Davis Cup: India lose 3-1 to Finland in World Group tie

Espoo (Finland)

Davis Cup: India lose 3-1 to Finland in World Group tie

India lost the World Group I tie 3-1 to hosts Finland in the Davis Cup. Captain Rohit Rajpal changed the doubles combination by pairing Rohan Bopanna with Ramkumar Ramanathan instead of Divij Sharan but they lost the match 6-7(2) 6-7(2) to Henri Kontinen and Harri Heliovaara. Down 0-2, India needed to win the match to stay alive in the tie. Prajnesh Gunneswaran later beat Patrik Niklas-Salminen in the dead fourth rubber. India will now have to compete in the playoffs next year to keep their place in the World Group I.

Bellary (Karnataka)

Hussamuddin in quarters of boxing Nationals

Services boxer Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg) stormed into the quarterfinals with a 5-0 win over Chhattisgarh’s Sahil at the National Championships here. In another last-16 match in the 57kg category, Haryana’s Sachin beat Manipur’s Jobison Yengkokpam. Sachin had caused a huge upset on Friday by defeating Gaurav Bidhuri. Chandigarh’s Aman (67kg) and Sachin (71kg) also sailed into the quarterfinals.

Kolkata

Delhi play out 2-2 draw with Bengaluru in Durand Cup

Delhi FC and Bengaluru FC played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in a high-octane Group C match of the 130th Durand Cup here today. Willis Deon Plaza (58th, 62nd) scored a brace for Delhi while Siva Sakthi N (27th) and Bidyashagar Singh (75th) scored for Bengaluru.

Liverpool

Ton up for Mane as Liverpool sink Palace 3-0

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane scored his 100th goal for the club to help secure a 3-0 victory over lively Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Manchester City were held to a frustrating goalless draw at home by Southampton.

Islamabad

New Zealand squad flies out of Pakistan

An extended 33-member New Zealand cricket squad left for Dubai on a chartered flight from Islamabad on Saturday evening, a day after abandoning its entire tour of the country over security fears. Agencies

New Delhi

Shastri confirms exit after T20 World Cup

India head coach Ravi Shastri said he will not seek an extension of his contract after his tenure ends at the conclusion of the T20 World Cup. Since replacing Anil Kumble in mid-2017, Shastri, 59, has overseen two Test series wins in Australia, although the side crashed out in the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup in England. The move comes just days after Virat Kohli decided to step down as India’s T20 captain following the World Cup starting next month. Reuters

Brisbane

Indian women lose to Australia in warm-up

The Indian women’s team made a disappointing start to its tour of Australia as it suffered a 36-run loss in a 50-over warm-up match here today. Opener Rachael Haynes, Meg Lanning and Beth Mooney smashed fifties as Australia posted 278/9 after batting first at the Ian Healy Oval. In reply, India could only manage 242/7 in 50 overs, with Pooja Vastrakar emerging as the top-scorer. For Australia, star all-rounder Ellyse Perry made a successful return to new-ball duties as she, along with 19-year-old quick Stella Campbell, snapped two wickets each inside the first 15 overs to leave India reeling at 88/4. Brief scores: Aus: 278/9 (Haynes 65, Mooney 59, Lanning 59; Poonam 3/28, Jhulan 2/36); India: 242/7 (Pooja 57, Deepti 49; Campbell 3/38, Perry 2/38). PTI