IMAGES from the Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Captain Virat Kohli allayed his own injury fears and then termed India's 28-run win over South Africa in the first T20 International "one of our most balanced performances" in recent times.
The consequences of failure are nowhere more devastating than at a World Cup, where two previous finals and five semi-finals have been decided by the gut-wrenching lottery of penalties.
Peru captain Paolo Guerrero has promised to give his Australian counterpart Mile Jedinak 'a big hug' before Tuesday's match between the teams as a thank you for his personal support in overturning Guerrero's drug suspension.
Australia captain Mile Jedinak hammered in a 38th-minute penalty for handball awarded by the VAR to draw the Socceroos level at 1-1 with Denmark at in their World Cup Group C match in Samara on Thursday.
Kings XI Punjab skipper George Bailey had every reason to have a broad smile on his face as his side put up a "clinical" show, recording their fourth win in a row and said their spin duo of Karanveer Singh and Akshar Patel gel well together.
Simona Halep's brave Australian Open campaign but the exhausted Romanian hit a dead end in the final as she crumbled in a thriller against Caroline Wozniacki.
Unseeded Elise Mertens has extended a breakout year to storm into the semi-finals of her Australian Open debut by keeping a cool head and honing her technical skills.
The Czechs are bubbling with confidence after three straight wins.
Fine goalkeeping by Gianluigi Buffon denied the Danes full points from the Group C match.
South Africa have named uncapped batsman Theunis de Bruyn in their injury-hit squad for the three-match home Test series against Sri Lanka that starts on December 26.
It's less than a year since he made his debut, in the first Test against India at Mohali, but Kagiso Rabada has emerged South Africa's leading cricketer. The 21-year-old fast bowler was named South African's youngest ever Cricketer of the Year and also scooped up five other awards at a gala hosted by Cricket South Africa.
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea will have a scan on a knee problem he suffered warming up for their 2-1 Europa League defeat by Danish side Midtjylland on Thursday.
"I think she will win a Grand Slam. Which one and when I don't know, but definitely clay is a good surface for her."
Top-seed Andre Agassi easily advanced to the quarter-finals of the Washington Classic with a victory over Kristian Pless.
Spain's double World champion Fernando Alonso and Britain's Jenson Button will drive for McLaren next season, the Formula One team announced on Thursday.
Russia's Elena Vesnina ousted German second seed Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California on Tuesday.
Barely 24 hours after UEFA found the Italian playmaker guilty of "gross unsporting conduct" a website has launched a game "Spit with Totti".
Stars who put their best foot forward fashion wise!
Italian Pierluigi Collina will replace Kim Milton Nielsen who was ruled out after picking up a foot injury.
The 24-year-old Indian went down to Anders Boesen of Denmark in the last 16.
The top seed will face Kenneth Carlsen in the semi-finals after the unseeded Dane beat American Jan-Michael Gambill at the Kroger St Jude ATP event.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Earlier in the day, Karolina Pliskova became the first woman to advance when the big-hitting Czech curbed her attacking instincts to beat compatriot Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-4 and record her second win against a single loss in White Group play.
East Bengal will take on Mumbai FC in the I-League behind closed doors at the gigantic Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Kriragan in Kolkata as police deployment is not possible because of municipal elections in the Kolkata.
Swiss tennis star Martina Hingis has said that Li Na's retirement was a loss to world tennis, while also crediting the Chinese ace of raising the game's profile in her home country and across Asia.
It was day of mixed results for India at the US$750,000 Denmark Open Super Series in in Odense on Friday, as Kidambi Srikanth fought back brilliantly to shock World No 1 Victor Axelsen and enter the semis after Saina Nehwal crashed out of the event following her quarter-final loss to Japan's Akane Yamaguchi.
Russian qualifier Daniil Medvedev stunned home favourite Kei Nishikori in Tokyo on Sunday, winning the final of the Japan Open 6-2, 6-4 in just over one hour.
New Zealand continued their invincible run by notching up a comfortable seven-wicket win over South Africa to seal their semifinal spot at the ICC Women's World Twenty20, in Bengaluru, on Saturday.
The second-half strike gave Belgium a 1-0 win that saw them move into the second round as Group G winners over England, though victory means they face much the tougher half of the draw.
Long throw-ins a perfect secret set-piece weapon
Leg-spinner Sune Luus grabbed five wickets for just eight runs in a sensational bowling spell as South Africa crushed Ireland by 67 runs in their second group match of the Women's World Twenty20 cricket tournament in Chennai on Wednesday.
Earlier, Mithali Raj scored 62 off 50 balls while teenager Jemimah Rodrigues smashed 44 off 34 balls as Indian women scored a competitive 166 for 4 in 20 overs against South Africa in the fifth and final T20 International, in Cape Town on Saturday.
The Indian women's cricket team would be aiming for quick recovery from a rare setback when it takes on South Africa in the fourth Twenty20 International, where a win would give the visitors an unbeatable series lead, in Centurion, on Wednesday.
