South Africa defeated Pakistan by 11 runs in the first T20I at Kingsmead, Durban, thanks to a remarkable all-round performance by George Linde. Returning to the team after three years, Linde smashed 48 off just 24 balls and took 4-21 with the ball, earning the Player-of-the-Match award. His efforts helped South Africa defend a total of 183 against a fighting Pakistan.

South Africa, fielding a relatively inexperienced side, won the toss and opted to bat. Despite early breakthroughs by Shaheen Afridi (3-22) and Abrar Ahmed (3-37), David Miller turned the game around with a stunning 82 off 40 balls. He came in at a tricky stage but dominated Pakistan’s bowlers, ensuring South Africa posted a challenging total.

Pakistan’s chase began poorly, with captain Babar Azam falling for a duck. Saim Ayub gave them some momentum, but the team struggled during the middle overs. Mohammad Rizwan, despite being the anchor, was too slow early in his innings. He scored only 36 off his first 44 balls before accelerating to finish with 74 off 62. His late surge, along with a 17th-over blitz that brought Pakistan 24 runs, gave the visitors hope.

However, South Africa’s young pacer Kwena Maphaka kept his cool in the final over, dismissing Rizwan and sealing the win. Pakistan needed 19 runs from the last over but fell short, ending on 172 for 8.

South Africa showed excellent discipline with both bat and ball. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s poor start, inconsistent middle order, and slow scoring early on cost them the game. Rizwan’s struggles in the first half of his innings proved costly, and Pakistan’s think tank must rethink their batting strategy if they want to succeed in this series.

This match highlighted South Africa’s resilience and Pakistan’s need for a more aggressive and consistent batting approach.

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra expressed his disappointment with Rohit Sharma’s captaincy during the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Adelaide, which India lost by 10 wickets. Aakash criticized Rohit’s defensive approach and questioned his usage of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the match.

Travis Head once again proved to be India’s biggest challenge, smashing a brilliant 140 off 141 balls in front of his home crowd. His innings helped Australia post a commanding total of 337, giving them a lead of 157 runs. In reply, India managed only 175 in their second innings, leaving Australia with a target of just 19 runs, which the hosts chased down in just 20 balls.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash pointed out that Rohit seemed to lack a clear plan against Head. He also felt that Bumrah, who was effective in his initial four-over spell, was underutilized.

“Why didn’t we bowl short balls to Travis Head? You have to target him with bouncers. Until you do that, he won’t get out and will keep troubling us. He’s done it before, including in the World Cup final and the WTC final,” Aakash said.

“Jasprit Bumrah picked up a wicket in his four-over spell but didn’t bowl again in the same session. That was a clear miss in captaincy. Rohit’s approach looked defensive, and the match was allowed to drift away,” he added.

‘Rohit’s captaincy has been underwhelming’

Aakash also highlighted Rohit’s worrying record as a captain, noting that he has now lost four consecutive Test matches. While MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli also endured similar losing streaks, what makes Rohit’s case concerning is that three of these defeats came at home, something that rarely happens to Indian captains.

“In the past, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi lost six consecutive matches in 1967, and Sachin Tendulkar lost four in 1999. In the modern era, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli had similar four-match losing streaks, but Rohit’s case stands out because three of these losses were at home,” Aakash explained.

He concluded by saying, “Rohit’s leadership has been below par in recent matches. Even though the team won in Perth, he wasn’t the captain for that match. This run of defeats, especially at home, is worrying.

In Sunday’s match, Gukesh secured a crucial win against defending champion Ding Liren, giving him a 6-5 lead with only three games left in the 14-match series. Playing with the white pieces, Gukesh capitalized on a mistake by Ding, who was under time pressure, forcing him to resign. This victory broke a streak of seven consecutive draws and gave the 18-year-old a significant psychological edge as the competition nears its end.

“This is a very important win for me,” Gukesh said after the game. However, he stayed grounded, adding, “There are still three more crucial games to play.”

Ding, 32, acknowledged the challenges of the match, describing it as “very difficult.” Despite the setback, he expressed determination to bounce back in the next game, where he will play with the white pieces.

Gukesh’s win sparked celebrations among his fans, who gathered at the Resorts World Sentosa hotel in Singapore. Supporters applauded and chanted his name, showing overwhelming enthusiasm.

“Indian fans are the best. I’m truly grateful for all the support,” Gukesh said, adding that the encouragement gives him the extra energy needed to perform.

The batters could not capitalise on the good job done by the bowlers as India suffered a massive 59-run defeat to Bangladesh in U19 Asia Cup title clash.

The batters could not capitalise on the good job done by the bowlers as India suffered a massive 59-run defeat to Bangladesh in the low-scoring U19 Asia Cup title clash in Dubai on Sunday. After India produced a fine performance with the ball to keep Bangladesh to a mere 198 in 49.1 overs, it looked like the job was half done since the batters had played their roles to perfection since defeat in the tournament-opener to Pakistan. However, in the crunch final, India lost wickets in a flurry on two occasions which broke the back of their chase, with Bangladesh bowlers and fielders doing their part well in exerting further pressure.

Chasing 199, India were bundled out for 139 in 35.2 overs as none of their specialist batters could play an impact knock, including the youngest IPL star Vaibhav Suryavanshi who managed a mere 9 (7 balls, 2 fours).

India suffered early blows in form of Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre (1) to stumble to 24 for two inside five overs.

With the summit clash placed precariously, Bangladesh edged ahead by keeping the rest of the Indian batters largely quiet, drying up the boundaries and even the singles.

C Andre Siddarth’s (20 off 35 balls) charge was ended by Rizan Hossan in the 12th over, which was another crucial point in the game as the balance tilted heavily in favour of Bangladesh.

But it was Iqbal Hossain Emon who made the most of the situation as he snaffled three vital wickets to severely dent India’s hopes, accounting for KP Karthikeya (21), Nikhil Kumar (0) and Harvansh Pangalia (6) in quick succession.

Mohamed Amaan resisted for long, scoring a 65-ball 26 but his effort and Hardik Raj’s late 21-ball 24 also was not enough for India to turn the tables. The end came swiftly for India as Azizul Hakim took 3/8 from his 2.2 overs towards the end.

Earlier in the first half, Rizan Hossain’s 47, Mohammad Shihab James’ 40 and Farid Hasan’s 39 proved to be the difference in a contest wherein batters mostly struggled for fluency in the middle.

India dominated the Bangladeshi batters for the entirety of the first half as they could only get near the 200-run mark while consuming most of their allotted overs.

Yudhajit Guha (2/29) was the pick among the performers from India as Chetan Sharma (2/48) and Raj (2/41) also chipped in with a couple of wickets each.

Kiran Chormale returned a measly 7-0-19-1 while Karthikeya (1/37) and Mhatre (1/9) also chipped in with a wicket each.

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Double Olympic medallist badminton player PV Sindhu is set to marry Hyderabad-based Venkata Datta Sai, who is an executive director at Posidex Technologies, in Udaipur on December 22. The announcement came just days after Sindhu ended a long trophy drought by clinching the title at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow on Sunday. According to PTI, the wedding events will begin on December 20 and the two families will also be holding a reception in Hyderabad on December 24.  “The two families knew each other but it was only a month ago that everything was finalised. This was the only possible window as her schedule will be hectic from January,” Sindhu’s father, PV Ramana, told PTI.

“So that is the reason the two families decided to have the marriage ceremony on December 22. The reception will be held in Hyderabad on December 24. She will start her training soon after as the next season is going to be important,” he further added.

Who is Venkata Datta Sai?

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Venkata Datta Sai did his  Diploma in Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies from Foundation of Liberal and Management Education. He completed his BBA Accounting and Finance from Flame University Bachelor of Business Administration in 2018 and then did his Master’s degree in Data Science and Machine Learning  from International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore.

Venkata Datta Sai worked with JSW both as a summer intern as well as an In-House Consultant. “My BBA in finance and economics pales in comparison to managing an IPL team, but I must admit I learned a lot from both of these experiences,” he posted on his LinkedIn profile.

From 2019, he has worked as Managing Director for Sour Apple Asset Management while also serving as the Executive Director in Posidex. “The loan that you get in 12 seconds or the credit card that you have thanks to the instant credit score matching? Just some of the most complex problems I solve using a proprietary entity resolution search engine. My solutions and products are deployed for critical operations at some of the biggest banks from HDFC to ICICI,” he wrote on his LinkedIn profile.

Tiger Woods is still hopeful of coming to India for a competitive event, something he has not been able to do for the last 10 years.

Golfer Tiger Woods is still hopeful of coming to India for a competitive event, something he has not been able to do for the 10 years he has been Hero’s Global Partner. Then, there is Pawan Munjal, a close friend of Woods, who is thrilled to have extended his partnership with the star-studded Hero World Challenge for another six years, till 2030, and with Woods to continue as their global partner till 2030. A third thing that brought a big smile to Munjal’s face was that he was able to bring to the Hero World Challenge field three players of Indian origin – Sahith Theegala, Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai.

The tournament, featuring 20 of the world’s top golfers, will commence on Thursday.

Munjal said, “If you remember, we had Anirban (Lahiri) at one time here, which was a great thing to happen. He was in the top-30 then. To have three boys of Indian origin in a field of the best and top-20 is a huge, huge thing for India.

“Me and many of you have been looking for an Indian star on the golfing map to really grow the game in India. I’m sure even if they’re not Indians but they are of Indian origin, I’m sure the whole nation is going to be very, very excited and very proud about this fact.” Indian-American Theegala is ranked 12th in the world, Indo-British Rai is 21st and Indian-American Bhatia is 31st as the entire field of 20 comprises players inside the top-40 in the world.

On the extension of their relationship with the tournament, Munjal said, “It was easy. We’ve had, as I said, 10 years of an incredible journey together which has benefited both of us, the foundation, Hero’s brand globally. There were no two thoughts about it.” Woods commented: “Well, this is exciting news for all of us at the foundation to be able to have Hero MotoCorp who have supported us here for the last 10 years and to have this relationship and our partnership continue until 2030 is truly amazing. We’re able to help and serve so many more youth because of it.

“All the players who’ve come down here over the years have supported this event, some of them have started their own foundations because of the impact that Pawan and I have had on this event and our various charities.

“We’ve had a great relationship and great partnership for the last 10 years, so I think it was a very natural thing for us to continue this relationship going forward through 2030 and hopefully we can make it better in the next five or so years, better than it was for the first 10 and then hopefully even bigger into the future.” Hero and Tiger Woods Foundation came together for the HWC in 2014 and will now be together till at least 2030, making it one of longest relationships on the PGA Tour.

Woods, who has often chosen HWC, which he hosts, as an event to test his fitness and preparation ahead of the following season, admitted, “Yeah, I am disappointed. I’m not physically ready yet to compete at this level. The times I have come back here, I was ready to start competing and playing again. Unfortunately, not this time. I still need to keep training to give myself the best chance going into next year and the events ahead.” On the issue of the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which funds the LIV series, Woods said, “I think all of us who have been a part of this process would have thought it would have happened quicker than this. Even if it did, we’re still at the regulations of the DOJ (Department of Justice) saying it’s giving us hominus dominus that it will go through.

“Even if we had gotten a deal done by now, it’s still in the DOJ’s hands, but we wish we would have had something more concrete and further along than we are right now. But things are very fluid, we’re still working through it, it’s happening daily. From a policy board standpoint or from an enterprise standpoint, things are moving and they’re constructive. But, yes, definitely moving.” On his return to competitive golf, Woods is still desirous and hopeful.

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“The fire still burns to compete. The difference is the recovery of the body to do it is not what it used to be. I still love doing it, I love competing, I love competing in anything whether we’re playing cards or we’re playing golf. No matter what it is, I love competing,” said Woods.

The field at the Hero World Challenge, scheduled from Dec 5 to 8, is led by world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, who is also the FedEX champion, two-time Masters champion (2022 and 2024) and also the defending champion here.

Team India suffered a 3-8 defeat against the United States in their opening match of the first stage of the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 table tennis tournament.

Team India suffered a 3-8 defeat against the United States in their opening match of the first stage of the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 table tennis tournament in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China, on Sunday. With seasoned players such as Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, Sharath Kamal, and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran opting out of the tournament, a young Indian table tennis team is representing the nation in Chengdu. In the mixed doubles opener, India’s Snehit Suravajjula and Poymantee Baisya lost 2-1 (12-10, 11-8, 4-11) to the USA’s Naresh Nandan and Ke Tiffany.

In the singles rubbers, Yashaswini Ghorpade and Jeet Chandra were defeated by identical 2-1 margins against Sally Moyland and Xiangjing Zhang, respectively.

World No. 88 Ghorpade was upset 11-9, 11-8, 7-11 by the 186th-ranked Moyland, while World No. 312 Chandra fell 11-9, 11-9, 7-11 to Zhang, ranked 465th in men’s singles.

The men’s doubles rubber saw Snehit Suravajjula and Jeet Chandra lose 2-0 (11-9, 11-9), capping off a disappointing day for India.

According to the tournament format, each rubber, whether singles or doubles, consists of three games. The first team to secure eight games wins the overall team match.

India’s table tennis team will next face hosts China in the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 on Monday.

The ITTF Mixed Team World Cup is in its second edition, with the inaugural tournament also held in Chengdu last year. Hosts China claimed the championship in the first edition, while India failed to progress beyond the first stage.

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Ray secured six medals – four gold, one silver and a bronze – in the Khelo India University Games in Guwahati in February this year.

Pratyasa Ray, a rising star in swimming, was selected for the prestigious Ekalabya Puraskar for 2024, an official said. Ray secured six medals – four gold, one silver and a bronze – in the Khelo India University Games in Guwahati in February this year. The Ekalabya Puraskar committee comprising jury members drawn from various sectors were unanimous in selecting Ray for the prestigious award at a meeting in Bhubaneswar. Ray will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 7 lakh—an increase from the previous Rs 5 lakh, along with a citation at a ceremony to be held at a later date.

Sprinter Dondapati Mrutyam Jayaram and badminton player Tanvi Patri will also be felicitated for their remarkable performances in various international and national-level events in their respective fields.

Each of the citation winners will receive a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh, up from Rs 1 lakh, along with citations at the award ceremony.

Ekalabya Puraskar was instituted by charitable body IMPaCT in 1993 and managed by IMFA, the leading ferro alloys producer in the country. It is now considered the most prestigious sports award in Odisha.

The award is given every year to young sportspersons of Odisha in recognition of their outstanding performance in the preceding two years.

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Announcing the names of the award winners on Sunday, Baijayant Panda, chairperson of Ekalabya Puraskar Committee and Trustee of IMPaCT, said the award was instituted to encourage young sportspersons of the state to perform at the national and international arenas.

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India’s Tennis sensation Sumit Nagal has been one of the stand-out players in the ongoing Tennis Premier League (TPL) Season 6. Nagal has been playing for Gujarat Panthers in the Men’s Singles and Doubles categories. Gujarat Panthers have made it to the semi-final stage and Nagal is elated with the energy in his team’s camp. He added that it’s a lovely environment inside the team. “It’s a lovely environment. Everyone’s very nice and is always there for us. I have enjoyed playing for Gujarat Panthers in these two seasons,” Nagal was quoted in a release from TPL as saying.

Gujarat Panthers faced Rajasthan Rangers on matchday one of the league in which Nagal played Indian Tennis veteran Rohan Bopanna in the Men’s Doubles Category and lost the tie. Reflecting on the matchup, Nagal light-heartedly said, “He beat me badly on the first day.”

Nagal added that it’s not easy for him to play Bopanna, since the latter won a slam.

“It is not easy to play someone (Bopanna) who has won a slam. At the end of the day, it’s fun to be out here and play against such experienced players,” Nagal added.

The Tennis Premier League has been growing every season in terms of scale, competition and quality of the Tennis played. While sharing his experience playing the TPL, Nagal agreed and stated, “It’s been great. If you just look at the quality of players this year. You can already see there’s a big difference from before.”

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Lastly, while speaking on his future goals and his career ahead, Nagal stated, “My goal is to aim for top 50 ATP rankings next year and I will do my best to be there.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Australia middle-order batter Travis Head registered his eighth Test century during Day 2 of the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test between Australia and India at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.

The 30-year-old reached the milestone in 111 balls, laced with 11 fours and three sixes. It was the southpaw’s third hundred in a day-night Test. Marnus Labuschagne holds the record for most pink-ball hundreds with four.

Head also broke the record for the fastest hundred in day-night Tests, eclipsing his previous record of 112 balls against England in Hobart in 2022.

It’s a century to Travis Head at Adelaide Oval, and the sell out crowd erupts! pic.twitter.com/mURGaJvuFD— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 7, 2024

The South Australian has had great success against India outside the subcontinent, scoring 163 in the final of the World Test Championship final in 2023 to help his team seal a 209-run win.

Head also scored a hundred in the final of the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup where Australia beat India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to seal its sixth Cup triumph in the 50-over format.