Sania, Ankita head Indian team in Billie Jean King Cup play-offs
New Delhi, March 16: Veteran player Sania Mirza and the country’s best singles player Ankita Raina will lead India in the next month’s Billie Jean King Cup World Group Play-offs away tie against Latvia as the AITA named a five-member team on Tuesday for the tournament. The five-member team also has Karman Kaur Thandi, young Zeel Desai, who is making steady progress, and Rutuja Bhosale. Riya Bhatia, who was a playing member last year, will be the reserve player of the team, which will be captained by Vishal Uppal. The two-day away tie will be played from April 16 on the indoor hard courts at the National Tennis Centre, Lielupe, Jurmala. India had qualified for the World Group Play-offs for the first time after finishing second in the Asia/Oceania Group I tie, held in Dubai in March 2020 while Latvia lost 2-3 to USA in their group. (PTI)
Long distance runner’s A sample tests positive for banned substance
New Delhi, March 16: Uttar Pradesh’s long distance runner Sunil Vishwakarma’s bid of making it to this year’s Tokyo Olympic Games seems to be crumbling after he tested positive for a banned substance, said a national level coach. The ‘A’ sample of the 23-year-old athlete has tested positive for Erythropoietin (EPO), a performance enhancing drug banned by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA). A NADA team had collected 10 urine samples during the eighth National Race Walking Championship held last month in Ranchi. Of these, one athlete has failed the dope test. This is Vishwakarma’s first offence. His ‘B’ sample, however, is yet to be tested. Athletes could face a four-year ban for the first doping offence if proven guilty during NADA’s anti-doping disciplinary panel hearing. (IANS)
Indian Football team in Dubai, training from Monday
New Delhi, March 16: The 27-member squad of the Indian football team for their upcoming international friendlies against Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will have their first training session in Dubai next Monday. India play Oman on March 25 and face the UAE on March 29. The squad landed in Dubai on Sunday and had a meeting with coach Igor Stimac late evening. The friendly matches are India’s first in over a year. Their last international fixture was in November 2019 when they played in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. (IANS)
Dinamo Zagreb coach quits after receiving prison sentence
Zagreb, March 16: Zoran Mamic quit as Dinamo Zagreb’s coach after Croatia’s Supreme Court confirmed his nearly five-year prison sentence for tax evasion and fraud, just days before the Croatian champions play a Europa League match against Tottenham. Mamic has no further avenue for appeal, and will have to go to prison upon receiving the formal notification of the court ruling. Mamic and his brother Zdravko, a former Dinamo Zagreb executive director, were charged with embezzling the equivalent of $18 million from the sale of Dinamo Zagreb players to foreign clubs, and for tax evasion worth $2 million. Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric was a key witness during the trial, testifying about his financial deals with the Mamics. Zoran Mamic was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison. (AP)
NCR Golf: 3 golfers share lead
Gurugram, March 16: The Chandigarh duo of Ajeetesh Sandhu and Harendra Gupta, along with Delhi’s Honey Baisoya, were tied for the lead with six-under-66 in the first round of the Delhi-NCR Open golf championship here on Tuesday. Delhi-based Rashid Khan, currently the highest-ranked Indian in the world at 311, and Bengaluru’s Trishul Chinnappa occupied tied fourth place, one behind the leaders, at five-under-67 at the Golden Greens Golf Club. Asian Tour winner Sandhu began the day with birdies on the first two holes, including a 15-feet conversion on his opening 10th hole. Another 15-feet birdie conversion followed on the 16th for Sandhu. He was a promising four-under at the turn, having drained a birdie on the 17th too. However, on the front-nine, he missed scoring opportunities on the greens and managed just two more birdies. (IANS)
