Root returns to England’s ODI squad for India tour, CT
London, Dec 22: Veteran batter Joe Root’s return to 50-over format after more than a year headlined England’s squad announcement for the ODI tour to India and the ICC Champions Trophy. Root’s previous assignment in the format was the 50-over World Cup held in India in 2023. All-rounder and Test skipper Ben Stokes was not considered for selection as he has been recovering from a left hamstring injury sustained during the third Test against New Zealand earlier this month. Seasoned batter Jos Buttler will lead the side, and the Lancashire man will also captain England in the T20I series against India, which precedes the ODIs. England will play five T20Is and three ODIs during the white ball tour to India. Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, who made his Test debut against India earlier this year, was included in the T20I squad. In-form Harry Brook will get another chance to play international bilateral cricket in India after pulling out of the Test series earlier this year due to personal reasons. (PTI)
India’s Anahat, Malaysian Chandaran emerge champions
Mumbai, Dec 22: Two-time champion Anahat Singh continued her dominance with a commanding 3-0 win over top seed Akanksha Salunkhe in an all-Indian women’s final of the 79th Western India Slam – a USD 9,000 Professional Squash Association (PSA) Challenger event – here Sunday. The 16-year-old sensation, seeded second, outclassed compatriot Akanksha 11-8 11-8 11-8 in just 25 minutes to successfully defend her title. In the men’s final, second seed Ameeshenraj Chandaran of Malaysia overcame Czech top seed Viktor Byrtus 3-1 (15-13, 6-11, 11-5, 11-3) in a gruelling 60-minute clash to claim the title at the Cricket Club of India courts. (PTI)
Sr Nationals Badminton: Unseeded Chauhan, Adarshini reach semis
Bengaluru, Dec 22: Chhattisgarh’s Rounak Chauhan and Tamil Nadu’s Adarshini Shri NB continued their giant-killing run to reach the men’s and women’s singles semifinals respectively at the 86th Senior National Badminton Championships here on Sunday. Chauhan defeated 14th seed Alap Mishra, who had knocked out second seed Ayush Shetty in the morning, 21-10, 21-16 in the men’s singles quarterfinals, while Adarshini got the better of Shreya Lele 23-21, 21-12. In the semifinals, Chauhan will face former national champion Mithun Manjunath, who hammered Sankar Saraswat 21-9, 21-9 while Adarshini will meet 13th seed Devika Sihag, who got the better of Rujula Ramu 17-21, 21-19, 21-16. None of the top-eight seeds in women’s singles will feature in the last-four stage after Gujarat’s Tasnim Mir followed up her win over top seed Aakarshi Kashyap in the morning with yet another fine display to defeat seventh seed Isharani Baruah 21-16, 21-18. She will now face Shriyanshi Valishetty in the semifinals. The top mixed doubles pairing of Sathish Kumar K and Adya Variyath was also knocked out at the quarterfinal stage as it went down 16-21, 21-19, 14-21 against the experienced combination of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani. Sathish Kumar, who recently won the Guwahati Masters Super 100 crown, remained on course for a singles title as he defeated Kaushal Dharmamer 21-11, 21-12 to reach the semifinals. (PTI)
Women’s players held for racist incident in Brazil football semifinal
Sao Paulo, Dec 22: Four River Plate women’s players were arrested by Sao Paulo police and accused of making a racial slur, Sao Paulo’s public security secretariat said. On Friday, a Brazil Ladies Cup semifinal between Argentina’s River Plate and Brazilian team Grêmio was stopped in the first half after River Plate’s Candela Díaz was accused of making monkey gestures to a ball boy, according to broadcast footage and local media reports. Díaz was detained along with teammates Juana Cangaro, Milagros Naiquen Diaz, and Camila Ayelen Duarte, the players’ lawyer, Thais Sankari. They remained in custody on Saturday. Sankari said the River Plate players reacted only after being provoked. “We see in this decision a great arbitrariness and the Brazilian judiciary’s desire to send a message. They used this case for that purpose,” she said. After Díaz’s gestures on Friday, the Grêmio players walked off in protest. The referee showed red cards to six River Plate players following an on-field fight and ended the match because there was no longer the minimum number of players required to continue. The score was 1-1 but the referee awarded the match to Grêmio, which will play in the tournament final on Sunday. The Brazil Ladies Cup banned River Plate from the tournament for two years on Saturday. Tournament organizers said in a statement on Saturday that future editions will immediately ban any participating team whose athletes or staff “engage in racist gestures on the playing field.” “The organization reaffirms its anti-racist stance and emphasizes that it will never tolerate such incidents.” Grêmio said on X it was supporting its players, who would file a police report. “We regret what happened and condemn any discriminatory acts,” the team said in the statement. (AP)