Indian sports wrap, July 8: T20 World Cup champion India invited by Maldives, Chotrani loses Houston squash final

Here are all the major updates, scores, and results of Indians in the world of sports on July 8.

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 after beating South Africa by seven runs in the final on June 29. | Photo Credit: K.R Deepak / The Hindu

CRICKET

Maldives’ tourism body invites T20 world champion India to celebrate trophy there

The recently-crowned T20 world champion, the Indian men’s cricket team, has been invited to celebrate its triumph in Maldives by the country’s tourism association and its marketing and public relations corporation.

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team won the trophy in Barbados after beating South Africa by seven runs in the final on June 29.

“Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/ Visit Maldives) in collaboration with the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) have jointly extended a special and open invitation to the Indian National Cricket Team,” the two bodies said in a joint statement.

Ibrahim Shiuree, the CEO and Managing Director of MMPRC, and Ahmed Nazeer, Secretary General of MATI, said they look forward to hosting the team, which returned to India on Thursday last week.

“We would be honoured to host you and ensure that your stay is filled with memorable moments, relaxation, and bespoke experiences,” Shiuree and Nazeer said in in the joint statement.

The team is currently on a break. Its next international assignment is a six-match limited-overs series against Sri Lanka beginning July 27. The series comprises three ODIs and as many T20 Internationals.

GOLF

Rayhan Thomas logs first Top-10 finish in his second start as pro

India’s Rayhan Thomas, playing only his second professional event, got a big boost in his career as he finished in the top 10 at the USD 2 million International Series Morocco golf tournament here.

FILE PHOTO: Rayhan Thomas in action. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Indian golfer, based in Dubai but played college golf in the US, shot 69-73-69-72 to finish 9-under for the week and was tied eighth and the best Indian in the field. Of the 16 India who started only five made the cut.

The next best Indian on the final leaderboard was Veer Ahlawat (73) who was T-29, while Olympic-bound Gaganjeet Bhullar (79) was T-33 alongside Varun Chopra (74) and Rashid Khan (74) was T-37.

Thomas, who played for India six times at the prestigious Asia Pacific Amateurs with a best of second place, made his pro debut last month at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open, where he made the cut and finished T-68.

Thomas, who got an invite this week to Morocco, will be hoping for another shot at the International Series in England at Foxhills in August and some more on Asian the Tour.

-PTI

SQUASH

Chotrani loses five-game thriller in Houston squash final

India’s Veer Chotrani lost a five-game thriller in the final of the Kanso Open squash, a USD 9000 PSA Challenger Tour event, to Pakistan’s Muhammad Ashab Irfan in Houston on Sunday.

Fourth seed Chotrani, ranked 106 in the world, rallied to level twice but the third seeded Irfan clinched the decider for a 11-7, 8-11, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8 victory in 80 minutes.

Earlier, the 22-year-old Chotrani advanced to his fifth Tour final with a 11-3, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7 win over Mexican second seed Alfredo Avila Vergara.

-Team Sportstar

FOOTBALL

Mumbai City ropes in Indian striker Daniel Lalhlimpuia on free transfer

Mumbai City FC has roped in Indian striker Daniel Lalhlimpuia as its latest signing on a free transfer ahead of the upcoming Indian Super League season.

The 26-year-old hails from Mizoram and had played his last two seasons with Punjab FC. While he featured in three ISL matches last season, he failed to score. He also remained goalless in his nine appearances across tournaments last season.

Lalhlimpuia has netted 15 goals in 137 competitive outings, while his best season was with the Marina Machans in 2018-19, scoring five goals in 17 games across competitions.

“Daniel is a talented player who fits our playing style and is committed to working hard. We believe he will be a great addition to our attacking unit and can contribute to achieving our targets. We welcome Daniel to the club and look forward to working with him,” head coach Petr Kratky said.

-PTI

TENNIS

Gurbaaz Narang beats Ashwajit Senjam in HPCL Mittal AITA National series

Gurbaaz Narang beat fourth seed Ashwajit Senjam 6-2, 6-3 in the under-18 boys first round of the HPCL Mittal AITA National series junior tennis tournament at the CLTA Complex on Monday.

The results (first round):

Under-18 boys: Rian Sharma bt Shourya Jishtu 6-1, 6-1; Evaan Luthra bt Ronit Bhalla 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-1; Ribhav Saroha bt Rishi Yadav 1-6, 6-3, 6-2; Aarav Chawla bt Keshav Dangi 6-2, 7-6(11); Shreyas Dogial bt Abhiram Nilakhle 4-6, 6-4, 7-5; Gurbaaz Narang bt Ashwajit Senjam 6-2, 6-3; Neeraj Ringangaonkar bt Ekamjeet Cheema 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3; Yaj Malik bt Parmath Kaushik 6-2, 5-7, 6-2; KA Aadith bt Viraaj Narang 6-4, 6-2; Aryan Chauhan bt Yash Rana 6-0, 6-2.

Under-18 girls: Sangida Ruhil bt Shauryaa Pathak 6-2, 6-4; Japleen Kaur bt Sanya Dwivedi 7-6(2), 6-2; Sana Rajan bt Ira Chadha 6-4, 6-3; Kritika Katoch bt Manasi Tamhankar 7-5, 6-1; Princy Mandagala bt Alexa Singh 6-1, 6-1; Manmeet Kakka bt Aahana Bhalla 6-4, 6-3; Avika Yadav bt Dishita Kumar 6-1, 6-0; Pratishtha Saini bt Ananya Sharma 6-1, 6-0.