Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo on Friday extended greetings to his fans on the occasion of New Year and said "may 2021 be a year to always remember for the best reasons".
India's former hockey captain Ajitpal Singh fondly remembered his 1975 World Cup teammate Michael Kindo, who passed away in Rourkela on Thursday. Kindo was 73.
On Wednesday, the Board sent an exhaustive 30-page long list of Covid protocol, including the Standard Operating Procedures (TOI has a copy) to all the teams for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, which will kick off the severely curtailed 2020-21 domestic season from January 10.
Canterbury fast bowler Matt Henry was called up to the New Zealand squad for the second Test against Pakistan, starting on Sunday at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, to replace the injured Neil Wagner, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Friday.
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) celebrated the historic achievement of star spinner Rashid Khan who was named the ICC Men's T20I Player of the Decade and featured in the T20I Team of the decade as well.
The 31-year-old’s woeful form is definitely a worry for the hosts ahead of the third Test in Sydney starting from January 7. While some have questioned Smith’s technique against the Indian bowlers, former Australian skipper Kim Hughes offered a different point of view.
The middle-order batsman said the Aussies have been stifled by a leg-side trap set by India. In both the Tests so far in Adelaide and Melbourne, India have crowded the leg side with fielders and the fast bowlers have predominantly bowled straight at the stumps when the ball gets old.
Australia's batsmen must balance aggression with discipline to combat India in the third Test in Sydney after being pinned down by their bowlers in the first two matches, number three Marnus Labuschagne said.
Liverpool will start 2021 in a familiar position at the top of the Premier League but with a rejuvenated Manchester United leading a pack of challengers who are all within striking distance.
Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland is expected to make an eagerly awaited return from injury as his side look to battle back into the Bundesliga top four with a win over high-fliers Wolfsburg on Sunday.
Since 2018-19, when Virat Kohli’s boys won the series 2-1, there has been a remarkable decrease in Aussie run-rates. In 11 innings (8 in 2018-19 and 3 on the current tour), the Australians have touched a run-rate of 3.0 only once, in the first innings of Perth where they won the Test.
Neymar laughed off controversy Thursday over reports he was throwing a mega New Year's party for 500 guests, posting a video online of preparations for what he called a "low-key dinner" with family and friends.
Canada clinched first place in its pool and a quarter-final matchup against the Czech Republic with a 4-1 win over Finland at the world junior hockey championship in Edmonton on Thursday.
Pascal Siakam has apparently paid the price for his late-game unsportsmanlike behaviour. The Raptors chose not to play Siakam on Thursday against the visiting New York Knicks, starting Norman Powell in place of the struggling forward.
Training in the town of Milton Keynes in England, champion shuttler PV Sindhu is leaving no stone unturned to put on a medal-winning show at the Tokyo Olympics next year.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been sued by former umpires John Holder and Ismail Dawood for alleged racial discrimination during their time in the board's employment, a report said.
India opener Rohit Sharma, who joined his teammates after completing his 14-day quarantine period on Wednesday, is sweating it out and training hard with an eye on the third Test against Australia.
There were deaths that left fans distraught, there was a retirement that was expected but still seemed unacceptable, training across sports shut down for most of the year and athletes copped with one cancelled tournament after another as fear of the virus took precedence over the desire to compete.
India captain Virat Kohli held on to his second position while stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane broke into the top 10 after gaining five places in the latest ICC men's Test batting ranking released on Thursday. Rahane climbed to the sixth spot after scoring 112 and 27 not out to inspire India's eight-wicket series-levelling win in the second Test against Australia in Melbourne.
Los Angeles superstar LeBron James celebrated his 36th birthday on Wednesday with another NBA milestone, scoring double-digit points for the 1,000th straight game in the Lakers' 121-107 victory over the Spurs in San Antonio.
San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon made history on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to take charge of an NBA team when she took over after head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected.
The Indian team management is likely to prefer Shardul Thakur over left-arm pace sensation Thangarasu Natarajan in the third Test against Australia in place of injured Umesh Yadav.
Kane Williamson leaped from third to first after his player-of-the-match effort leading the Black Caps to a 101-run victory over Pakistan this week, scoring 129 in the first innings and a rapid 21 in the second when New Zealand were building a lead before declaring.
New Zealand pace bowler Neil Wagner battled through the pain of two broken toes in the first Test against Pakistan but coach Gary Stead said he would miss the second match at Hagley Oval in Christchurch starting on Sunday.
David Warner may play the third Test against India even if he is short of full fitness as Australia look to the veteran opener to strengthen the top order, assistant coach Andrew McDonald said on Thursday.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane was annoyed his side could not seal victory after they were held to a 1-1 draw at Elche on Wednesday and slipped two points behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid.
The Australia-India women's ODI series slated for next month has been postponed to next season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cricket Australia said on Thursday.
Manchester City kick off the New Year at Chelsea on Sunday, eager to move on from a recent COVID-19 outbreak and get back to putting pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Lewis Hamilton received a knighthood Wednesday as part of Queen Elizabeth II's New Year's honours list, which also recognized British performers, politicians, public servants and people outside the limelight who worked to defeat the coronavirus and its devastating impacts.
Former Indian batsman VVS Laxman heaped praise on the Indian cricket team for their eight-wicket victory against Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Lewis Hamilton has been knighted in Britain's traditional New Year Honours list after equalling Michael Schumacher's record of seven Formula One world titles.
An off-key Liverpool were frustrated for a second successive game by struggling opponents as they were held to a 0-0 Premier League draw at Newcastle United on Wednesday.
Real Madrid were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw at struggling Elche on Wednesday, losing ground in the La Liga title race to leaders Atletico Madrid.
Becky Hammon became the first woman to direct a team in NBA history, taking over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers following Gregg Popovich's ejection in the first half.
Being dropped from two Tests in South Africa in 2018 despite being the designated vice-captain was probably the lowest point in Ajinkya Rahane's career. It was a turbulent time for Rahane. His spot in the Test XI seemed to be in jeopardy and his future in limited-overs cricket too didn't look promising.
India's Ravindra Jadeja is for now in the same bracket as England's Ben Stokes as an all-rounder, says former India wicket-keeper batsman Deep Dasgupta. Jadeja played an integral role in India's win against Australia in the second Test, returning with figures of 1/15 and 2/28 and scoring 57 in India's first innings.
Less than a week before training camp was set to begin, Zdeno Chara shocked the hockey world by signing a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals.
Cricket Australia interim Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley on Wednesday confirmed that Team India and Australia will not travel to Sydney on New Year's eve and will stay in Melbourne for a couple of days.
Australian authorities are asking fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) not to cheer too loudly during the third Test against India next week as the city grapples with an outbreak of Covid-19. The New South Wales (NSW) government restricted movement and tightened curbs on gatherings in Sydney on Wednesday, as the state recorded 18 new cases.
Winning an away Test match in SENA (SA, Eng, NZ and Aus) countries is no more a rarity in Indian cricket. But India doing it at the MCG without batting first is indeed rare.
The five-bowler strategy worked out perfectly for India in Melbourne but the Ajinkya Rahane-led side has some tough calls to make in the batting department, especially the opening slot, ahead of the third Test against Australia in Sydney with Rohit Sharma available for selection.
India's win in Melbourne on Tuesday is one of their best when it comes to fighting against adversities.
In 2011-12 Down Under, Ashwin managed just 9 wickets in three Tests at an average of 62.77 (SR 112). Then during the 2014-15 tour, Ashwin scalped 12 wickets in three Tests @ 48.66 (SR 85.8). On both tours, his wickets mostly came when Australia had already put a massive total on the board and went for the slog, or against tailenders.
TOI has learnt from reliable sources in the BCCI that the 29-year-old Natarajan, who took two for 70 on his ODI debut and then scalped six wickets in the three-match T20 International series at an economy rate of 6.91, is set to replace fast bowler Umesh Yadav.
The year of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is arriving. That would be 2021. Ever since the Olympics were postponed nine months ago, local organizers and the IOC have been biding their time. They've said we'll have to wait until early in 2021 for details about how the Olympics can open on July 23 in the middle of a pandemic. That time is here.
Australia head to the third Test against India desperately searching for answers to their batting woes and with fingers crossed that sidelined opener David Warner will be ready to slot back into the side in Sydney.
Puck-drop for the Winnipeg Jets regular season is slated to start in 16 days, and the team's general manager says the key to a successful campaign will be adaptability.
Both Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have demonstrated they are shrewd leaders. It is not for nothing India won the 2018-19 Test series in Australia under Kohli's leadership. But their approach towards captaincy, on-field decision making and demeanour is totally different.
Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins said he had "every confidence" Australia's top batsmen would return to form following an underwhelming first two Tests against India.
Barcelona suffered in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi as they drew 1-1 at home to struggling Eibar in La Liga on Tuesday after Martin Braithwaite missed a penalty for the Catalans.
