Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan on Thursday posed faith in his teammates to repeat the 1996 World Cup winning feat as the strong sub-continental contenders geared up for the quadrennial extravaganza.
With Kapil Dev-like instinctive captain in Mahendra Singh Dhoni and champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar in their ranks, India are the hot favourites to win the Cricket World Cup starting in the sub-continent from February 19, says 1983 edition winning team-member Kirti Azad.
Government sources also said there was no question of any discussion on the issue as it is India's sovereign matter but added that Modi will update the Chinese President on the matter if there is a query.
On his arrival, Xi will be welcomed by traditional peformances including 'tappu' folk drum art display at the airport by about 500 artistes.
Two of the three Indian boxers, who had alleged manipulation in the World Championship trials, were, on Saturday, let off with warnings by the National Federation even as the third was summoned to appear before the disciplinary committee on September 30.
India midfielder Manpreet Singh will take over the captaincy from PR Sreejesh in the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat next month, marking the hockey team's first major tournament after the retirement of Sardar Singh.
The three Indian boxers who alleged manipulation in the World Championships trials have submitted their response to the show cause notices issued to them by the national federation and a decision on their fate will be taken by September 20.
India cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar was conferred with the Bharat Ratna by President Pranad Mukherjee at a ceremony in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Former all-England badminton champion Pullela Gopichand has been honoured with all major sports awards - the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna and Dronacharya. His experience taught him a lot and today, he coaches badminton champ Saina Nehwal. Gopichand tells Urmila Rao of Careers 360, how his career took shape.
The Commonwealth Games gold medallist wrestler's journey started in 2005 from a little known tehsil in Beed district called Patoda.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) suspended Asian Games gold medallist boxer N Dingko Singh pending inquiry after he allegedly assaulted a woman weightlifter in Manipur.
Described as the third most corrupt institution in the country, Sri Lanka Cricket came in for some criticism from former captain and Parliamentarian Arjuna Ranatunga, who claimed the money from TV rights deal has "gone into pockets of some individuals."
Statistical highlights of the third day's play in the first Test between India and Sri lanka in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
Top woman boxer L Sarita Devi has threatened to return the Arjuna award she was conferred last year and quit representing the country if the 'injustice' of dropping her from the Asian Games squad is not looked into by the sports minister.
Legendary sprinter Milkha Singh criticised boxer Sarita Devi for refusing to accept the bronze medal during the Incheon Asian Games victory ceremony last year, saying it was not proper to protest that way.
Veteran sailor and Arjuna awardee Farokh Tarapore and team-mates Balraj, S S Yadav, Atool Sinha and Trunal Helegaonkar won the selection trials for the 16th Asian Games, to be held in Guangzhou, China, in November. Tarapore will thus represent the country for the eighth consecutive time at the Asian Games since his debut in 1982, an unprecedented feat in any other discipline.
Former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga has savaged Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi, blaming him personally for India's disappointing World Twenty20 campaign earlier this year.
The BJP has named sitting MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy as its nominee on the politically important seat.
The 22-year-old golfer is the fifth and the youngest Indian to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
P V Sindhu secured her fifth World Championships medal following a stunning comeback while B Sai Praneeth became the first Indian male shuttler in 36 years to grab a podium place in badminton's prestigious event, in Basel, on Friday.
The 2 countries signed 15 agreements including one on defence cooperation after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held 'productive discussions' with President Joko Widodo.
Though the Indian government has certainly moved ahead in the direction of making these awards more transparent in terms of selection process, further corrections/additions in policies will be prudent in making the system better, says 2004 Athens Olympics silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
Chicken pox has rendered Saina Nehwal doubtful for next month's World Badminton Championships even though the ace shuttler remains hopeful of competing in the high-profile event at hometown Hyderabad. Saina, who named among the Arjuna award winners on Wednesday, was down with mild fever since Saturday and it was only on Wednesday that she was diagnosed with chicken pox and advised complete bed rest for the next few days.
Xi and Modi are scheduled to hold informal summit talks on Friday evening and on Saturday.
After warming up with a stunning 1-0 win over defending champions Japan, India will open their campaign in the women's Asia Cup hockey tournament against Singapore in Bangkok on Friday.
Asian Games gold medallist Jitu Rai has been recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for his exploits in pistol shooting in the last two years although he couldn't win a medal in the Rio Olympics. "Yes, we have recommended Jitu's name for Khel Ratna award," National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) secretary Rajiv Bhatia said. NRAI has also recommended woman rifle shooter Apurvi Chanela and men rifle shooters Gurpreet Singh and PN Prakash for the Arjuna Awards, according to Bhatia.
In a surprising development, Sri Lanka Cricket chairman Arjuna Ranatunga was on Tuesday sacked for not cooperating with the company or players, and the interim committee headed by him stands dissolved with immediate effect. Minister of Sports and Public Recreation Gamini Lokuge dissolved the SLC interim committee and appointed the secretary to the Ministry of Sports and Public Recreation, S Liyanagama, as the "competent authority" until further notice.
Embarrassed by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh's failure to turn up for the Padma Shri awards last Wednesday, the government issued a notification saying National sports awards, like the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dhronacharya and Dhyanchand, will be withdrawn if the recipient is absent from the ceremony without intimation.
The new player contracts include a freeze in annual retainers for senior players but substantial increases for junior members of the national squad and A team. Test match fees were also increased, bringing Sri Lanka's match fees in line with their Asian neighbours.
'Karna is the greatest warrior in the Mahabharata -- in fact, Arjuna is a nobody in front of Karna.' 'But Arjuna had a better advisor in Krishna than Karna.' 'Karna failed because he listened to the wrong advice given by Salya.' 'It just shows wrong advisors can land even the mighty in trouble.'
Set to become the first Indian to win all the national sports awards, former All-England badminton champion Pullela Gopichand on Tuesday said being honoured as both player and coach has put a responsibility on him to take the game forward in the country.
The country's Sports Ministry worked closely with the International Cricket Council's (ICC) ACU during the process of drafting the bill.
Dinesh Chandimal will captain Sri Lanka in the T20 series against New Zealand in place of regular captain Lasith Malinga who has been forced out due to an injury, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on Tuesday.
A complaint has been lodged at the Barasat women's police station in North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, where the 24-year-old Arjuna awardee has been booked under the IPC sections for rape, criminal conspiracy, causing miscarriage without the woman's consent and cheating, the police said.
Nishantha Ranatunga, brother of Sri Lanka Cricket chairman Arjuna Ranatunga, has been appointed the new manager of the Sri Lanka team.
Sri Lanka's World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga has challenged the Sports Ministry's decision to sack him as Sri Lanka Cricket chief in the Supreme Court.
Badminton legend Prakash Padukone discusses India's prospects at the Beijing Games.
India's badminton doubles specialist and newly-appointed coach Jwala Gutta is known for being feisty. Not one to take things lying down, the Arjuna Awardee ripped apart a Twitter troll who called her mother anti-Modi.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
India's legendary sprinter Milkha Singh said on Wednesday that doping is like cancer and the government needs to take some strict measures to curb this menace.
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