Dravid’s son cracks unbeaten 100 in Vijay Merchant Trophy match
Mulapadu (Andhra Pradesh), Dec 13: Batting legend Rahul Dravid’s son Anvay cracked an unbeaten century for Karnataka in the drawn Vijay Merchant Trophy match against Jharkhand here on Friday. Batting at No. 4 Anvay remained unbeaten on 100 off 153 balls, striking 10 fours and two sixes as Karnataka scored 441 for 4 from 123.3 overs on the final day of the three-day match. First, he was involved in a 167-run stand for the third wicket with Syaamantak Anirudh (76), and then shared 43 with Sukurth J (33) for the fourth wicket. Opting to bat first, Jharkhand were earlier all out for 387 in 128.4 overs. Karnataka secured three points for taking first innings lead while Jharkhand got one. Anvay captained the Karnataka Under-14 team last year and recently smashed an unbeaten 200 for Bangalore Zone against Tumkur Zone in the KSCA U-16 Inter-Zonal tournament. Anavay’s elder brother, 19-year-old Samit, an all-rounder, was selected for the India squad for the multi-format home series against Australia U-19 in September and October after featuring in the Maharaja T20 trophy, where he played for Mysuru Warriors. (PTI)
Indian owner of Lanka T10 team held on match-fixing charges
Colombo, Dec 13: Prem Thakkur, the Indian owner of Lanka T10 Super League team Galle Marvels, has been arrested by police here on match-fixing charges, according to a report. Thakkur was arrested on Thursday, a day after the tournament began, and was produced before a local court, according to ESPNcricinfo. The report said that Thakkur, an Indian national, had been arrested by the Sri Lanka Sports Police Unit under the 2019 Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act. He was arrested at a hotel in Kandy, where the Lanka T10 tournament is underway. “It is understood that a foreign player had flagged a fixing approach made by Thakkur. Like in the LPL earlier this year, a representative of the ICC anti-corruption unit is also in Sri Lanka to oversee the tournament at the request of Sri Lanka Cricket,” the report said. It said the Lanka T10 tournament director Samantha Dodanwela confirmed that the tournament “will go ahead as scheduled”. This is the second franchise tournament in Sri Lanka this year in which a team owner has been arrested under the country’s sports anti-corruption ordinance. LPL (Lanka Premier League) franchise Dambulla Thunders’ co-owner Tamim Rahman was arrested in May on allegations of match-fixing. (PTI)
Over 7,000 school kids participate in Kho Kho’s nationwide programme
New Delhi, Dec 13: Over 7000 school students across seven cities participated in Kho Kho Federation of India’s (KKFI) nationwide programme to promote the indigenous sport ahead of the World Cup here next month, the federation said on Friday. The initiative will also extend to Lucknow, Pune and Mumbai in the coming weeks, having reached 30 schools across cities such as Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi and Jaipur. The programme has targeted 200 schools by January 11. “Our mission is to transform Kho Kho from a traditional game to a globally recognized sport. By introducing this beautiful sport to young minds, we are not just developing players, but creating ambassadors who will carry forward the legacy of an incredible game that is indigenous to India, to every part of the world,” KKFI President Sudhanshu Mittal said in a media release. The Kho Kho World Cup will take place in Delhi from January 13 to 19. (PTI)
Benson Kipruto eyes comeback at Tata 25K after Paris Olympic glory
Kolkata, Dec 13: Life has changed for the better for Olympic bronze medal-winning Kenyan marathoner Benson Kipruto. The 33-year-old, who earned a Paris Olympic medal in his debut competition for his country, took a break to soak in the massive euphoria back home. During this time, he began constructing his dream house – “now 90% complete” – and exactly four months later, he is set for his much-anticipated comeback at the Tata Steel World 25K in Kolkata on Sunday to test how his body has adapted. Kipruto was raised by his mother after his father died. He could not always attend school and worked in a farm before trying his luck in running inspired by the success of his elder brother Dickson Chumba. He went on to win the Boston Marathon in 2021, followed by victories at the Chicago Marathon in 2022 and the Tokyo Marathon in 2024 where he clocked his personal best of 2:02:16. He also claimed second place at the Chicago Marathon in 2023. Paris Olympics was his first event for Kenya and he won the bronze with a timing of 2:07.00. (PTI)
Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim retires from international cricket
Karachi, Dec 13: Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim on Friday announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to his nine-year career, just six months after making a comeback during the T20 World Cup. The 35-year-old, who was instrumental in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy-winning campaign in 2017, had retired last year before a stellar run in the Pakistan Super League prompted a return to international cricket in the T20 format. A white ball exponent, Wasim took to ‘X’ to announce his retirement after playing 130 international matches across ODIs and T20Is for Pakistan. (PTI)
2014 champion Wawrinka receives wild-card entry for Australian Open
Melbourne, Dec 13: Three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka was among nine wild-card entries awarded Friday for the Australian Open in January. Tennis Australia said Wawrinka would be joined at Melbourne Park – where the main draw begins on Jan. 12 – by Australians Tristan Schoolkate, Li Tu, James McCabe, Daria Saville, Ajla Tomljanovic, Emerson Jones, Talia Gibson and Maya Joint. It said more main draw wild cards and wild-card entries to the qualifying tournament will be announced soon. Wawrinka won the Australian Open in 2014, beating the recently-retired Rafael Nadal in four sets, for his first Grand Slam singles title. Wawrinka peaked at world No. 3 with that victory, and later added major titles at the French Open in 2015 and the 2016 US Open. The now-39-year-old Swiss player has battled injuries in recent years but advanced to the Australian Open quarterfinals in 2020 for the fifth time, marking his last appearance at a major quarterfinal. “I’m incredibly grateful to receive a wild card into the Australian Open in 2025,” Wawrinka was quoted as saying. (PTI)