Bajrang bags third World C’ship medal, Ravi grabs first on debut
Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan): Shrugging off his controversial semifinal defeat, Bajrang Punia bagged his third World Championship medal while Ravi Dahiya made his debut memorable by grabbing a bronze here on Friday. Bajrang was already India’s only multiple-medallist at the Worlds and he consolidated his record with his narrow 8-7 win over Mongloia’s Tulga Tumur Ochir, the under-23 Asian champion. Bajrang held off a spirited challenge from Ochir who had raced to a 6-0 lead but true to his style, the Indian ruled the second period with a flurry of moves. He had won a silver medal last year and a bronze in the 2013 edition in Budapest. It was Bajrang’s first tournament of the season where he did not make the final though he qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in this championships. “I will never forget what they did to me. I was so heartbroken that I did not even want to fight for bronze today,” Bajrang told PTI, referring to his controversial semifinal defeat against home wrestler Daulet Niyazbekov. (PTI)
PKL: Puneri Paltan beat defending champions Bengaluru Bulls 42:38
Pune: Pankaj Mohite was in superb form as the raider helped Puneri Paltan beat defending champions Bengaluru Bulls 42-38 in the final match of the Pune leg of Pro Kabaddi League here on Friday. Mohite, with 17 raid points, was ably supported in the defence by Pune’s Surjeet Singh and Sagar Krishna, as the result helped the home side jump to 8th place on the points table. Bengaluru’s top raiders Pawan Sehrawat and Rohit Kumar picked up Super 10s but they were found wanting against a stronger and cleverer Pune side. Bengaluru might have started the match as favourites but the home side showed their true potential in a fiercely fought first half. (PTI)
Faf set to miss flight to India
Dubai: With the Test series set to get underway from October 2, Faf du Plessis has left for India as he will join the South African squad for the longest format. But sadly, he is set to miss the connecting flight to India from Dubai due to a delay from British Airways. Taking to Twitter, du Plessis broke the news and wrote: “Finally on a plane to Dubai after a 4 hour delay . Now I’m gonna miss my flight to India, next flight is only 10 hours later.” Meanwhile, the Indian team after winning the second T20I against South Africa in Mohali reached the Garden City on Thursday and some of the players hit the ground to fine-tune their skills under the watchful eyes of head coach Ravi Shastri. With the first game in Dharamshala washed out, the Indians came out all guns blazing in the second game and with skipper Virat Kohli leading from the front, the Men in Blue thrashed the Proteas by 7 wickets. (PTI)