Indo American News

Category: Sports

  • Thrilling 3-Day Test Match at Moosa Stadium in Pearland

    Thrilling 3-Day Test Match at Moosa Stadium in Pearland

    PEARLAND: Houston got to witness its first 3-day test match on Dec 2nd – 4th, 2021. This was a landmark event in the long and rich history of Houston cricket. The organized cricketing scene in Houston, has been in place for almost four decades. It has been played in short formats of 20/40/50 over formats. For the initial part, it was being played in traditional white uniforms and red ball. With advent and popularity of the colorful format of t20 cricket all over the world, Houston chose to switch to white ball and color clothing in the last 12 years. It was a welcome change to see this traditional 3-day format test cricket being organized and played in whites and red ball format. This opportunity was made possible by Mr. Sakhi Muhammad, owner, and promoter of Moosa stadium, Pearland, Texas.

    Moosa cricket stadium, is beautiful international level facility. It was built in 2013 and has been the host to some marquee national teams in the recent past, namely Canada, USA, Bermuda, Denmark, Italy and several ICC Americas Combines. It is also the home venue of American College Cricket, Masters Cricket USA, 2 Ten Cricket USA, Smart Choice National Cricket Academy USA and Minor Teague Team Austin Athletics and Irving Mustangs.

    Match Report: Houston Warriors v Houston Masters

    On a beautiful day for Test Cricket, Houston Masters won the toss and had no hesitation in deciding to bat first on a brilliantly prepared Test wicket by the curator Sam Plumett. Govardhan Kandhula and Syed Hussain bowled a testing opening spell which resulted in an early Wicket for Govardhan. At 7 for 1, Shreyan Satheesh walked in at number 3. In the company of Taha Marvi, Shreyan and Taha stitched a 202-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Taha showed brilliant grit and adapted beautifully. He scored 95 of 171 balls with 13 fours and 1 six. Considering his skill hitting ability in the White ball format, this was a treat to watch him score 95. Just when he looked set to get a Test ton, Nikhil Bhat got him on 95 thanks to a brilliant catch by Nabeel Parkar. Barring a couple of chances given by Taha, this was a top-class knock. The spin trio of Nikhil Bhat, Josh Saripella, and Enosh Krupakar kept toiling and kept the runs in check to an extent. The pressure resulted in Enosh picking the final wicket of Day 1. Enosh picked up Umair Hussain on 22 thanks to a good catch by Govardhan. At the other end, Shreyan Satheesh batted brilliantly. He came into bat in the 2nd over of the day and stayed unbeaten on 138 at the end of the 1st Day.

    At 297 for 3 after Day 1, Masters looked set to score 400 plus but Warriors had other plans in mind. A masterstroke by Nikhil to have Raju Dhaduti bowl spin with a semi new ball from the Pearland end turned the tables. Raju bowled 10 overs on a trot and picked up 3 crucial wickets which got Warriors right back into the game. From the other Josh and Nikhil kept things tight along with Enosh. Masters were 7 wickets down at lunch. The 1st over after lunch bowled by Josh resulted in 2 wickets and Nikhil picked a wicket in the next over which meant Masters were all out for 363 thanks to top class bowling by Warriors. Josh picked 3 for 43 in his 25 overs and bowled superbly giving nothing away which was testimony to his bowling skills and variation. Nikhil picked 2 for 58 in his 26 overs and showed amazing control. Raju picked 3 for 57 and displayed amazing skills by bowling an immaculate length consistently. Nabeel was exceptional as a Wicket Keeper throughout the inning besides being a Silly Point and doing brilliantly when Tanaf Wasie kept wickets.

    After being in the field for 109 overs, coming into bat was a tough task for Houston Warriors. However, Nikhil Bhat started positively from Ball 1, hitting two back-to-back fours which set the tone for the inning. Tanaf Wasie played some delectable shots, and both put together 46 in no time before a fantastic short ball by Shreyan Satheesh resulted in a leading edge from Wasie which gave Masters their first wicket. The next batsman Nabeel perished quickly, and in no time Warriors were 59 for 2, which brought Josh to the crease. Nikhil and Josh, both southpaws, put up a very solid partnership. Just when Josh looked set for a big one, he was run out against the run of play for a fantastic 32 though replays showed that Josh was probably in. One wicket again brought two which meant Warriors were 141 for 4 with a session to go. Nikhil was going brilliantly on 75. The 3rd session was where we saw a game changing partnership between the “Nik Brothers” as addressed by the Commentators. Nikunj Satani showed his skills his defending and did not play any loose shot. Nikhil at the other end scored heavily in the final session. At the end of the days play, Nikhil was batting on 145 of 175 balls and had scored 100 runs in the final session.

    Warriors came back on Day 3 at 220 for 4 and continued from where they had left. Masters took the 2nd new ball and tried to make amends by taking advantage of the early morning moisture. The bowled brilliantly but Nik brothers batted with grit and determination. The round the wicket spell from Shreyan to Nikunj was a treat for all Test Match fans. Finally, Nikunj departed for 26 of 134 but Nikhil carried on his marathon knock. He was well supported by Enosh and Rahul who played cameos but at 317 for 7, the game was in balance since the Winner was to be decided based on 1st inning lead. In walked Hamza Jamshed and right from ball one, showed his class. He added 132 for the 8th wicket with Nikhil before Nikhil finally got out for a chanceless 265 of 365 balls which included 29 fours. This was his 7th ton and 1st double ton. This was also the highest score in a non-Test Country in the last 100 years as confirmed by the founder of American College Cricket. Nikhil Bhat showed amazing technique, fitness, skillset, and determination to help his team win based on 1st inning lead with support from other batters. Hamza stayed not out on 62 and Warriors were all out for 457. Umair Hussain, Arir Ali, Murtaza Hashwani, and Aryan Satheesh bowled brilliantly. Aryan for 3 for 70. With an hour to go, Masters came into bat and smashed 82 in 11 overs thanks to Ali Hasan’s 24 of 22 balls and Nandu Jalumuri’s 55 not out. Nikunj, Rahul, and Nabeel picked up a wicket each. Syed and Mayuresh bowled a good opening spell.

    The Test match was played in good spirit and Warriors won based on 1st inning lead. Players enjoyed the 3-day test format, which helped them understand and improve their game, as far as planning their innings, setting up batsmen for wickets, building on their temperament and patience. Once again, commendable effort by all involved (Moosa management, ground staff, organizers), to make this event possible.  Houston can’t wait for more of these formats and hoping to see more games at Moosa.

    Nikhil Bhat won the Man of the Match for his 265 with the bat and 2 for 58 with the ball

    Taha Marvi won the Best Batsman award for his 95 of 171 balls

    Josh Saripella won the Best Bowler award for his 3 for 43 in 25 overs

    Shreyan Satheesh won the Upcoming Youngster award for his 162 with the bat and 2 for 88 with the ball.

    — Bhaskar Saripella

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Tony Wadhawan: Candidate for Fort Bend County Court at Law #2

    Tony Wadhawan: Candidate for Fort Bend County Court at Law #2

    Tony Wadhawan, candidate for Ft Bend County Court at Law #2 flanked by his wife Reshama and parents Ramesh and Shail at his 40th birthday party and campaign meet on Thursday, December 16, in Telfair Central Hall in Sugar Land.

    SUGAR LAND: It was a 40th birthday party as well as a re-affirmation of the election campaign that he had kicked off a few weeks earlier. In this cozy atmosphere at the Telfair Central Hall decked out in red-white and blue, with balloons on a marquee backdrop, Tony Wadhawan was able to be himself with his family, friends and loyal supporters. He is a big man but nimble on his feet, and he double-stepped into the hall, accompanied by his wife Reshama, to the beat of Punjabi dhols as he was introduced to the crowd.

    Wadhawan is the son of long-time Houstonians Ramesh and Shail Wadhawan who have operated Shelly Travel and now Zee Travel. He bears a striking resemblance to both and has their same affable attitude towards people.

    But when it comes to the law, Wadhawan is all business. A product of Ft Bend schools, he got his law degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. Since then, he has developed into a well-respected criminal attorney with a 14-year practice. He knows the ins and outs of the system, and regularly handles the kind of cases that the Ft Bend Court at Law #2 is known to deal with. He wants to spread his message across the county of his competency as he seeks to win in the primary on March 1.

  • TCC Taped Ball Fall 2021 Tournament: WOMCC Win vs. CFCC

    TCC Taped Ball Fall 2021 Tournament: WOMCC Win vs. CFCC

    Winners: WOMCC

    HOUSTON: After a hard-fought tournament, WOMCC finally lived their dream of winning TCC, which is the toughest taped ball tournament in the Houston area. This was their first ever title. They pipped CFCC by three wickets in a thrilling game that was worthy of a final! On a bright, sunny morning, 20th Nov 2021, WOMCC won the toss and elected to field first. Their bowlers were on song throughout the tournament and that was the best way to go ahead for the team. The opening batsmen were removed very quickly by the fast-bowling duo of Chand and Afsar. Sasidhar nicked one off Afsar and Abhished nicked one off Chand with Navin catching both the batsmen out. The score read 11/2 in the third over. Akshay and the ever-reliable Yesu started the rebuild nudging around the strong WOMCC bowling around for doubles and singles. The duo put together 32 runs in 6 overs. Pranav, the dibbly dobbly medium pace bowler came into the attached and removed Yesu (17) with his first ball! After this breakthrough, Rajkiran and Akshay (24) continued to defy an aggressive WOMCC attack. CFCC managed to reach 51/3 at the end of the first half of the innings.

    Runners up: CFCC

    In the second half, Akshay was bowled off a peach of a delivery by Asfar and Rajkiran and Dikshith followed soon after being removed by Archit in a gap of two balls. After 14 overs, CFCC were in a bit of a spot of bother at 73/6, looking for some desperate runs to at least reach the par score of 120 which was a defendable total on the ground. This much needed impetus was provided to the team by Manjunath (23) and Yashwanth (24). The duo scored at a brisk rate and added almost 50 runs in 6 overs. Trying to score a quick double, Manjunath was run out courtesy a rocket throw by Chand from the deep. After that partnership ended, Pranav bowled a beautiful last over giving away just 5 runs which limited the CFCC team to a respectable total of 125/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

    Chasing 126, Navin and Naushad started cautiously overcoming a lethal spell by Yesu in which he conceded only one run in his first two overs. This included a maiden over to WOMCC’s in form batsman Navin Negi. After a solid start of 35 runs in 6 overs, Naushad (18) was run out by Yashwanth trying to steal a single. After this, Manjunath came into the attack and picked Rushang, Archit and Zeeshan quickly to leave WOMCC in a spot of bother at 67/4 in the 11th over. WOMCC were in further trouble after Yesu removed the captain Neelesh and Abhishek removed Asfar. Standing through all this fall was Navin Negi. He kept one end steady and continued batting steadily. Pratap and Navin put a stand of 31 runs and got WOMCC well within the sight of the victory.

    After Pratap fell, Navin unbeaten on 60 with 7 fours and a six finished the game off in style to hand WOMCC their first ever TCC trophy!

    The game was followed by a well-managed presentation ceremony organized by Jagdish Biradar. Neelesh Musale, the captain of WOMCC was handed over the winner’s trophy and the runners up trophy was handed over to  captain of CFCC Prabhakar Thota. Navin Negi from WOMCC was the MVP of the final and the MVP for the tournament. Tournament awards were also handed over. For Divn I, George from ECC was the best batsman with 262 runs, Prabaharan from Big 12 was best bowler with 12 wickets, Shiva from HCCC was the best wicket keeper with 29 dismissals, Sandeep from Miura Bulls was the best allrounder with 130 runs and 11 wickets. Special awards were given to Shiva from HCCC for a century and Gopi from Masters for Hat trick. For Divn II, Saad from Champions CC II was the best batsman with 343 runs, Manohar from Martians was the best bowler with 15 wickets, Ram from Spartans with 23 dismissals was the best wicket keeper, Roshaka from All Stars CC was the best allrounder with 210 runs and 10 wickets. Special awards were given to Saad from Champions CC II for a century and Sadesh of All Stars CC for a Hat trick. Online scorecard is at:  https://cricclubs.com/3T/fullScorecard.do?matchId=908&clubId=8675  and YouTube video is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSiDOSlnGvs

  • World Table Tennis Championships in Houston

    World Table Tennis Championships in Houston

    USA player Kanak Jha reached the Men’s singles quarterfinal, a first for the US since 1959

    Houston: Table Tennis enthusiasts in Houston had the opportunity to view and cheer for the sport’s leading table tennis players at the World Table Tennis Championships in Houston’s George Brown Convention Center from
    November 23 to 29. This was the first time the world championships were held outside of Europe or Asia.

    In the finals on Monday, the Number 1 seed Fan Zhendong easily won the final Men’s Singles match easily 4-0 against Sweden’s Truls Moregard. In the Women’s Singles final, China’s Wang Manyu beat her compatriot Sun
    Yingsha 4-2.

    Houston table tennis enthusiasts greeted the Indian TT team when they arrived at the Houston airport to wish them luck. Several Indian teams reached the quarterfinals.

    The tournament was hosted by the Houston Sports Association. On the local organizing committee, active members from the Indo-American community included Jayant and Kanchan Kabad, Jyoti Kulkarni, and Neeraj Oak. Scores of other volunteers helped at the tournament site and also in greeting and assisting the visiting Indian team.

    In the Men’s Singles Quarterfinals, USA’s Kanak Jha lost 4-2 to Timo Boll of Germany. In Women’s Doubles Quarterfinals, Manika Batra and Archana Kamat lost to the French team of Sarah de Nutte and Lian Xia Ni.
    In the Mixed Doubles Quarterfinals, the Indian team of Sathian Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra lost to Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata.

    To make the Indian team comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings, Sridhar Kota brought food from Indian local restaurants. The Indian contingent was able to visit NASA on Saturday with the help of local volunteers, including Mukund Belawadi.

    The 2022 ITTF TT tournament will take place in Busan, South Korea.

  • “Never, Ever Underestimate the Indians”

    “Never, Ever Underestimate the Indians”

    Brisbane: A visibly upset Langer said that one massive lesson he has learnt from the setback is that you cannot take anything for granted. “Never ever, ever underestimate the Indians, 1.5 billion [people in India] and you play in the senior team, you have to be really tough,” he said.

    Langer said the fightback after the Adelaide debacle was nothing short of remarkable especially after injury-forced ouster of big players like Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja.

    “I can’t compliment India enough. They haven’t gone away after that first Test match which we won in three days, bowled them out for 30 odd. For them to fight back like they did is amazing, credit to them. The big lesson for us is that you can’t take anything for granted. India never got away,” he said.

    Langer also applauded Rishabh Pant for playing a match-winning knock on the final day of the Gabba Test. Gill played knocks of 89 and 91 as India recorded a famous three-wicket win over Australia.

    Chasing a record target of 328 at the venue, a severely depleted Indian team went past the finishing line with 18 balls to spare on the final day. Rishabh Pant (89 not out off 138 balls) showcased his breathtaking strokeplay to secure the win for the visitors, thereby ending Australia’s 32-year-old unbeaten run at the ‘Fortress Gabba’. “It was an amazing effort. (Rishabh) Pant’s innings somewhat reminded me of Ben Stokes’ innings in Headingley actually. He came in, he was almost fearless and he will be lauded because of it. It was an unbelievable innings,” Langer said in his praise of the Indian wicket-keeper batsman.

    “I thought young (Shubman) Gill (91) batted very well. Their young bowling attack kept us under pressure throughout the match and as I said India deserve full credit.”

    Langer also commended his own team’s bowling attack for its tireless effort in the series, albeit in a losing cause. “…from our point of view, we had the same four bowlers (Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc) who have gone hard, they have stood up and they have worked so hard but unfortunately we didn’t get over the line today. “I am proud of the way those four guys fought so hard,” he signed off.

  • TCC Premier Tournament Fall 2020: Cougars Winners, CSK Runners Up

    TCC Premier Tournament Fall 2020: Cougars Winners, CSK Runners Up

    Winners: Cougars
    Runners up: CSK

    Houston: Cougars were crowned as the champions of TCC Taped Ball Fall 2020 on November 21, 2020 defeating CSK by 5 wickets in a very tightly contested low scoring match thereby claiming their eighth Championship in TCC Taped Ball Tournament in their 12th final. They now have the highest number of Championships. This was the first final for CSK. It was a highly competitive tournament played between 21 teams and both the teams came up with spirited performances in the playoffs winning some close matches to reach the finals.

    CSK won the toss on a cloudy Saturday morning and elected to bat first in overcast conditions. Cougars opening bowlers gave a great start with Krishna (2 wickets in first 2 overs ) by taking out the prize wicket of Adi in the first over to a great diving catch from Subbu. During early wickets, Arun and Ashwin built a stable partnership but Arun’s runout in 8th over from a superb direct hit from Chaitanya changed the game as Arun was in good touch. CSK slipped from 43-3 in 8 overs to 43-6 in 10 overs. Ashwin played steadily and ran out of partners. Remaining CSK batsmen were not able to score big due to relentless bowling from Cougars and the total was 88 for 9 in 20 overs.

    Saravana led the attack with a brilliant spell of 3-1-5-2 and was well supported by all the bowlers with Aveg and Krishna both picking two wickets each. Overall, it was a top-class bowling and fielding performance by Cougars. Chaitanya from Cougars had a great day in the field with three catches and one runout. For CSK, Ashwin Ravi (22*) and Arun (21) were the top scorers and supported by Ramesh (10) and Chirag (12).

    With a tricky target of 89 to chase, Cougars lost their openers Chaitanya and Prashant within first 4 overs. The run out of Cougars captain Ashwin in 5th over put pressure on Cougars batsmen as required run rate slowly started climbing with CSK bowlers putting in a spirited performance. When Swaroop and Sree fell in 11th over to bring score at 38-5, the pressure started mounting in the Cougars camp. Subbu and Aveg built a great partnership from there. Initially they kept the score ticking with sensible batting and then opened with beautifully scoring shots all around the ground. The memorable unbeaten partnership was a match winning 53 runs in 40 balls.

    Aveg finished the chase with two successive boundaries in 18th over to complete the chase and Cougars became deserving champions amid joyous celebrations. Subbu (25* of 25 with 4 fours), Aveg (23* of 15 with 3 fours) and Swaroop (15) were the main scorers. For CSK, Asad led the attach with 2 wickets and was supported by Ramsai and Karthik with one wicket each. The link to the score card is https://www.cricclubs.com/3T/fullScorecard.do?matchId=561&clubId=8675 and the link to YouTube is https://youtu.be/nAuPovQWlD8

    The game was followed by a well-organized presentation ceremony hosted and facilitated by Jagadish Biradar of TCC where Ashwin Tandon, captain of Cougars received the championship trophy and Karthik Vadlamudi, captain of CSK was awarded the runners up trophy.  Aveg from Cougars was awarded the man of the match for his brilliant all round performance of 23* in 15 balls and spell of 4-0-18-2.

    Tournament awards were also presented during the presentation ceremony. Sreekanth from Cougars won the award for the MVP of the tournament for his brilliant performances in the league games and a MVP performance in semis against SLCC. Divn. I tournament awards were presented. Parasu Nagendra from CSK was best batsman with 238 runs, Sarvanakumar from Cougars was best bowler with 13 wickets, Yesu from CFCC was the best allrounder with 234 runs and 11 wickets, Swaroop from Cougars was the best wicket keeper with 19 wickets, Aditya from CSK, Saifee from Champions CC II and Khaleed from CFCC got special awards for centuries and Ramesh Kumar from STYX got special award for Hat-trick. Divn. II tournament rewards were presented. Morshad from BTH was the best batsman with 294 runs, Faraz from Champions CC was the best bowler with 19 wickets, Gayan from All Starts CC was the best all rounder with 152 runs and 14 wickets, Syed from Champions CC was the best wicket keeper with 18 catches and 1 stumping.

  • Champions CC Winners of Spring 2020 TCC Taped Ball Tournament

    Champions CC Winners of Spring 2020 TCC Taped Ball Tournament

    Champions CC winners
    Champions CC II Runners up

    Houston: Champions CC were crowned as the champions of TCC Taped Ball Spring 2020 Professional on August 15th 2020 defeating Champions CC II by 8 wickets and thereby claiming their first TCC Taped Ball professional Tournament title which is a once in a year championship for Divn. II teams. This was the first appearance in the final for both the finalists. It was a highly competitive tournament played between 8 teams.

    Champions CC II won the toss on a beautiful Saturday morning and had no hesitation in electing to bat first.  Champions CC opening bowlers again gave a great start with Omar taking out the inform batsman Faizan for a duck. Saad, the other opening batsman continued his good form in the tournament with a quickfire 31 of 20 balls with 5 fours off the first 4 overs. Waseem got the crucial breakthru of Saad in the 5th over. Saifee and Omair steadied the innings and the total was 67/3 at the end of 10 overs. They started aggressively after the break and were 82/3 in 12 overs. The combination of Waseem and Gohar changed the course in the next 2 overs with 3 wickets for a score of 88/6 in 14 overs. Thereafter Omar and Faraz kept a tight leash on the batting of Champions CC II and the score after 20 overs was 115/9. For Champions CC, Gohar and Waseem were the pick of the bowlers taking 3 and 2 wickets and were well supported by Omar with 1/13 in 4 overs and Faraz with 1/27 in 4 overs. For Champions CC II, Saad scored 31 of 20 and Saifee scored 35 of 29 with 4 fours. Overall it was a top-class bowling performance by Champions CC to restrict the scoring to 115 in 20 overs.

    Umair gave a great start to Champions CC and the score was 19 after first 2 overs. Saad pulled it back with the wicket of Gohar in the 3rd over. Syed joined Umair and kept the score ticking with sensible batting and the score was 59/1 after 10 overs. Umair was run out for 37 of 35 in the 12th over due to brilliant work in the field by Jamal. Basit joined Syed and batted sensibly till the 14th over before opening with big shots from the 15th over. The target was comfortably achieved in the 18th over with 8 wickets in hand. Syed was not out on 41 of 47 and Basit was not out on 30 of 25 with 2 fours and a six. For Champions CC II, Saad got 1/21 of 4 overs.

    The game was followed by well-organized presentation ceremony hosted and facilitated by Jagadish Biradar of TCC. Dinesh from Gladiators was thanked for his voluntary contribution in scheduling the tournament.

    Umpires Cameron and Devon were presented umpiring medals.  Omar Bangash, captain of Champions CC was awarded the championship trophy and Adnan Hasan, captain of Champions CC II was awarded the runners up trophy. Syed Mohiaddin from Champions CC was awarded the man of the match for his steady 41 runs with 1 four.

    Tournament awards were also presented during the presentation ceremony. Omar Bangash from Champions CC won the award for the MVP of the tournament. Saad from Champions CC II was the best batsman for 162 runs, Shirak from SLL was the best bowler with 14 wickets, Saad from Champions CC II was the best All-rounder with 168 runs and 12 wickets and Omair from Champions CC II was the best wicketkeeper with the 14 catches and 1 stumping

  • SLCC Crowned as TCC Winter 2018 Champions, Gladiators Runners Up

    SLCC Crowned as TCC Winter 2018 Champions, Gladiators Runners Up

    Winning SLCC team

    HOUSTON: Sri Lankan Cricket Club (SLCC) and Gladiators squared off in a back to back final on 9th March 2019 and it resulted in SLCC winning by 22 runs and being crowned as TCC Taped Ball Winter 2018 Champions. This was their 3rd championship win in their 8th final. For Gladiators, this was their 7th final. SLCC dominated the tournament being unbeaten throughout while Gladiators had some close matches on their way to the big final.

    SLCC won the toss and elected to bat. Subodh was on fire in the first over taking wickets of Nalith and Ranil to put SLCC on 6/2. The situation got worse when Tanaji found Dulaj’s edge for the score to be 6/3. Things went from bad to worse when Mathew took the wicket of Bernard for 3 runs making the score 13/4. SLCC captain Dushan joined Gihan at the crease with a huge task of getting back on track from 4 early wickets down.

    Both batsmen batted sensibly rotating the strike and absorbing the pressure created by the very potent Gladiators attack. Just when the batmen were settling in Dushan got out to Sandeep when Mathew held on to a brilliant running catch in the deep for the score to be at 36/5. Things did not look bright again for SLCC when they lost their set batsmen Gihan for 20 to Tanaji. Scorecard was reading 45/6. Udesh and Thilan were the next to fall due to great fielding by Mathew and Amit and this reduced the score to 57 only for the loss of 8 wickets. Thusitha joined Ramesh at the crease and put on a much-needed partnership of 26 runs for the 9th wicket in 4 overs. At the end of 20 overs SLCC managed to put up 93 runs on the board for the loss of 9 wickets. Gihan was the top scorer with 20 runs followed by Thusitha’s 19. Subodh, Tanaji, Ninad and Sandeep each took 2 wickets in what was a splendid bowling performance against a very good batting lineup.

    Runners up — Gladiators.

    SLCC took the field trying to defend 93. The bowlers were on top of their game from the start bowling good line and length and putting the Gladiators openers on the back foot immediately. Emad was the first to fall off the bowling of Thusitha nicking to the wicket keeper Bernard. Amit and Ninad were next to follow due to top class fielding efforts from Thilan and Ramesh leaving Gladiators in world of trouble early in their innings. Aradhya and Sanman looked to take the innings back on track with sensible batting. But with that pair gone and Mathew’s run out in quick succession, the batting team looked in deep trouble and the required run rate went to over 7 runs per over. SLCC bowlers made easy work of the rest of batting line up. Gladiators were all out for 71 runs after 17.3 overs. Aradhya was the top scorer with 15 followed by Amit at 12. All the SLCC bowlers and fielders brought their A game to the finals not allowing a single boundary in the Gladiators innings. Thusitha was the pick of the bowlers with 9/3 in his spell.

    The game was followed by prize distribution ceremony arranged by TCC and facilitated by Nanda Kumar, president of TCC. TCC and teams were honored to have Rajeshwari Dholakia Antani for presenting the awards. She is well known in the Houston cricket community and have had the privilege of representing Indian Women’s national team. Dushan Silvester, the captain of SLCC was presented with the championship trophy and Subodh Dongare, the captain of Gladiators was presented with the runners up trophy. Thusitha was adjudged man of the match for scoring 19 match winning runs and taking 3 wickets for 9 runs.

    For the tournament awards, Syed Mohiaddin was awarded the best batsman with 235 runs. Subramanya Upadhya was the best bowler for taking 16 wickets. Best wicket keeper award was shared by Swaroop CK, Debasish Das and Syed Mohiaddin for 17 dismissals. Anil Gorisipati was the best all-rounder with 179 runs and 8 wickets. Special award recipients were Prashant Manne and Sankirth Bathula for individual centuries and Vishnu Gardimalla and Joseph Alenchery for Hat-tricks.

  • AFC Asian Cup: Sunil Chhetri scores brace as India start campaign with 4-1 win over Thailand

    AFC Asian Cup: Sunil Chhetri scores brace as India start campaign with 4-1 win over Thailand

    Sunil Chhetri, left, and Anirudh Thapa celebrate their third goal. (AP Photo)

    ABU DHABI: Indian football’s goal machine Sunil Chhetri  struck a brace to help the country stunningly outplay Thailand 4-1 and record its first victory in the Asian Cup since 1964 on a historic night here on Sunday.

    Playing in his second Asian Cup and 105th match, Chhetri scored in the 27th (penalty) and 46th minutes for his 66th and 67th goals to become the second highest international goal scorer among active players.

     

    Click here to read more…

    Credit: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

  • 2-1 up in Australia Test series, Team India’s new year party gets going two days early

    2-1 up in Australia Test series, Team India’s new year party gets going two days early

    Amidst all the joyous chaos, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jasprit Bumrah, the chief protagonists of the 137-run victory over Australia in the third Test that took India 2-1 to the final game in Sydney, scrambled to collect souvenir stumps.

    Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane celebrate after winning the third Test in Melbourne on Sunday. (Reuters)

    MELBOURNE: When the decisive blow arrived — Ishant Sharma getting Nathan Lyon to top-edge a catch — the entire Indian team swarmed into a huddle to the backdrop of thunderous applause under a slaty sky. Mohammad Shami, who was stationed the farthest, ran across half the massive Melbourne Cricket Ground to join the celebrations. Even those on the bench and the support staff were leaping and hugging each other near the boundary ropes.

     

    Click here to read more…

    Credit: indianexpress.com

  • India vs Australia, 3rd T20I: Virat Kohli, Krunal Pandya power India to series-levelling win

    India vs Australia, 3rd T20I: Virat Kohli, Krunal Pandya power India to series-levelling win

    Virat Kohli celebrates with Dinesh Karthik after hitting the winning runs in the third and final T20 in Sydney. (Source: AP)
    Virat Kohli celebrates with Dinesh Karthik after hitting the winning runs in the third and final T20 in Sydney. (Source: AP)

    India captain Virat Kohli hit the winning runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground as India beat Australia by six wickets in the third and final T20I on Sunday. Chasing a tricky target of 165, Kohli remained unbeaten on 61 while Shikhar Dhawan made 41. D’Arcy Short (33) was the top-scorer for Australia, while Krunal Pandya picked up four wickets for India in the first innings.

    There were a few nervy moments during the chase as India lost a couple of wickets. However, with the help of Dinesh Karthik, Kohli knocked off the last sixty in six and a half overs. Earlier, Australia won the first T20 International by four runs via D/L method before the second match was abandoned due to rain. With India’s win at the SCG both the teams now share the spoils in the three-match series.

     

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    Credit: indianexpress.com

  • India vs Australia: Top five T20I scores in Australia

    India vs Australia: Top five T20I scores in Australia

    Watson, Kohli, Finch, Wade, Rohit
    Watson, Kohli, Finch, Wade, Rohit

    By Manish Kumar

    NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Twenty20 International series between India and Australia, here’s a look at the five highest scores in the shortest format on Australian soil in matches played between India and Australia:

     

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    Credit: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

  • ICC Women’s World T20: Mithali Raj guides India to 7-wicket win over Pakistan

    ICC Women’s World T20: Mithali Raj guides India to 7-wicket win over Pakistan

    Mithali Raj. (Getty Images)
    Mithali Raj. (Getty Images)

    PROVIDENCE (Guyana): Veteran Mithali Raj smashed a aggressive half-century to guide India to an easy 7-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Women’s World T20  on Sunday.

    Mithali anchored the Indian run chase with a 47-ball 56 which she made with the help of seven fours in the Group B match which was marred by unprecedented docking of 10 penalty runs on Pakistan.

     

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    Credit: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

  • 1st T20I: India beat West Indies by five wickets, take 1-0 lead

    1st T20I: India beat West Indies by five wickets, take 1-0 lead

    sports
    KOLKATA:         India ended a four-match winless run against the West Indies with a five-wicket victory that came on the back of debutant Krunal Pandya’s flourish and Dinesh Karthik’s poise on Sunday.

    This was India’s first win against the World T20 champions since 2014, spanning five matches.

     

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    Credit: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

  • Pakistan sweep Australia 3-0 in T20 series

    Pakistan sweep Australia 3-0 in T20 series

    The Australian chase fell off for the third successive time and was bowled out for 117 in 19.1 overs. (PCB Twitter)
    The Australian chase fell off for the third successive time and was bowled out for 117 in 19.1 overs. (PCB Twitter)

    DUBAI: Top-ranked Pakistan put in another clinical performance to beat Australia by 33 runs in the third and final Twenty20 match and completed a 3-0 series sweep on Sunday.

    Australia finished their disappointing tour without a win as they also lost the Test series 1-0 after narrowly escaping with a draw in the first Test.

     

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    Credit: indianexpress.com

  • India vs Pakistan: Manpreet Singh’s splendid solo goal inspires India’s win

    India vs Pakistan: Manpreet Singh’s splendid solo goal inspires India’s win

    India centre-half Manpreet Singh received a pass just inside India’s half, and embarked on a mazy run, with Pakistan forward Ali Shan shadowing him closely. (PTI Photo)
    India centre-half Manpreet Singh received a pass just inside India’s half, and embarked on a mazy run, with Pakistan forward Ali Shan shadowing him closely. (PTI Photo)

    Captain Manpreet Singh covered a little more than 50 yards and beat seven Pakistani players to score a breathtaking solo goal that triggered India’s comeback in the round-robin match of the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat on Saturday.

    Muhammad Irfan Junior had given Pakistan a surprise lead in the first minute and it stayed like that at the end of the first quarter. India created scoring opportunities in the second period but weren’t able to restore parity until Manpreet took the matter in his own hands.

     

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    Credit: indianexpress.com

  • India vs West Indies: Lethal weapon Umesh runs riot

    India vs West Indies: Lethal weapon Umesh runs riot

    Umesh Yadav became only the third Indian pacer after Kapil Dev (twice) and Javagal Srinath (once) to take a ten-wicket haul at home. (AP Photo)
    Umesh Yadav became only the third Indian pacer after Kapil Dev (twice) and Javagal Srinath (once) to take a ten-wicket haul at home. (AP Photo)

    By Bharat Sundaresan

    HYDERABAD: UMESH YADAV doesn’t bowl special deliveries. Or so is the general perception. Umesh Yadav doesn’t swing or seam the ball too much. Not like Bhuvaneshwar Kumar or Mohammed Shami anyway. Or so is the perception. Umesh Yadav is quick but not consistently express like Jasprit Bumrah. Or so is the perception. On Sunday in Hyderabad, Umesh Yadav became only the third Indian pacer in history to take a 10-wicket Test match haul on home soil. That is fact.

    There’s a lot of old school in the way Yadav goes about his fast bowling business. He’s strong, he’s fit and he runs in over after over with little fuss and bowls every delivery with the same intensity as the last. When he does get rewarded, he celebrates his wickets with little fuss too — an almost obligatory punch in the air at most. That too perhaps adds to the lack of a significant aura, almost like from the outside you take his skills for granted.

     

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    Credit: indianexpress.com

  • Eyeing World Cup berth, underdogs India face South Korea

    Eyeing World Cup berth, underdogs India face South Korea

    Photo courtesy Twitter handle: @IndianFootball
    Photo courtesy Twitter handle: @IndianFootball

    KUALA LUMPUR: The Indian team is bracing up for one of its toughest challenges as it takes on heavyweights South Korea here Monday for a berth in the semifinals of the AFC U-16 Championship and a ticket to the next U-17 World Cup.

    The Indian colts, coached by Bibiano Fernandes, have qualified for the quarter-final of the ongoing AFC U-16 Championship and now Korea, one of the strongest teams in the competition, stands in between.

     

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    Credit: tribuneindia.com

     

  • Asia Cup 2018 scoreline: India 2, Pakistan 0

    Asia Cup 2018 scoreline: India 2, Pakistan 0

    On Sunday, India treated Pakistan as if the arch rivals were some cricketing minnow. (Source: AP)
    On Sunday, India treated Pakistan as if the arch rivals were some cricketing minnow. (Source: AP)

    By Shamik Chakrabarty

    DUBAI: What a difference a change of format and setting makes! Less than two weeks after suffering a 1-4 reversal in the Test series in England, India continue to make merry in familiar conditions in the Gulf.

    On Sunday, they treated Pakistan as if the arch rivals were some cricketing minnow.

    Apart from Shoaib Malik, none of the Pakistan batsmen could come to terms with a varied and potent Indian bowling attack, and while chasing a relatively modest target of 238, hundreds by openers Shikhar Dhawanand Rohit Sharma ensured the outcome was never in doubt. The amateurish manner in which Sarfraz Khan’s bowlers and fielders went about their business contributed to their debacle, but India seemed a class apart.

     

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    Credit: indianexpress.com

  • Mithali Raj hits career-best knock but India lose 3rd ODI to Sri Lanka

    Mithali Raj hits career-best knock but India lose 3rd ODI to Sri Lanka

    Mithali Raj scored a century against Sri Lanka on Sunday. (Source: AP)
    Mithali Raj scored a century against Sri Lanka on Sunday. (Source: AP)

    Skipper Mithali Raj’s career-best knock of 125 not out went in vain as Sri Lanka women shocked India women by three wickets in the inconsequential third and final One-day International, in Katunayake on Sunday.

    India had already sealed the series by winning the first two ODIs but in the 3rd match they could not defend the total of 253 for five, built around Raj’s unbeaten 125 and opener Smriti Mandhana’s 51.

     

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    Credit: indianexpress.com