'I see an unjust personal attack by some players, probably due to sheer jealousy.'
A day before the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan clash in the World Championship of Legends Cricket 2025, several former India cricketers have reportedly pulled out of the fixture, fearing backlash from fans.
Akanksha, 26, will take on Delhi's teen sensation Anahat, who rallied to beat state-mate Tanvi Khanna 3-11, 11-5, 11-0, 11-9, in the title round.
'Looking at this Asia Cup, there is a big game on the 14th, India versus Pakistan. With everything that has happened between the two countries over the last two months, how will you approach that game?', asked a reporter.
'She is now a role model for the upcoming young generation. And I am sure that this victory will definitely motivate and inspire the Indian women, and those who are coming up.'
'It's a tough setback, but I'm determined to do the hard work and come back stronger. Thank you for all your messages of support. I'll be back faster and stronger.'
Needless to say, his next big target is to finish on top of the podium at the World Athletics Championships.
The two sides are set to face each other in the semi-finals of the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL), but deepening diplomatic strains and strong public sentiment in India have cast serious doubt on whether the match will actually take place.
Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the Diamond League 2025 Final in Zurich, Switzerland, scheduled to be held on August 27 and 28.
This is the first-ever India vs Pakistan final across 17 editions of the Men's Asia Cup since the tournament's inception in 1984.
AB de Villiers rolled back the years with a blistering unbeaten century as South Africa Champions crushed Pakistan Champions by 9 wickets to win their maiden World Championship of Legends (WCL) title.
Slowly but surely emerging as one of India's key players, International Master Divya Deshmukh stunned higher-ranked compatriot Harika Dronavalli 2-0 in the tiebreaks to enter the semifinals of the FIDE World Women's Chess Cup in Batumi, Georgia.
The report said she was detained on the evening of July 27 and released the following day.
World Champion D Gukesh suffered his second straight defeat at the FIDE Grand Swiss, losing to Greece's Nikolas Theodorou in the sixth round in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
Women's World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh, who has also qualified for the Women's Candidates, has opted out of the women's section to compete with the best in business.
Jefferson-Wooden's winning time was short of the 10.65 seconds she ran in the US track and field championship at the start of August, but only bettered this year by Olympic champion Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia.
Michael Phelps has launched a scathing attack on USA Swimming's leadership, with the 23-times Olympic gold medallist branding the body weak and demanding sweeping reforms
Kajal wins India's second gold in women's competition at U-20 World Championships
While the mind games will go on in the last two games and a potential tiebreaker, American Hikaru Nakamura and world number one Magnus Carlsen feel that the balance had tilted slightly in Ding Liren's favour.
The former World Champion reaches the pre-quarterfinals for the first time since 2021.
The nerves were all too familiar for the former world No 1 Deepika who has failed to win a medal despite qualifying for multiple Olympic Games.
World Champion D Gukesh went down to world's youngest-ever Grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra of the US in the fifth round of the FIDE Grand Swiss.
Karishma Kotak is the kind of woman who turns a hallway into a runway in her signature style.
In a sparkling show by India's women wrestlers at the Under-17 World Championships, four grapplers annexed the titles here on Thursday and at least two more are in gold medal contention.
'The publication of such rumours is intended solely to disrupt and damage my sporting and professional career.'
American Abhimanyu Mishra, 16, became the youngest-ever player in the history of chess to beat a reigning World Champion in the classical format.
Avinash Sable eyes personal best and World Championship redemption
R Praggnanandhaa sealed his spot in the Grand Chess Tour finale after finishing runner-up at the Sinquefield Cup.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced a blanket ban on its players' participation in future editions of the World Championship of Legends (WCL), accusing the tournament organisers of being "biased" and lacking sporting integrity.
AB de Villiers isn't tempted to a return to international cricket or a high-profile tournament like the Indian Premier League (IPL) despite proving his insatiable appetite for piling up runs in the World Championship of Legends.
Anahat Singh finished runner-up at the NSW Squash Bega Open 2025 after an ankle injury forced the youngster to retire midway during the final on Sunday.
Out of the 14 DL meetings, four have men's javelin throw on their roster.
Manoj Tiwary shared his thoughts on whether the India-Pakistan clash should take place
The 24-year-old Sen, a bronze medallist at the 2021 edition, went down 17-21, 19-21 in 54 minutes.
Ahead of the Asia Cup, former Indian cricketer Surinder Khanna shared his views on whether the India-Pakistan clash should be played
Joshna Chinappa continues to push boundaries despite being on the wrong side of 30s
Sachin Tendulkar marvelled at India's rise in newer disciplines, while Abhinav Bindra paid tribute to all those who "silently carry the athletes forward" as the two icons offered their views on India's sporting growth on National Sports Day.
China's Ding Liren stormed back in fine fashion with a victory against Gukesh Dommaraju in Game 12 of the World Chess Championship 2024 to level the match at 6-6.
Star long jumper Murali Sreeshankar clinched his third straight title after coming back from a long injury lay-off as he won the event at the Qosanov Memorial Athletics Meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Saturday.
Star Indian shuttlers P V Sindhu and H S Prannoy advanced to the second round of women's and men's singles competitions respectively with straight-game wins at the BWF World Championships in Paris on Tuesday.
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