be the most expensive phone by Samsung: ReportAnother report leaked a few days ago suggests that upcoming Note 8 will supposedly be the most expensive device by Samsung until date, much more expensive than its predecessor Note 7. Going by the report, Note 8 is expected to be priced around $900, which is roughly around Rs 58,045. While on the specification front, the device is expected to run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS. Furthermore, Note 8 is rumoured to come in two variants, one with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835, while the other variant is expected to come with Exynos 9810 processor. While another report suggests that the Note 8 will be backed by a 3200mAh battery set-up. However, these specs should be taken with a pinch of salt for now.
Bhutia to join Premier Futsal despite AIFF association
Mumbai, Jul 13 (PTI) Indian football great Bhaichung Bhutia will join the Premier Futsal as its talent director despite being involved with the AIFF, which does not recognise the venture. The former captain will be heading its Indian amateur talent hunt programme. “Premier Futsal League has emerged as a category-defining offering in the Indian sporting landscape. It is a great honour for me to be a part of such a tournament,” Bhutia said in a statement here. Dinesh Raj, managing director, Premier Futsal League said, “It is a matter of great pride and honour for us to have a personality of Bhaichungs stature to be a part of Premier Futsal.” Interestingly, the 40-year-old Bhutia is also involved with Indian football and All Indian Football Federation in multiple roles. Meanwhile, Brazilian football superstar and former FIFA Ballon dOr winner Ronaldinho will be visiting Mumbai tomorrow and explore his future with Premier Futsal, a variation of football played indoors. PTI NRB AH AH
Pre-Independence sporting heroes of India
India has been blessed with some of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen across a wide variety of sports. Cricket is arguably the most followed sport in the country ever since our dominance in field hockey faded away but even before that India had made its name in other sports like football and track and field.Before our independence in 1947, there were some athletes from India who made the country proud, especially at the Olympics. Hockey was one such sport which India dominated for over three decades, winning eight gold medals, the most by any country at the Summer Games.From 1928 to 1956, the Indian men’s hockey team remained unbeaten winning six gold medals in succession with a 30-0 unbeaten streak.Even before great sportspersons like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Prakash Padukone and Milkha Singh made their names in their respective sports, India had some legendary athletes in its arsenal led by the greatest hockey player to walk on this planet – Dhyan Chand.So let’s rewind the clock and take a look at five legendary Indian athletes from the pre-independence era.Norman Pritchard (Track & Field)Born to British parents in Calcutta in 1877, Norman Pritchard was the first Indian athlete to win a medal at the Olympic Games.Representing India, Pritchard participated in the men’s 200 metres, 200 metres hurdles, 110 metres hurdles, 60 metres sprint and 100 metres sprint at the 1900 Summer Games in Paris.Pritchard won silver medals in 200 metres and 200 metres hurdles, thus, becoming the first Indian and first athlete representing an Asian nation to win an Olympic medal. He had made it to the final of 110 metres hurdles, but did not finish, and also participated in the 60m and 100m sprints, in which he failed to qualify for the finals.advertisementPritchard was also an equally talented football player and is credited with scoring the first hat-trick in an open football tournament in India, for Saint Xavier’s College against Sovabazar in July 1897.He was also the secretary of the Indian Football Association from 1900 to 1902 before moving to Great Britain in 1905. Pritchard then shifted base to the United States where he adopted the name ‘Norman Trevor’ and acted in silent films in Hollywood and also appeared in several Broadway shows.Mohammed Salim (Football)Mohammed Salim was one of the greatest footballers India has ever produced. Salim was born in Calcutta in 1904 and quickly gained a name in football first joining Bowbazar and then going on to play for the B team of Mohammedan Sporting Club.Legendary sports administrator Pankaj Gupta took notice of Salim’s talent and recruited him to play for his club Sporting Union where he spent five years from 1927-31.Salim then played for East Bengal Club in 1932 before joining Aryans Club a year later. But he returned to Mohammedan SC soon after and helped the club win the prestigious Calcutta Football League title five years in a row.In 1936 Salim became the first player from India to represent a European club as he was signed by Celtic FC after a trial he gave in bare feet and in front of 1000 club members.He made a debut for Celtic in a 5-1 victory against Galston and scored a goal through penalty. He stayed at the club for a season before heading back to Mohammedan SC as he was feeling home sick. Salim was also offered a professional contract to play in Germany but he declined that as well.Vijay Merchant (Cricket)Vijay Madhavji Merchant was a revered cricketer from India in the pre-independence era. Born in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1911, Merchant was a fine right-handed batsman with a first-class average of over 71 having played 150 matches in which he amassed 13,470 runs with 45 hundreds, 11 of which were double tons.Merchant made his Test debut for India against England at the Gymkhana ground in Bombay (now Mumbai) in December, 1933. Merchant scored 23 and 30 as India lost the match by 9 wickets.Merchant loved to bat against England and in the two tours there he amassed over 4000 runs combined, which just goes to show how good he was against fast bowlers on seaming tracks. Merchant played a starring role in the Manchester Test in 1936 when he slammed 114 and added 203 runs with Mushtaq Ali (112) to help save the match as India trailed by 368 runs.Such was Merchant’s prowess with the bat that English cricketer C.B. Fry once said, “Let us paint him white and take him with us to Australia (for the Ashes) as an opener.”Throughout his career, Merchant played 10 Test matches and scored 859 runs at 47.72 with three hundreds and as many fifties. His life after retirement revolved around cricket administration, broadcasting and writing.advertisementRanjitshinghji (Cricket)The man who invented the famous leg glance and late cut, Maharaja Jam Saheb of Nawanag or Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, was probably the greatest batsman to have played cricket in the pre-independence era. He had an unorthodox in technique, had quick reflexes and he brought a new style to batting which completely revolutionised the game.Ranjitsinhji never played for India but inspired everybody back home to take up the sports across generations. He was the first Indian to play international cricket and represented England and Sussex.Ranjitsinhji made his Test debut for England against Australia in July 1896 and scored 62 and 154 not out at Manchester. From 1895 he exceeded 1000 runs in 10 successive seasons, passing 3000 in 1899 and 1900.From 1896 to 1902, Ranjitsinhji played 15 Test matches and scored 989 runs at an average of 44.95 with two hundreds and six half-centuries. He got out on a duck only two times in his career.Ranjitsinhji led Sussex for five years from 1899-1903 and his name became synonymous with the club. First-class cricket saw Ranjitsinhji score 24692 runs in 307 matches at an average of 56.37 with 72 hundreds along with that he also took 133 wickets.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named its oldest first-class cricket tournament – Ranji Trophy – in honour of Maharaja Ranjitsinhji. Ranji Trophy began in 1934 and is still India’s premier domestic tournament.Dhyan Chand (Hockey)He is the greatest hockey player ever, period!Unlike in other sports where people compare players from different era’s but still find it hard to pronounce one true champion, fortunately that is not the case with hockey.Ask any field hockey player from the current or past generations and they will have just one name in mind when it comes to the greatest of all time – Dhyan Chand.Born in Uttar Pradesh, Chand played a starring role when India completed a hat-trick of Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936 in field hockey during the nation’s most dominant phase in the sport.Known for his extraordinary goal-scoring feats and ball control, Chand scored over 400 international goals in his career. He was conferred the Padma Bhushan award after he retired from the Army with the rank of Major in 1956.Talks are ongoing for the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, to be conferred upon Dhyan Chand, especially after cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar received the honour in 2013.Of all the matches that he played during his 22-year long career (1926-48), Dhyan Chand considers the 1933 Beighton Cup final between his home team Jhansi Heroes and Calcutta Customs as the best one.”If anybody asked me which was the best match that I played in, I will unhesitatingly say that it was the 1933 Beighton Cup final between Calcutta Customs and Jhansi Heroes. I had a team which was determined to do or die. It was a great match, full of thrills, and it was just opportunism that gave us the victory,” the legend was quoted.advertisementLegend has it that Adolf Hitler was so impressed by Dhyan Chand’s wizardry with the stick in the 1936 Berlin Olympics that he offered him German citizenship and the post of Colonel in his army, which the Indian declined with a smile.Dhyan Chand’s younger brother Roop Singh was also a legendary hockey player and was part of the 1932 and 1936 Olympic gold-medal winning teams. Roop Singh and Dhyan Chand were labelled the hockey twins after the duo scored a staggering 24 out of the 35 goals in the 1932 Los Angeles Games against Japan and USA with the younger brother scoring 13 goals while Chand scored 11.
Amit Shah unveils statue of Deendayal Upadhyaya in Bhopal
Bhopal, Aug 18 (PTI) BJP president Amit Shah, who arrived here today for a three-day visit, unveiled a statue of Deendayal Upadhyaya, founder-leader of the erstwhile Jan Sangh and the partys ideologue.Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Bhopal Mayor Alok Sharma were present as Shah unveiled the statue near the citys Lal Ghati square.Shah was accorded a warm welcome by the chief minister and other party leaders, including Kailash Vijaywargiya and Prabhat Jha as well as state party president Nandkumar Singh Chauhan, when he landed at Bhopals Raja Bhoj Airport. A large number of BJP workers, many of them sporting saffron turbans, led Shahs entourage to the state party office.Local party functionaries said among those who turned up to greet Shah while on his way to the state party office were members of the Muslim community.Shah will attend a series of meetings with local party leaders, including state functionaries, core group members, spokespersons, MPs, MLAs and district presidents, during his three days packed with party programmes, Chauhan said.Central office bearers from the state will also be attending the brain-storming sessions.The visit is part of the BJP chiefs 110-day nationwide tour to strengthen and expand the partys support base ahead of the 2019 general elections.Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP has been in power for over a decade, are due next year. PTI ADU MAS GK NM MIN
Nubia Z17 Lite with dual rear cameras and Snapdragon 653 launched, availability from September 6
ZTE under its Nubia branding has launched a new smartphone dubbed as Nubia Z17 Lite in China. The phone succeeds the Nubia Z17 smartphone which was launched back in June. The device comes in Blue, Black, and Gold colour options and is priced at 2,499 Yuan, which approximately Rs 24,700. The phone will be available for buying from September 6.Nubia Z17 Lite specsThe key highlights of the new Nubia Z17 Lite include dual rear cameras, Quick Charge 3.0 and a rear mounted fingerprint scanner. Following the edge-to-edge display trend, the Nubia Z17 Lite sports a 5.5-inch Full-HD TFT edge-to-edge display with 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution. The phone features a metal unibody design and the display is protected by laying a Gorilla Glass over it.The Nubia Z17 Lite is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 653 SoC coupled with the Adreno 510 GPU and 6GB RAM. There’s 64GB of internal storage with no support for expansion. The phone runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system with Nubia’s own UI 5.0 skin.Just like its predecessor, the Z17 Lite also comes with dual rear cameras. There are two 13MP cameras , one is Sony’s IMX258 sensor for colours and the other is Sony IMX258 sensor for monochromatic.Also Read: Nubia Z17 with Snapdragon 835, 8GB RAM launched: Specs, price and moreThe smartphone is fuelled by a non-removable 3200mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 fast-charging support. One of the other key highlights of the phone is DTS sound support for good audio playback experience.Nubia Z17 specsThe Nubia Z17 is available in China only and there are no words on its India availability yet. Like the Z17 Lite, the smartphone sports a dual camera set up at the back and is powered by powerful Snapdragon 835.advertisementThe smartphone sports a 5.5-inch display with 1920×1080 pixel resolutions and comparatively slimmer bezels than the previous Nubia phones. The device comes with dual rear cameras -23MP +12MP along with features like 2x optical zoom, 10x digital zoom, and real-time bokeh effect. There is a fingerprint sensor placed below the rear cameras. There is a 16MP camera on the front.The smartphone comes three variants- 6GB RAM /64GB storage memory, 6GB RAM/128GB storage, and 8GB of RAM /128GB of internal storage. The smartphone is backed by a 3200mAh battery with NeoCharge quick charging technology support.
Pakistan welcome end of isolation from international cricket
Even Pakistan’s prime minister did not believe it could happen but when Sri Lanka visit the eastern city of Lahore on Sunday for a T20 match, the hosts will celebrate the end of eight years of isolation from international cricket.Less than a year ago, none of this appeared possible for a nation that had largely been shunned by international teams since 2009 due to security risks.That year gunmen attacked a bus carrying the Sri Lanka team from their hotel to Lahore’s Gaddafi stadium for a Test match, injuring six players and killing six security personnel and two civilians.The incident forced Pakistan to play their home matches in the United Arab Emirates and the country has since remained starved of international cricket at home, apart from Zimbabwe’s limited-overs tour in 2015.Last year, the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL), based on the franchise model of the Indian Premier League and Australia’s Big Bash League, became a success though all the matches were played in the UAE.Things changed in March this year when Pakistan hosted the final of its domestic T20 competition featuring high-profile international players.”Even that baby step seemed an impossibility. I can tell you that none of the franchises wanted it, they were scared … the government was scared…the players were scared,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi told Reuters in an interview.The match proved pivotal in changing the global cricket community’s opinion of Pakistan’s ability to host international matches and garnered support from cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC).advertisementThe months leading up to the final were filled with endless negotiations with the government, persuading domestic franchise owners and convincing players that security was under control.”I had two meetings with the prime minister, I raised it with him, he heard me out, he didn’t give me an opinion, he said we will think about it closer to the event,” Sethi said.AP PhotoAs the match drew closer Sethi became desperate, sending then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif numerous requests “from various quarters” in the hope that he would make a favourable announcement.Sharif’s office did not respond to requests for comment.Weeks before the final was to be played Sharif made the announcement that it could go ahead.”I think he saw the wisdom of it and took the risk,” said Sethi.ALMOST WENT UP IN SMOKEIn mid-February, less than a month before the final, a suicide attack outside Lahore’s provincial assembly killed 13 and wounded 83.”There was doom and gloom over here. The franchises came to me and said nothing doing,” Sethi recalled.A series of late night phone calls and endless meetings with players and franchise owners ensued. The PCB insisted that adequate security measures were in place.Despite assurances, two days before the match, four international players pulled out, leaving the board 48 hours to find replacements.”Luckily we had every contingency arrangement in place,” Sethi said.After the final, Sethi went to work on bringing an international World XI to Pakistan with the support of the ICC.An international security company hired by cricket’s world governing body gave Pakistan the green light.Then came the work of assembling a high-profile team for the three-match series.”I said unless and until you give me top quality players, no way,” Sethi said.Once the players were finalised, administrators and fans were thrilled to welcome a star-studded World XI team led by South Africa captain Faf du Plessis.”There was huge tension,” Sethi said, adding that despite all the planning, the PCB was still on edge during the series.”There were all these calculated risks but in the end it worked out,” he addedNext on the list was Sri Lanka, whose players were reluctant to tour Pakistan after the events of 2009.AP PhotoOn a trip to Colombo, Sethi talked about how Pakistan had always toured Sri Lanka even during the civil war, which ended in 2009, when other countries refused to visit.”I told them we need you now, when you needed us we were there for you,” he said.With Sri Lanka’s visit confirmed, Sethi is confident that international cricket in Pakistan will soon be fully restored.West Indies have committed to playing a three-match series but the dates are still undecided.”I have two other countries lined up who are ready to come,” Sethi said. “By the end of 2020 I think every cricket country would have come and played in Pakistan.”
Coaches need to be respected, rewarded: Gopichand
Mumbai, Dec 6 (PTI) Backing the view of shuttle ace Prakash Padukone, Indias national badminton coach, Pullela Gopichand, today said sports coaches need to be respected and rewarded for new players to emerge.”I completely agree with Prakash sir. Its very important that coaches need to be looked at, its high time we looked at it because we should have looked at it in the past 10 years and we haven?t. And it?s not only badminton but across all sports; this is for me the most important thing which is there,” Gopichand said here today.”Coaches need to be respected, coaches need to be rewarded, coaches need to be awarded and people should be motivated to take up coaching,” said Gopichand on the sidelines of the function to announce a grass-roots talent hunt plan by his academy with IDBI Federal Life Insurance.A few days ago Prakash said that it was high time the badminton-governing body in the country, BAI, Sports Authority of India and the sports ministry looked at coaching the coaches by inviting top foreign coaches to do the job.”We treat Indian coaches differently, foreign coaches differently. I?ll have to say this openly, but there?s not a single rupee of remuneration which any of the coaches in the past have got from either the federation or the SAI. It?s time they start looking at coaches differently, start looking at coaching differently. And unless we do that we can?t sustain the ecosystem of sports,” he explained.advertisement”I think this is an aspect which, for the last few years, has been a challenge of the entire ecosystem which brings the best players back into the sport. And creating good coaches doesn?t end with giving them good training. It is the entire ecosystem which is important. A coach needs to be respected.”I?m sure everyone has these challenges in the teaching profession as well. The best mind doesn?t get into teaching. Likewise, we also face the same challenges with coaching. Coaches need to be trained, need to be motivated, need to be recognised, need to be rewarded. All these are important.”In the entire ecosystem of the sport, how many coaches do we know from various fields? Even sportspersons, reporters, and myself, we would not know so many of them. Also, how much of pay we give them is also important,” he remarked.”The best models in the world are where they?re coached at and athlete-centric and system-driven and unfortunately we?re far away from that model,” he added.Gopichand also expressed concerns over the cramped international calendar of the Badminton World Federation.”I think they?ve cramped the calendar too much. It?s unfortunate the kind of thinking that the BWF has. And I don?t agree to what they have in terms of getting players to play so many tournaments. And there are players who?re already getting injured, performances have not been consistent at all and it doesn?t help the players cause when they have to continue to push themselves to play so many tournaments.”There?re so many ways of ensuring that the sport is promoted and cramping up the calendar and forcing the players to play is not a very good idea,” he added.On the new service rule announced by the BWF, he said “I approve of it.”As per the new rule, the shuttle should be below 1.15 metres from the surface of the court at the instant of being hit by the servers racquet. PTI SSR NRB SDM
UP Council adjourned amid uproar
Lucknow, Dec 14 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council witnessed uproarious scenes on the opening day of the Winter session with an agitated opposition creating ruckus leading to the adjournment of the House for the day. Right from the word go, Opposition members raised issues relating to law and order, alleged shortage of fertilisers and seeds and EVM malfunctioning in the recent civic polls in the state and trooped into the Well, derailing the proceedings. SP members sported caps with slogans written on them and displayed banners despite repeated appeals from the Chair to maintain order.Adding to the din, the BSP members kept shouting from their seats. Amid uproar, Chairman Ramesh Yadav adjourned the House for half an hour. When the House re-assembled, similar scenes were witnessed again and it was adjourned till noon.Questions listed for the day could not be taken up in the din. As the House met at noon, it was action replay. SP and Congress members again trooped into the Well and raised slogans against the government. SP members even hurled paper balls towards the podium. Some BSP members sporting blue caps stood in their seats and shouted slogans. Despite the din, some legislative business was transacted. Soon afterwards, the Chair called it a day sensing the belligerent mood of the opposition members. PTI NAV SMI DV