PCA names upcoming stadium after erstwhile Patiala ruler
Chandigarh: The Punjab Cricket Association has decided to name its upcoming stadium near here after the last ruler of erstwhile Patiala state, late Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, who had played a Test match for India in 1934. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting chaired by association president Rajinder Gupta. The erstwhile ruler is the father of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. The PCA has also started renovating its existing Inderjit Singh Bindra Stadium in Mohali by upgrading its infrastructure. (IANS)
Serena Williams is fit and ready to play after 6-month break
Lexington (US): Serena Williams flexed and then kissed a sinewy right bicep to show down time well spent in training even without bench pressing. “This is God given, thank you very much,” the 23-time Grand Slam champion said as she thanked her mother, Oracene. Williams now looks to flex her muscles on a tennis court for the first time in six months. She is preparing for the inaugural Top Seed Open that opens Monday near Lexington, a recently added hard court tournament that serves as a tuneup for this month’s US Open in New York. The WTA’s first event in the U.S. since March features a spectator-free field that includes sister Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam winner herself, Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens and rising star Coco Gauff. Serena Williams, ranked No. 9, is competing for the first time since playing for the US in the Fed Cup in February. The pandemic quickly shut everything down the next month, forcing an extended layoff. Williams has a history of blood clots and pulmonary embolisms that have affected her lung capacity. She has been “super, super careful” in avoiding exposure to COVID-19. (AP)
Players will have to follow COVID-19 rules: Lee on IPL 13
New Delhi: Players will follow the bio-secure protocols in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE, according to former Australian fast-bowler and commentator Brett Lee. Lee said that players should learn skills like playing the guitar, an instrument that he is famously good at, if they feel bored inside the bio-bubble. “Firstly, for your health, the most important thing to do is to make sure you social distance and to make sure you adhere by the COVID standards, so I don’t reckon any player would want to go out and do the wrong thing,” Lee said on the Star Sports show Cricket Connected. “It’s also for their teams and their fans because if the IPL didna¿t happen, it would be a catastrophe, wouldn’t it? Around the world, people want to see cricket, they are missing the sport. (IANS)
Saina Nehwal begins training
New Delhi: London Olympics bronze-medallist Saina Nehwal has resumed training at a separate facility in Hyderabad after the coronavirus-induced break and is likely to join the national camp at the SAI Pullela Gopichand Academy in a couple of weeks. Saina is one of the eight Olympic hopefuls who have been allowed by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to resume training at the SAI Pullela Gopichand Academy from August 7 following the Telangana government’s approval on August 1. However, the former world No.1 has, for the time being, decided to train with shuttler husband Parupalli Kashyap and 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt at a different centre near the Gopichand academy. “We have been training at a centre near the Gopichand academy for a week now. It is a small facility. We started with the basics as it was after a long time that we were hitting the court,” Kashyap, a former Commonwealth Games champion, told PTI. “Saina has just joined. She will probably start training at the Gopichand academy in a couple of weeks. She wants to get fitter and reach a decent level. She has sought the permission of Gopi sir and discussed it with new Indonesian coach Agus Dwi Santoso,” he added. (PTI)
Sehwag expresses his love for dogs
New Delhi: Dashing former India opener Virender Sehwag is known for his love for dogs and on Sunday he once again took to social media to express the same. “Dogs do speak, but to those who know to listen,” Sehwag said in an Instagram post with a picture of him standing with his two dogs. On Saturday, opening pair of batting greats Sachin Tendulkar and Sehwag joined hands once again, this time to bless Yuzvendra Chahal after the India leg-spinner announced his engagement with choreographer and YouTube personality Dhanashree Verma. “Congratulations @yuzi_chahal & Dhanashree! Wishing you both all the best for the new innings,” Tendulkar wrote on Twitter. “Waah @yuzi_chahal! Aapda ko avsar mein badal daala. Congratulations,” Sehwag said in a tweet. (IANS)