He was a talismanic midfielder who played the game on his own terms with fitness being key to his success
One of the finest fast bowlers in current times, Mohammed Amir would be pitted against the talismanic Virat Kohli in what could turn out to be a battle primarily between India's vaunted batting line-up and against Pakistan's potent bowling attack.
Anything less than the gold medal will be a disappointment for the Indian men's hockey team at the Asian Games in Indonesia, veteran midfielder Sardar Singh said on Friday.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Apart from Mirabai, the four other Indian lifters were placed in groups C and D, failing to finish even in the top 20 at the Worlds, earlier this month.
Away from the 50-over format for a while, India were placed third while mainstay Virat Kohli held the second position in the batting chart in the latest ICC ODI rankings released in Dubai on Friday. India were positioned third with 110 points behind Australia (124) and New Zealand (113). With 813 points in his kitty, Kohli was only behind South African talisman AB de Villiers and a place ahead of another experienced Protea Hashim Amla in the batting list.
Already assured of a place in the Rio Olympics, Asian Games champions India will start their preparations for the mega-event with the 24th Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament where they would face Korea in their opening match in Ipoh on Sunday.
Leonard Barsoton of Kenya and Ethiopia-based Bahraini athlete Desi Jisa set new course records in the men's and women's elite international section en route to winning titles at the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K marathon.
Veteran midfielder Sardar Singh was on Friday dropped from India's 18-member squad for next month's Hockey World League Final, while the fit-again Rupinder Pal Singh and Birendra Lakra made comebacks.
India cricket captain Virat Kohli and weightlifter Mirabai Chanu were on Monday recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna by the awards selection committee.
The 33-year-old kept churning out world titles, proving that his game was getting better with age and there was a long way to go before his hunger for trophies could be satiated.
A fearless competitor who used brain and brawn in equal measure, Subhas Bhowmick was one of the most fascinating characters in Indian football through the 1970s with his muscular built and equally expressive carefree opinions.
Real Madrid suffered an almighty fright before a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick hauled them back from 2-1 down and gave them a 4-2 win over rank outsiders Kashima Antlers in the Club World Cup final on Sunday.
Paralympic gold-winners Avani Lekhara, Sumit Antil, Pramod Bhagat, Krishna Nagar, Manish Narwal were also given the Khel Ratna at a dazzling awards ceremony on Saturday.
Manchester United said on Tuesday it was commencing a process to explore strategic alternatives, including a new investment or a potential sale, 17 years after the American Glazer family bought the English Premier League soccer club.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
A top official of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) says he does not see any Indo-Pak bilateral series taking place next year owing to the strained relations between the two countries. Najam Sethi, who heads the PCB executive committee, said that it was highly unlikely Pakistan and India will play a bilateral series next year.
One of cricket's greatest players passed into the ages on Monday. Rediff.com salutes the legend.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Badminton World No 1 Lee Chong Wei hinted that retirement was on the horizon after the emotional Malaysian sealed his 10th national championship in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
If you don't have power in a game you are masters of, the world will walk all over you, notes Shekhar Gupta.
Young striker Dilpreet Singh scored a hat-trick as India crushed Oman 11-0.
Roelant Oltmans fully understands what a men's hockey medal would mean to India's success-starved fans but the Dutch coach will not burden his players with the pressure of bringing one home from the Rio Games.
The FIFA World Cup knock-out phase kicks-off on Saturday in Qatar. Here's an overview of the teams advancing to the last 16.
India had more good days than bad with the Ravi Shastri-Virat Kohli combination at the helm of affairs and, as the cracking partnership of nearly seven years comes to an end, here's a look at their major achievements.
The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has banned hockey goalkeeper Akash Chitke for two years after he tested positive for a prohibited substance earlier this year.
Ramandeep Singh scored two fine goals as the showpiece subcontinental hockey encounter between arch-rivals India and Pakistan ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw in the World League semi-finals at the KHC Dragons Stadium in Antwerp.
As the year 2016 draws to a close, vote for the best Indian sportsperson of the year.
Sharath is the lone Khel Ratna award recipient, 25 sportspersons, including shuttlers Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, woman boxer Nikhat Zareen, track and field athletes Eldhose Paul and Avinash Sable, were conferred with the Arjuna Award.
IMAGES from soccer matches played on Monday.
Four-time champions Pakistan produced a lion-hearted performance before going down 0-1 to Olympic bronze medallist Germany in their opening Pool D match of the 2018 Hockey World Cup.
This past week, the Indian hockey team recorded a rare Test series win against world champions Australia. It was a significant achievement by the men in blue - hockey, not cricket - as it was for the first time in four years that India had beaten Australia.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Tuesday shifted the 50-over Asia Cup from India to United Arab Emirates as the Board of Control for Cricket in India could not procure permission from the central government to host Pakistan.
Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday honoured the former hockey players for their achievements and contribution to the country.
Led by young flag-bearer Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, the athletes, clad in blue suits, waved to the crowd with small flags in their hands.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews conceded that it will be 'very hard to beat India' in the ICC Champions Trophy Group B match in London, on Thursday.
New stars emerged on the horizon in Shubhankar Sharma and Ajeetesh Sandhu even as familiar faces strengthened their stranglehold by picking up their own set of titles in a season of new highs for Indian golf.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
An Olympic campaign saved by the fortitude of three women, a cricket team that rediscovered itself under a bold and zealous Virat Kohli -- Indian sports in 2016 was a dramatic mix of highs and lows wherein athletes mostly raised the bar but administrators found new ways to embarrass the country.
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