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In this issue

14-07-201819 STORIES

Rack pulls

Catch them young

Sports conditioning programme is crucial at a young age. As a general guideline, the programme should have a general focus on fitness.

Ramji Srinivasan

Ramji Srinivasan

Indian Bollywood music composer of Shankar Mahadevan (2R), Ehsaan Noorani (1R), Loy Mendonsa (1L) and lyricist and film director Gulzar (2L) attends the trailer launch of the upcoming Hindi and Punjabi film 'Soorma' in Mumbai on June 11, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Sujit Jaiswal

For The Love of Sport

Cricket, rugby and a Fender!

Mexican fans celebrate a goal as they watch the Russia 2018 World Cup Group F football match between Germany and Mexico at a bar in Moscow on June 17, 2018.

Communion with the world’s best

The World Cup is an undemanding mistress. All it asks is your undivided attention every four years. The in-between years are for graduating, for getti

Suresh Menon

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 29: Aaron Finch of Australia hits out on his way to making 150 runs during the 1st NatWest Series T20 match between England and Australia at Ageas Bowl on August 29, 2013 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

A powerful measure of T20I contributions

Ball difference – the difference between the number of runs scored and the number of balls played – is a more appropriate measure of batsmen’s contri

S. Ananth Narayanan

The team to beat: After thumping Australia in the five-match ODI series, next up for England is India.

On The Write Line

Electric England: The World Cup favourite

After the annihilation of Australia in the ODI series, the message to the rest of the world is that to underestimate the current England team is to m

Sunil Gavaskar

“Like most of my contemporaries, I have grown up watching Dravid,” says Karun Nair.

I have always idolised Dravid

While Rahul Dravid was a star cricketer, I was chosen as one of the ball boys for the Test match between India and Australia at the Chinnaswamy Stadi

Rodrigues anchored the chase with six boundaries and two huge sixes adding 53 runs for the fourth wicket with Harmanpreet (24).

Jemimah Rodrigues: An all-rounder in the true sense

Having tasted moderate success, Jemimah has understood the challenges of staying at the top and raising the profile of women’s cricket in a country th

Breaking the 90m barrier in time for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 is a realistic goal, Chopra feels, even though his competitors, like Olympic champion Thomas Rohler, are of the opinion that it’s something he can achieve this year itself.

Mission: 90m for Neeraj Chopra

From learning how to throw the javelin by watching videos on his cellphone to working with a legendary athlete as coach, from having to wait for a bus

Mikael Silvestre, who played left-back for France, says the position is a demanding one because of the contribution the player has to make in defence and attack.

I’m a Bleus fan first and foremost: Mikael Silvestre

Former France international Mikael Silvestre is optimistic about the side’s chances of leaving a lasting impression in the Mundial.

Ajinkya Rahane being congratulated by his vanquished counterpart, Asghar Stanikzai.

A reality check for Afghanistan's Test team

Featuring in its first-ever outing in the longest format of the game, not many expected Afghanistan to pull off a surprise against formidable India, b

One of the most prolific wicketkeepers of India, Kirmani had the second highest number of dismissals (14) in the tournament. In eight innings, Kirmani snaffled 12 catches and effected two stumpings. His highest score with the bat, an unbeaten 24, came against Zimbabwe at the Tunbridge Wells where Kapil Dev blasted an unbeaten 175 off just 138 deliveries.

The 1983 World Cup: A view from behind the stumps

Syed Kirmani was India’s wicketkeeper when the team stumped the cricket world in the 1983 World Cup.

Ayan Acharya

The Afghan side before the start of the Test against India in Bengaluru.

Of debuts and returns

Kapil Dev lifts the cricket World Cup after a fairytale ending to the 1983 event.

Emotion recollected in tranquility: 1983 in Kapil's words

The heading is Wordsworthian. The feat was romantic too, in the heroic and adventurous sense! We invite the captain, Kapil Dev, to relive those glorio

Vijay Lokapally

Lewis Hamilton, who finished ahead of the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari in the French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard, regained the lead in the drivers’ championship from rival Sebastian Vettel.

Making F1 interesting again

F1’s movers and shakers needs to step back and look outside the box and not be afraid of revolutionary changes. Here are five key things that I think

Karun Chandhok

Klay Thompson (left) hit 67 three-pointers in the playoffs this year, while Stephen Curry made 64. They are the only two players in NBA history to hit 200 three-pointers in six seasons.

No stopping the Warriors

The Warriors side was simply too versatile on both ends of the floor and far more cohesive than the Cavaliers, who never found a rhythm or a specific

Srinivasan Ramani

Serena Williams returns to the scene of her most awe-inspiring triumphs, where she’s collected seven crowns, two short of Martina Navratilova’s record nine. More importantly, Williams stands one short of Margaret Court’s all-time record 24 major titles.

The pretenders to Queen Serena’s throne

There have been five different winners in the five previous Grand Slams, and none has shown that she can consistently defeat all comers.

Paul Fein

After battling for four hours and 48 minutes in the 2008 final, the contender dethroned the champion 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7.

Can anyone dethrone Roger Federer at Wimbledon?

Rafael Nadal is fresh off an 11th French Open title, but will he be able to transfer that success to grass? And what about the rest of the field?

Paul Fein

After opening his account against Spain with a penalty kick, Ronaldo, in the course of his celebration, rubbed his chin as team-mate Bruno Fernandes looked on. Onlookers believed that Ronaldo was signifying a goat, which, if taken as an acronym, GOAT, expands to the Greatest Of All Time!

Ronaldo flits like a butterfly, Messi still in a cocoon!

This World Cup may not end in an overall coup for Ronaldo as there are far too many heavy-duty adversaries, but he has already won his personal battle

Portugal’s saviour: Not only did Cristiano Ronaldo salvage a very vital point for Portugal against Spain, he did it in a way that didn’t give a chance to David de Gea, one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

Ronaldo doing what he does best

In was one of the earlier moments of the World Cup, but one of the biggest, Cristiano Ronaldo’s free-kick against Spain cannot go without a mention.

Sunil Chhetri

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