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Recap 2018: Highs and Lows of October

From Prithvi Shaw's stunning debut to the unexpected mayhem after Khabib Nurmagomedov-Conor McGregor UFC bout- here's a recap of the highs and lows in sports from October 2018.

Published : Dec 30, 2018 18:56 IST

Prithvi Shaw celebrates his debut century
Prithvi Shaw celebrates his debut century
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Prithvi Shaw celebrates his debut century

Highs

  • Eighteen-year-old Prithvi Shaw made his maiden Test hundred against West Indies memorable by slamming a century off 99 balls, becoming the second youngest Indian to score a ton on Test debut.
  • India captain Virat Kohli became the quickest batsman to reach 24 Test centuries.
  • Karanveer Kaushal became the first batsman to score a double ton in a Plate group match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
  • Kuldeep Yadav bagged his maiden five-wicket haul in the longer format as India beat West Indies in the first Test.
  • Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki won her 30th WTA singles title beating Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 6-3 in the China Open final.
  • Shahu Tushar Mane opened the medals tally for India with a silver in air rifle in the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.
  • Khabib Nurmagomedov retained his lightweight belt at UFC 229 with a rear-naked choke of Conor McGregor in the fourth round, but the event ended in mayhem as further fighting broke out.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov, bottom center, is held back outside of the cage after fighting Conor McGregor in a lightweight title mixed martial arts bout at UFC 229 in Las Vegas on Saturday. Nurmagomedov won the fight by submission during the fourth round to retain the title.
 

  • After bowling out China for a meagre 26 runs in a World Twenty20 qualifier, Nepal surpassed the target in just 11 balls.
  • Umesh Yadav’s maiden 10-wicket haul took India to a 2-0 series win against West Indies.
  • India played out an entertaining goalless draw away from home against China in an international friendly.

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Thierry Henry takes charge as AS Monaco manager after being an understudy to Roberto Martinez for Belgium national team at the World Cup.
 

  • Thierry Henry, who had been working as an assistant coach for the Belgian national team, was announced as the new AS Monaco coach
  • With a 3-2 loss to Great Britain in the final, India settled for silver at the eighth Sultan of Johor Cup U-18 hockey tournament.
  • India recorded its best-ever showing by adding two more gold, a few silver and some bronze medals on the final day for a total of 72 podium finishes as the 2018 Asian Para Games drew to a close.
  • Leander Paes is still going great guns as the veteran tennis star won his second Challenger-level title of the season.
  • Dayana Yastremska won her maiden WTA Tour title with a 6-2, 6-1 thrashing of Wang Qiang in the Hong Kong Open.
  • India beats West Indies 2-0 in the T20s.
  • Mumbai clinched the national one-day title after a gap of 11 years with a four-wicket victory over Delhi.
  • India beats arch-rival Pakistan 3-1 for its second win in as many games at the Asian Champions Trophy.
  • Praveen Chitravel, a farm labourer’s son from Tamil Nadu, clinched a bronze medal in the men’s triple jump to give India its second athletics medal in the Youth Olympics.

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Tamil Nadu triple jumper Praveen Chitravel and his coach Indira Suresh. (File photo)
 

  • Sidak Singh etched his name in history books as he became the fourth bowler to grab all 10 wickets in an innings in a domestic fixture.
  • Karen Khachanov caused one of the biggest shocks of the tennis year by overpowering Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-4 in the Paris Masters final.
  • Australia's Ashleigh Barty won the WTA Elite Trophy, beating home favourite Wang Qiang 6-3, 6-4.
  • Indian shuttler Subhankar Dey ousted fifth seed Rajiv Ouseph 21-11, 21-14 to clinch the 2018 SaarLorLux Open Super 100 tournament.
  • Rajasthan’s Nitesh Poonia broke the under-18 boys' hammer throw National record by a massive six metres, taking it from 75.45m to 81.47m, in the 34th National junior athletics championships.
  • Top Indian paddlers Manika Batra and G. Sathiyan achieved their career-best world rankings.

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Manika Batra moved to No.53 in the women's singles rankings.
 

Lows

  • The BCCI has handed a two-year ban on Sikkim cricketer, Manoj Gurung, for ‘tampering with his birth certificate’.
  • Murali Vijay criticised the India selectors for not explaining why he was dropped from the Test side during the tour of England.
  • Ahmed Shehzad has been suspended for four months for violating the Pakistan Cricket Board's anti-doping laws.
  • Cristiano Ronaldo took to Twitter to deny the accusation by Kathryn Mayorga that the Portuguese superstar had raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009.

 

  • Kei Nishikori was beaten in straight sets by qualifier Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Japan Open Tennis Championships.
  • Mahesh Bhupathi was accused of non-payment of dues by the production company that was involved in the broadcast of his star-studded league IPTL.
  • Australia great Matthew Hayden said he had “dodged a bullet” after suffering head and neck injuries, including a spine fracture while surfing during a holiday in Queensland.
  • Shardul Thakur’s much-awaited Test debut turned into a nightmare as he was forced to leave the field due to a groin strain after bowling only 10 deliveries on the first day of the second Test against West Indies.

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Shardul Thakur walks back with the physio during the first day's play of the second Test cricket match between India and West Indies.
 

  • Rahul Johri's name crops up in the #MeToo saga.
  • Banned Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria confessed to spot-fixing after years of denial.
  • Former India hockey goalkeeper Akash Chikte has been handed a two-year suspension for a positive test for steroid Nandrolone in an out-of-competition test.
  • Saina Nehwal put up a brave fight but lost 13-21, 21-13, 6-21 to Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu Ying in the Denmark Open final.

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Saina Nehwal lost to Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan twice in 2018.
 

  • India player Ambati Rayudu has decided to retire from the longer version of the game, including Ranji Trophy.
  • Sardar Singh, one of Indian hockey’s greatest centre-half of all time, has said he was forced to retire because he was treated badly by former men's team coach John and coach Sjoerd Marijne and high performance director David John.
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