The Indian team has not only won praise from former Indian cricketers but South African cricketing legends have also appreciated their performance. Former South African pace bowler Dale Steyn is all praise for Virat Kohli and company for the way they have played over the years.
Australia's Ashes campaign was thrown into chaos Friday with batsman Travis Head testing positive for Covid-19 and ruled out of next week's fourth Ashes Test against England.
Chaos has reigned in the Premier League in December, with COVID-19 outbreaks decimating squads, forcing the postponement of 17 games and fueling talk of a pause in play that never materialized.
Manchester United cruised to a morale-boosting 3-1 win against Burnley on the eve of Alex Ferguson's 80th birthday on Thursday to strengthen their push for a Premier League top-four finish.
Cricket Australia's high performance chief Ben Oliver said that a decision on Justin Langer's future would be made after the completion of the Ashes series, with the coach's contract set to expire in mid-2022.
It was a year of churning for the beautiful game. Coping with the pandemic that refuses to die down, new tales evolved, new ideas were floated and new champions took to the podium.
Progress is measured in milestones, and Thursday's 113-run win over South Africa in the first Test is a quantum leap. India's first-ever Test victory at this bastion for the home team -- SA have now lost only three out of 27 Tests here, and never lost to any Asian team before this - brings definitive indication that Virat Kohli's men have upended traditional beliefs of the team being poor travellers.
South Africa wicket-keeper batter Quinton de Kock has announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect. The announcement comes after the Proteas' first Test match against India in Centurion, where the visitors won by 113 runs and took a one-nil lead in the three-match series.
Second seed Malvika Bansod and eighth seed Mithun Manjunath registered convincing straight games victories to clinch the women's and men's singles titles at the All India Senior Ranking badminton tournament on Thursday.
A captain sits in the selection committee to give his inputs but the decision-making power lies with the five-member BCCI selection panel while the coach doesn't have a seat on the table. "I think going forward, both should officially have a say, especially if the coach is experienced enough, like I was and now how Rahul (Dravid) is," Shastri told a TV channel.
Novak Djokovic could still play at the Australian Open, a Serbian teammate said Thursday, despite the world number one's last-minute decision to pull out of the ATP Cup in Sydney.
Boon, who is asymptomatic and fully vaccinated, would be replaced by Steve Bernard, a New South Wales-based member of the international panel of referees, said Cricket Australia.
In a judgment which could have far-reaching implications when deciding cases involving athletes caught doping for ‘non-specified’ substances, the country’s Anti-Doping Appeals Panel (ADAP) on Tuesday let off Asian athletics bronze medallist middle-distance runner Prachi Chaudhary with a reduced punishment, absolving her from the ‘burden of proof’ of establishing that the anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) committed was unintentional after the source of the prohibited performance-enhancing drug in her body remained untraceable.
Manchester City beat Brentford 1-0 on Wednesday to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to an ominous eight points as title rivals Chelsea conceded a last-gasp equaliser at home to Brighton.
Sam Stosur will call time on her singles career at next month's Australian Open, though she will continue to play doubles in 2022, the 37-year-old said on Wednesday.
World number one Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Serbian team for the ATP Cup in Sydney, organisers of the team event said on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli's watertight grip over Indian cricket loosened significantly in a mixed 2021 bag, when the team's wineless run at ICC events continued but the 'Men in Blue' cherished a historic Test series triumph in Australia.
On the back foot after India took a commanding 130-run first innings lead, South African batsman Temba Bavuma on Tuesday said the first session on day four will potentially decide the outcome of the game.
Swiss ace Roger Federer has already pulled out as he recovers from a knee injury and Nadal's plans are unclear after contracting Covid-19. Djokovic is on the entry list for the first Grand Slam of the year, which begins in less than three weeks, but has refused to confirm if he has been vaccinated
The credit for India's world class pace attack should always rest "only and only" with its playing members, feels Mohammed Shami, whose five-wicket haul has put India in complete control against South Africa in the first Test. Shami's sixth five-for in Tests also brought up a personal milestone of 200 wickets on a day when the four-pronged attack bowled the Proteas out for 197.
Batsman Temba Bavuma says South Africa's lack of red ball cricket this year has been a big disadvantage and a key factor in their disappointing performance so far in the first Test against India at Centurion Park.
Dominic Thiem has pulled out of next month's Australian Open owing to a long-standing wrist injury, the former world number three said on Tuesday.
As it is wont to, Indian football hardly made any noises in a year marked by many a stalemate, a few losses and fewer wins, and a talisman dribbling past a record held by arguably the sport's greatest.
Cavani came off the bench to bag his first goal since October in the second half, ensuring Ralf Rangnick avoided a first defeat in four games as United's interim manager.
A sensational hat-trick on debut from Spanish striker Sergio Mendiguchia powered Neroca FC to a 3–2 victory over I-League newcomers Sreenidi Deccan at the Naihati Stadium on Monday.
With players starting to arrive in Sydney for the men's season-opening ATP Cup, there was still no clarity on Monday whether top-ranked Novak Djokovic would be taking part in the team tournament or in the Australian Open that follows.
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan on Monday said Cricket Australia should act proactively in the wake of the COVID scare on the second day of the ongoing Boxing Day Test here and consider moving the Sydney fixture also to Melbourne.
While Virat Kohli remains the Test skipper, one of the finest white-ball exponents and star opener, Rohit Sharma has been appointed as the T20 and ODI captain. "I think it's the right way to go. This could be a blessing in disguise for Virat, and for Rohit, because I don't think in this era if the bubble life exists for another year or so, one guy can handle all, that is not easy at all," Ravi Shastri said.
Under the umbrella of Covid-forced bio-secure bubbles and some strict protocols, cricket once again was back on its feet and up and running. TimesofIndia.com today takes a look at 5 cricket stars, across formats, who produced some exceptional cricket in the year 2021.
Mirabai Chanu's heart-warming tale of redemption at the Tokyo Olympics was the defining moment for Indian weightlifting in a reasonably successful 2021 but the sport itself faced an uncertain future globally with long-standing governance and doping-related problems threatening its place in the Olympics going forward.
TRAU and Indian Arrows played out a goalless draw in the opening match of the I-League at the Mohun Bagan ground on Sunday. Despite both the teams getting plenty of shots on target, they shared points after the stalemate.
Boland, who hails from the Gulidjan tribe in western Victoria state, is the first Indigenous man to play for Australia since Jason Gillespie, who won 71 caps and played his last Test 15 years ago.
Recalled England batsman Jonny Bairstow lamented Joe Root's loss of the toss after the touring side were again bowled out cheaply on day one of the third Test against Australia to leave their Ashes hopes on a knife-edge.
Australia's recent success notwithstanding, head coach Justin Langer will have to wait until the end of the home season to know if his contract will be extended, according to the chief executive of the country's apex cricket body, Nick Hockley.
England crashed to 185 all out on day one of the third Test on Sunday, leaving their Ashes dreams on the brink of ruin in the face of a relentless Australian attack.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Syed Kirmani on Sunday said that harmony should be displayed by both Virat Kohli and the BCCI top management to end whatever issues have surfaced ever since the removal of Kohli as ODI skipper.
A day after retiring from all forms of cricket, spinner Harbhajan Singh on Saturday revealed that he has offers from multiple political parties to join them, but he will get into politics only after making up his mind.
Indian shuttler Manoj Sarkar might have won bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics but the medal is no less than gold for the athlete.
Neeraj Chopra heralded a new era in Indian athletics with his colossal Tokyo Olympics gold that acquired him a super star status in the country which had waited for such spectacular success in track and field events for more than a century.
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has lauded Test skipper Virat Kohli for driving a culture of fitness and energy levels within the team.
Australia captain Pat Cummins didn't know how to channelise his anger after a fellow diner turned out to be COVID positive, forcing him to miss the second Ashes Test in Adelaide.
Australia have illustrated the depth of their fast bowling stocks by handing Scott Boland a debut in the third Ashes Test against England, which starts at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.
Congratulatory messages poured in from the cricket fraternity, lauding Harbhajan Singh's contribution to the game after the former India spin veteran announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Friday.
Track legend PT Usha is all praises for Tokyo Olympics champion Neeraj Chopra, who turned 24 on Christmas Eve.
One of India's most successful off-spinners, Harbhajan Singh on Friday announced retirement from all forms of cricket. The 41-year-old from Punjab took 417 wickets in 103 Tests, 269 wickets in 236 ODIs and 25 scalps in 28 T20Is in his illustrious career.
Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra, who created history by winning a gold medal for India at the Tokyo Olympics, has turned 24 on Friday.