Category: Sports

On Saturday, three Indian cricketers were recognized in the ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year for 2024: Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, and Deepti Sharma. This team features players from various countries, but the Indians shined the most. Besides them, the team also includes two players from South Africa and one each from Sri Lanka, England, West Indies, Australia, Ireland, and Pakistan.

Smriti Mandhana had an impressive year, starting with a great score of 54 against Australia and ending with three half-centuries against the West Indies at home. She scored a total of 763 runs in 23 matches, making her the second-best in ICC Women’s T20I batting rankings. She hit eight half-centuries and had a high score of 77, with an average of 42.38 and a strike rate of 126.53.

Richa Ghosh excited fans with her powerful batting last year. She began the year with a stunning 64 not out off just 29 balls against the UAE, accumulating 365 runs in 21 games at an average of 33.18 and a jaw-dropping strike rate of 156.65.

Deepti Sharma played a crucial role for India as an all-rounder. She took 30 wickets this year with an average of 17.80 and an impressive economy rate of 6.01. Her best performances included taking 3 wickets for just 13 runs against Nepal and 3 wickets for 20 runs against Pakistan in the Women’s Asia Cup.

The ICC team is led by South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, who had fantastic performances, including a memorable not out score of 58 against Australia. Marizanne Kapp, also from South Africa, scored a great 75 against Australia and picked up 11 wickets with her bowling.

Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu deserves recognition for her two centuries, including 119 not out in the Women’s Asia Cup final against India. The team also includes Hayley Matthews from West Indies, England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt, and Australia’s Melie Kerr, who took 29 wickets and was named Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup. Rounding out the team is Ireland’s Orla Prendergast and Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal.

ICC Women’s T20I Team of 2024:
– Laura Wolvaardt (c), Marizanne Kapp (both SA)
– Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma (all India)
– Chamari Athapaththu (SL)
– Hayley Matthews (WI)
– Nat Sciver-Brunt (Eng)
– Melie Kerr (Aus)
– Orla Prendergast (Ire)
– Sadia Iqbal (Pak)

The countdown is on for the World Padel League’s first event in India! It’s happening at the Nesco Center in Mumbai from February 5 to February 8. This thrilling tournament will feature four teams: Sohail Khan Ent. Panthers, SG Pipers Cheetahs, Game Changers Lions, and Vernost Jaguars. Each team will have eight amazing players, including five men and three women from various countries.

The tournament will kick off with an exciting match. The Vernost Jaguars, with star players Alejandro Arroyo and Alejandra Salazar, will take on the Sohail Khan Ent. Panthers, led by Marta Ortega. The second match of the opening day will see SG Pipers Cheetahs, featuring Claudia Fernandez, battle against Game Changers Lions, with Jon Sanz and Veronica Virseda.

On February 6, the Sohail Khan Ent. Panthers will face off against the SG Pipers Cheetahs. After that, the Vernost Jaguars will meet the Game Changers Lions. The league will wrap up on February 7 with Game Changers Lions facing Sohail Khan Ent. Panthers first, then the SG Pipers Cheetahs taking on the Vernost Jaguars. The top two teams from all the matches will compete in the finals on February 8.

Each team will play against every other team in a round-robin format over three days. Each match will have four sets: two men’s doubles, one women’s doubles, and one mixed doubles.

Teams and Their Players:

– Sohail Khan Ent. Panthers
– Men: Carlos Daniel Gutierrez (World No. 19), Javier Barahona (World No. 29), and more.
– Women: Marta Ortega (World No. 7), Sofia Araujo (World No. 8), and more.

– SG Pipers Cheetahs
– Men: Francisco Guerrero (World No. 21), Juanlu Esbri (World No. 25), and more.
– Women: Claudia Fernandez (World No. 3), Beatriz Gonzalez (World No. 6), and more.

– Game Changers Lions
– Men: Jon Sanz (World No. 9), Jairo Bautista (World No. 22), and more.
– Women: Veronica Virseda (World No. 12), Aranzazu Osoro (World No. 18), and more.

– Vernost Jaguars
– Men: Alejandro Arroyo (World No. 18), Lucas Campagnolo (World No. 26), and more.
– Women: Alejandra Salazar (World No. 15), Tamara Icardo (World No. 17), and more.

Come join the excitement as the world’s best padel players compete in India!

Jannik Sinner, the defending champion, showed great determination in his match against Ben Shelton on Friday. He won with scores of 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2, and is back in the final of the Australian Open, hoping to win his third Grand Slam title.

Sinner, who is the top-ranked player and just 23 years old, faced a tough challenge in the first set. He was behind and almost lost it when Shelton served at 6-5. However, Sinner stayed calm, broke Shelton’s serve, and then won the tiebreaker easily. He also started the second set with a break of serve.

“This first set was very tough, but it was really important,” Sinner said. He managed to extend his winning streak to 20 matches going back to last season.

In the last two sets, Sinner did have some issues with cramps in his legs, but he kept playing. A trainer helped him by massaging his legs during breaks. Sinner is now the youngest man to reach back-to-back finals at the Australian Open since Jim Courier did it in 1992-93. Interestingly, Courier interviewed Sinner after the match!

Sinner already won his first major title at the Australian Open last year and followed it up with another win at the U.S. Open in September. He is still waiting for a decision about a doping issue that is being reviewed, with a hearing coming up in April.

Next, Sinner will compete against No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the final. Zverev reached his third major final after Djokovic had to retire due to injury. “Anything can happen,” Sinner said about Zverev. “He’s an amazing player, and I know it will be a tense match.”

Smaran Ravichandran, a talented 21-year-old cricketer from Karnataka, made headlines on Friday by scoring a remarkable double century against Punjab in a Ranji Trophy match held in Bengaluru. He reached this amazing milestone after facing 270 balls, hitting 25 fours and 3 sixes. Thanks to his incredible performance, Karnataka took a strong lead, scoring 416 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.

On the first day of the match, Karnataka bowled Punjab out for just 55 runs, with fast bowler Vasuki Koushik shining by taking 4 wickets. Even star batter Shubman Gill could only score 4 runs during this match.

Who is Smaran Ravichandran?

Smaran Ravichandran is an up-and-coming player in Indian domestic cricket. In just a short career, he has played 5 first-class matches, 9 List A games, and 7 T20 matches, scoring over 600 runs along the way. Notably, he has made three centuries and won a match with a brilliant century in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

His journey began with a fantastic performance in the CK Nayudu Trophy, where he scored 829 runs. He also impressed everyone by scoring an unbeaten 104 runs in the Maharaja T20 Trophy. Despite facing rejection from the Karnataka senior team previously, Smaran’s hard work paid off when he was finally picked for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024/25. He proved his worth by scoring a century in the final, showing that he can shine on big stages.

In a surprising turn of events, Novak Djokovic left fans in shock during his semi-final match at the Australian Open 2025. After losing the first set 6-7 against Alexander Zverev, Djokovic had to retire due to a ‘muscle tear’ in his left leg.

The crowd at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena gasped as Djokovic walked off the court. Many fans started to boo him, but Zverev quickly stepped in to calm the crowd, saying they shouldn’t boo a tennis legend like Djokovic.

Djokovic, who had a tough quarter-final match against Carlos Alcaraz, faced accusations of pretending to be hurt so he could surprise his opponent. But in a post-match conference, he confirmed he really did have a muscle tear that made playing too painful.

“I tried everything I could to manage the pain,” Djokovic said. “But it just got too hard to handle.”

At 37 years old, Djokovic is the only one left from the famous Big Three of tennis after Rafael Nadal’s retirement last year. Andy Murray, another rival, also retired after the 2024 Paris Olympics, but he is now part of Djokovic’s coaching team.

When asked if this could be his last time playing at the Australian Open, Djokovic was unclear. “There’s a chance, but I’ll have to see how the season goes,” he said. “I love coming to Australia; I’ve had my biggest wins here. I am healthy and motivated, so I hope to return.”

Alexander Zverev, who is currently number two in the world and has been a runner-up in two Grand Slam tournaments, will play the winner of the other semi-final match between Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton.

Volodar Murzin made history in December 2023 when he won the 2024 World Rapid Chess Championship. The 18-year-old clinched the title in New York after drawing with Karen H Grigoryan in the final round, following a thrilling win against R Praggnanandhaa, where his king made a stunning move. Murzin finished the tournament with an impressive score of 10 out of 13 games, featuring seven wins, six draws, and no losses. He also scored notable victories against top players like Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. This victory made him the second-youngest rapid chess champion in history, just after Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who won at 17 in 2021.

In a surprising turn, Murzin expressed that he no longer wants to represent the Russian Chess Federation (FSHR) because all competitions are held under their banner. He also mentioned he wants nothing to do with the current leaders of the FSHR. Alexander Tkachev, the Executive Director of the FSHR, criticized Murzin, reminding him of the advantages he has received, like education and support from the country. Tkachev expressed disbelief that someone could enjoy these benefits while also criticizing Russia. Murzin currently holds a world ranking of No. 69 by FIDE with a rating of 2657. This situation could become interesting for FIDE, as its president, Arkady Dvorkovich, is known to be linked to Russian politics.

India’s hopes in the Indonesia Masters badminton tournament ended early as Lakshya Sen and the top men’s doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost in the second round on Thursday.

Lakshya Sen, who is ranked 10th in the world, had a tough match in men’s singles against Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto. After losing the first game, Sen managed to win the second but ultimately lost the match with scores of 16-21, 21-12, and 21-23 after 50 minutes of play.

The men’s doubles champions from the Asian Games, Satwik and Chirag, also faced a challenging match, losing to the Thai pair of Kittinupong Kedren and Dechapol Puavaranukroh with scores of 20-22, 21-23. They reached semifinals in their last two tournaments, but this time they couldn’t make it past the second round.

Earlier, the mixed doubles team of Dhruv Kapila and Tanshia Crasto lost a close match to Malaysia’s Pang Ron Hoo and Su Yin Cheng with scores of 21-18, 15-21, and 19-21.

In women’s doubles, experienced players Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto lost in a hard-fought match against Malaysian pair Pei Kee Go and Mei Xing Teoh, with scores of 21-13, 22-24, and 18-21.

Lakshya Sen, who has won medals in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, started his match slowly and lost the first game. Although he played better in the second game, he couldn’t keep up in the final game, trailing behind at 9-11 after making several mistakes.

On Wednesday, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and rising star Priyanshu Rajawat also lost in the first round.