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After a highly rewarding 2023, Indian badminton stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have their sights trained on Paris.

In this issue

03-02-202429 STORIES

Eat smart: To be the best you have to invest in the discipline of doing what no one else does! See Novak Djokovic, his dietary discipline, mental grit and longevity. Time for you to rethink your diet.

Food For Thought

Food for meditation and performance: Are we missing the link in today’s fast-food life?

Since gut health heavily influences athletes’ performance and mental resilience, nutrition plays a crucial role in shaping their cognitive function, e

Getting away: On the 1992-93 tour, it was learnt that England’s skipper Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting were tucking into prawns in a Chennai restaurant. Gooch missed the Test next day and Gatting had to leave the field often. England decided not to take disciplinary action, according to Wisden which said that England lost to 11 men and a plate of prawns. Perhaps “a few plates” would have been closer to the truth.

A whingeing and moaning media in sport

For a generation brought up on the IPL and the unipolar world of cricket, it might be difficult to understand the gratuitous criticism from the Englis

Setting the tone: Nikhat Zareen became the first Indian boxer to confirm a Paris 2024 Olympic quota by punching her way past Jordan’s Hanan Nassar at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.

Indian boxing in 2024: Searching for the Punchline in Paris Olympics

Indian boxers will get two chances, in World Qualification Tournaments 1 and 2, from February 29 to March 12 and May 23 to June 3, respectively, to wi

The National Sports Federations — a collection of fiefdoms presided over by politicians, bureaucrats, or their kins — continue to pull our athletes down. Their self-serving interests always take precedence over trivial matters like national interests.

Adopting National Sports Code the need of the hour in 2024

Only a quick adoption of the 2017 Draft National Code for Good Governance in Sports, which for some unforeseen reason is yet to be implemented, can he

On target: Ojas Deotale secured the men’s individual gold medal as India swept the individual compound titles in the World Championships.

Indian archery in 2024: Spirited quest to end Olympic medal drought

Amidst the upswing in archery in the country, one wonders whether Indian archers can finally achieve the much-longed-for Olympic medal in Paris this y

Breakout talent: India’s Antim Panghal has taken the world of wrestling by storm in the last couple of years.

Lalit Kumar: Hoping for at least two wrestling medals from Paris

The lack of national tournaments is posing challenges for junior wrestlers. The effective functioning of our federation is crucial this year.

Optimistic start: Aman Sehrawat became the first Indian wrestler to win a medal in 2024 as he bagged the top honour at the Zagreb Open. The Under-23 world champion beat China’s Zou Wanhao for the title in the 57kg category.

Indian wrestling in 2024: Some see a beacon of hope, others a smokescreen

Unless the issues with the WFI are dealt with, any results at the Paris Olympics will only be papering over the underlying chaos.

Young turk: Yashaswini Ghorpade became the first junior to claim a singles title at a WTT Contender event.

Kamlesh Mehta: Hoping for optimal participation and improved results in Table Tennis at Paris Olympics 2024

From a fan perspective, the return of Ultimate Table Tennis, the franchise-based league, after the pandemic-induced hiatus was exciting.

Sustaining momentum: Manika Batra had achieved her career high ranking of No. 31 in November 2023, but now she needs to maintain consistency throughout 2024 if she wishes to break into the top 25.

Indian table tennis in 2024: India’s fortunes tied to Paris exploits

In a change of pace, the women have a better chance than their male counterparts in the Paris Olympic qualification.

Vaishali, by winning the FIDE Grand Swiss in the Isle of Man, also qualified for the Women’s Candidates Tournament. She will join seven other players, including Humpy, who will compete for a chance to face the defending women’s world champion, Ju Wenjun in April 2024.

Viswanathan Anand: Emergence of Vaishali a key highlight of 2023

Meanwhile, for the first time since 1990, India will have more than one player in the Candidates tournament.

Top of the world: R. Praggnanandhaa has become a household name and continues to be the new flag-bearer for followers of chess in India.

Indian chess - Bridging the gap and how!

The exceptional performances of energetic and determined young chess players have elevated India’s reputation to unprecedented levels.

India’s Parul Chaudhary and France’s Flavie Renouard (L) compete in the women’s 3000m steeplechase heats during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest.

Anju Bobby George: Road to Paris looks nice and bright

If both (the men’s and women’s) relay teams make the cut, then the number of athletes in Paris could be around 40.

Leading the pack: In 2023, Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win a gold at the Worlds, a year after he’d become the first Indian to win a silver in the competition.

Indian athletics in 2024: Glut of options a happy headache

Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic champion and 2023 World Championships gold medalist, will likely remain the standard bearer of Indian athletics in

Mercurial challengers: Harmanpreet Singh’s Team India is poetry in motion, flourishing when everything falls into place but can as easily slip into a cacophony of discordant notes.

Indian hockey in 2024: Seeking peak success on the Olympic roller coaster

It’s time for India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams to put the blinkers on as Paris 2024 approaches.

The present teams would have to battle injuries and the galloping age of key players to attain the same levels that they were able to attain in Tokyo 2020.

M. M. Somaya: Judicious exposure to key players critical in Paris build-up

A podium finish in 2024 Olympics would need a virtuoso performance.

In good touch: Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar bagged silver in the men’s rifle 3-position event in the Asian shooting championship in Jakarta, Indonesia, recently.

Indian shooting in 2024: Time to sing the redemption song

The shorter Olympic cycle due to COVID may contribute to the lingering memory of the Tokyo debacle. However, Indian shooters have a chance at redempti

The competition is arguably the tightest in men’s 10m air rifle between Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Arjun Babuta, and Divyansh Singh Panwar (not in pic).

Anjali Bhagwat: Winning mindset of Indian shooters will be key in Paris

Our shooters’ exploits in 2023 make me hopeful for the upcoming Paris Olympics. There were quite a few medals and records that we have bagged in World

‘KL’assy knock: KL Rahul excelled with a remarkable century in the first Test in Centurion, while Virat Kohli showed good form. Other Indian batters struggled in South Africa.

On The Write Line

Ranji Trophy could’ve served as ideal prep for some Indian batters before England Tests

India’s premier red-ball tournament gets diluted even further when not just the internationals but also the fringe players are involved in playing aga

‘It is high time we knock on the door of qualification, and I am optimistic that we can make it happen by improving our performances.’

Bhaichung Bhutia on Indian football: Perfect opportunity to enhance continental ranking and reach top 10

The national team has been doing quite well over the last three years. It now needs to start winning matches at bigger stages.

Little hope, lot of fight: Indian football fans may have to temper their expectations as the men’s national team participates in the Asian Cup in Qatar in January.

Football in 2024: Big year for Stimac and India, Premier League’s growing influence

India men’s team head coach Igor Stimac has warned that it would take another four years for his team, ranked 18th in Asia, to breach the top 10.

How India dominated on the way to the final was heartwarming. It brought back memories of how the West Indies would crush their opponents in their prime.

Harbhajan Singh: India has the talent to pick different teams for all formats

There is room for seniors like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in white-ball cricket. The transition should happen at some point, but I am not in a hurry

Dual edge: Leading the charge for India in badminton will be the unstoppable men’s doubles duo Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the Asian Games gold medallists and current world no. 2.

Aparna Popat: Let’s be bullish about our Olympic badminton medal aspirations!

Looking ahead to 2024, the goal of becoming a formidable force in badminton seems achievable.

A new hope: It seems likely that both Rohit and Kohli will be part of the 2024 World Cup after the duo was named in the squad for the Afghanistan T20I series at home, ending their more than year-long absence from the shortest format.

Indian cricket in 2024: Change of guard on the cards

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli may get their final shot at World Cup glory this June, with the T20 WC marking the start of a major transition in Indian

Indian badminton: Cautious optimism for Paris but blueprint for better future needed

When it comes to champion-building, the year 2024 should serve as a great reality-check on where the sport is headed in the country.

Day of adventure: Gujarat Giants conducted a few endurance and running sessions at the iconic Marina Beach, where captain and Iranian legend Fazel Atrachali rode a horse as well.

PKL Season 10 Chennai Diary: Of madness on the Marina, a famed rivalry and the knowledgable local crowd

Gujarat Giants brings a touch of innovation to its PKL training regimen in Chennai, opting for endurance sessions and horse rides at the Marina Beach.

KL Rahul in action during the first day of the second Test cricket match between India and South Africa.

IND v SA Tests: All stats, trivia and facts from India vs South Africa two-match Test series

Rahul becomes the fourth wicket-keeper to register a three-figure score in South Africa since the country’s return to international cricket in 1992.

Love for the game: “If we wanted to make money, we wouldn’t have been doubles players. We chose doubles because we genuinely liked playing doubles a lot more than singles,” admits Chirag.

Satwik-Chirag: Opponents respect us more now

Badminton stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reveal what motivates them and their ambitions for Paris 2024.

Technical genius: Beckenbauer’s class reflected in his wonderful understanding of the game and his great skills as a player. He could elegantly control the ball and initiate effective attacks while finding the chinks in the opposition’s game plan.

Beckenbauer tribute: Football world loses it emperor

The legendary German footballer left an indelible mark on the sport with his extraordinary contributions as a player, manager, and administrator.

Target in sight: Jamshedpur FC’s Manzorro in action against Kerala Blasters FC in their Kalinga Super Cup clash.

Indian Football

Indian football update: It’s an uphill battle for Kerala Blasters in Kalinga Super Cup

With a loss to Jamshedpur FC, Kerala Blasters’ woes in the Kalinga Super Cup keep mounting.

Archive

+ READ THIS ISSUE 11-05-2024

+ READ THIS ISSUE 27-04-2024

+ READ THIS ISSUE 13-04-2024

+ READ THIS ISSUE 30-03-2024

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