Sports

I'm no statistician. On the contrary, I go cross-eyed, my head spins like a top and I'm overcome by panic each time I'm confronted with a page peppered generously with numbers. This unfortunate phenomenon has everything to do with my rocky and ill-fated relationship with arithmetic since my teens. But every once in a while, even with the odds stacked against me, I'm compelled to flirt with numbers

India elected to bat after winning the toss on Day 1 of third Test between India and England from the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The series is tied 1-1 and it makes this Test a pivotal one for both teams. India have a wonderful record at the Eden Gardens. They have not lost a Test here since 1999 when they lost to Pakistan in the Asian Test championship. Egged on by a crowd that approaches close to 60

Switzerland, December 5: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended India's national Olympic committee on Tuesday because of government interference in its election process, two officials with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. After months of warnings, the IOC executive board imposed the sanction when the Indian Olympic Association failed to comply with the world body's

Melbourne, December 4: A spirited India topped Pool A in the FIH Champions Trophy hockey despite losing 2-3 to Olympic champions Germany after giving them a tough fight in Melbourne on Tuesday. In the quarterfinals, eight-time Olympic champions India will on Thursday face Belgium, who finished fourth and last in Pool B. For India this was their first loss in the ongoing tournament. They had

Kolkata, December 4: With the four-Test series levelled at 1-1 after India's ploy to prepare a turning track backfired in Mumbai, the hosts will seek to bounce back as they go into the third cricket Test against England here tomorrow with intense pressure on their under-performing star players to deliver before its too late. After India's humiliating loss in the second Test, the build-up to the

Sydney, December 4: Cricketing great Ricky Ponting, who retired from all forms of the game after playing his last Test match at Perth against South Africa, on Monday, said India's Sachin Tendulkar is the best player he has played against. On being asked about the most supreme batsmen of his era, Ponting said: "I feel Sachin was the best player I played against and that's coming from more of a

Kolkata: December 4: After the controversy surrounding the preparation of the Eden Gardens pitch, the uneasiness between Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and veteran curator Prabir Mukherjee was evident as both decided to look through each other. The Indian players looked relaxed during their training session but the captain and the curator maintained safe distance from each other. While Dhoni

Perth, December 3: South Africa won the third Test by 309 runs on Monday to clinch back-to-back series in Australia, retain the No. 1 ranking and end Ricky Ponting’s career with a big defeat. Robin Peterson dismissed Ponting (8) and skipper Michael Clarke (44) as South Africa finished off the Perth Test with a day to spare after battling to salvage draws in the first two Tests in Brisbane and

Bangalore, December 3: They are visually impaired, but don't have a problem in 'seeing' or hearing the ball to hit it for a boundary or loft it for a six or running singles or twos between the wickets. In a dramatic opening match of the T20 World Cup for blind Sunday, India beat Australia by 215 runs in the 20-over format at the Central College grounds in the city centre here. In other three

Perth, December 3: Australia's Ricky Ponting was dismissed for eight in his final Test innings on Monday, bringing the curtain down on a 17-year career that saw him become the second-greatest run scorer in history. Ponting, who was caught by Jacques Kallis off the bowling of Robin Peterson, announced his impending retirement before the Perth Test against South Africa -- his 168th Test. The South