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In this issue

23-02-201921 STORIES

In another role: India’s Sachin Tendulkar bowling against West Indies in the Kolkata Test at the Eden Gardens, in November 2013.

On the classification of spinners

How would one pin down the bowling profile of Sachin Tendulkar without running the risk of absurd verbosity? In his bowling heyday, he would send down

Kirti Kulhari

For The Love of Sport

When I took on Jwala Gutta

Badminton became a passion and I would regularly participate in the All-India Kendriya Vidyalaya meets.

Taher Merchant completed 1,111km in 12 weeks of training to ultimately be the first Indian to finish the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon. Now he’s preparing for the Marathon des Sables.

Food For Thought

Preparing for the ultimate race

Diet is key to sustaining an effort in a 257km race. What is really important is the practice of nutrition.

Ryan Fernando

Koneru Humpy started off as a child prodigy. She has won many laurels, but is yet to win the women’s World Championship.

Chess prodigies: Who next?

Let us talk of those young knights of Indian chess who have the potential to ascend the throne one day.

P. K. Ajith Kumar

Rangana Herath.

Rangana Herath: It was a pleasure playing alongside the heroes

I have been in international cricket (for nearly two decades), and have played with some of the biggest names.

Constantine on the sidelines of the Asian Cup match against Thailand, which India won 4-1.

The Constantine effect on Indian football

Stephen Constantine’s influence on the Indian national team has been quite noteworthy considering the country’s journey in the international arena, wh

Amitabha Das Sharma

Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal are deeply in love with the 64 squares.

Chess nomads!

Following their heart, the duo chose to cover chess events, packing away their household assets in a warehouse at Badlapur in late 2017 and just now r

Dibyendu Barua and Viswanathan Anand in action at the Triveni Engineering Super Grandmaster International chess tournament in New Delhi in December 1990. Anand became India’s first grandmaster in 1987, while Barua followed him as the second in 1991.

Grand mastery still some way away!

Overall, the path to becoming a chess power looks bright. But India, though on course, has a long, long distance to go.

Ronaldo, Brazilian football legend and Spanish club Real Valladolid majority owner, speaks during a presentation of the ‘Real Valladolid project’ in Madrid in December 2018.

A Ronaldo in Valladolid!

“I have always wanted to manage a club and I have been preparing myself since I quit professional football,” says Brazil’s 2002 World Cup star.

Anirudh Velamuri

Anirudh Velamuri

Mayank Agarwal came up with two half-centuries in three innings after he was included in the Indian side for the last two Tests against Australia.

Mayank Agarwal: I believe in scoring runs, and keep scoring runs

Sportstar caught up with the new star of Indian cricket, Mayank Agarwal, who is back to the domestic grind after an impressive debut in Australia as a

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

“I don’t really have an idol, but I admire Roger Federer. He seems like a very calm and down-to-earth person,' says Mathias Boe (left).

Mathias Boe: Life is what you make it

If not a badminton player, I would have been a footballer or a tennis player, says Denmark’s Mathias Boe.

Dipa Karmakar is leaving no stone unturned in her preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.

Dipa Karmakar: Looking for new vaults

With the difficulty level of the Produnova vault pruned because of inherent dangers, ace gymnast Dipa Karmakar is exploring other vaulting methods to

“I will look forward to training with a variety of partners so that I can learn a lot and get ready to win another medal at the Tokyo Olympics,” says Sakshi Malik.

Sakshi Malik: Delighted with my Rio success

Sakshi Malik says now everybody knows her and they shower her with love and affection. “Everybody is hopeful that I will qualify for the next Olympics

Watching Roger Federer walk off the Rod Laver arena one last time (perhaps!) was heartbreaking. It is always that way when a hero fades into history.

The ‘R’ word – what sportsmen dread

As the end nears, sportsmen have to deal with the same question asked in different ways: “Are you ready to retire?”

Suresh Menon

The league, which has unique 15-point sets and a bonus point for ace service, has managed to rope in some of the world’s best players, including American David Lee, the 2008 Olympic champion and the 2016 Rio bronze medallist. Lee (left), poses with his Kochi Blue Spikers teammate Andrej Patuc.

A bridge to the next level

Beginnings are tough but a move has been made. And that’s a start that the players had been longing for years.

The PWL gave a new lease of life to Pooja Dhanda (of MP Yodha, right), who made a comeback after losing about two years due to a ligament tear.

Building biceps!

It will be in the best interests of Indian wrestling if the PWL continues to give the sport — that has given the country four medals in the last three

The win will serve as a massive impetus for Qatar.

A first taste of gold

Qatar’s Asian Cup win has not only put the country in the spotlight, but has also created a consensus that it won’t merely be a participating nation w

Shyam Vasudevan

Shyam Vasudevan

K. P. Aravind after finishing the 2019 Dakar Rally.

Dakar conquered!

It was a big relief and a lot of weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was a surreal experience that I couldn’t believe.

Mohammed Shami is now by far the quickest among Asian pace bowlers to take 100 ODI wickets.

Shami powers his way to 100

The pace bowlers fastest to reach 100 ODI wickets, India's biggest ODI defeats in terms of balls left, and more.

Osaka’s win in Melbourne made her the first Japanese and Asian player to claim the No. 1 ranking in singles.

All hail the new queen, Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka, the first player to her first two majors back to back since Jennifer Capriati in 2001, harbours ambitions of sports immortality. She once

Paul Fein

Fifty years after Rod Laver claimed his second Grand Slam — winning all four majors in a calendar year — Djokovic moved closer to his second “Djoker Slam,” four consecutive non-calendar major titles.

Novak the Great reigns again in Australia

Where did this match rank among Djokovic’s greatest? “Right at the top,” he said, after destroying Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final to move a

Paul Fein

Archive

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