Cricket news

THE GOOD SIDE OF RIO OLYMPICS – STARS TO WATCH OUT FOR

Published

10 years ago

August 6, 2016

Great expectations from Bolt, Neymar, Paes…

The Rio Olympics has begun with a grand opening ceremony but is in news for all the wrong reasons. Brazil is going through a tough phase. A political turmoil, an economic crises, the spread of Zika virus, high pollution levels in the Guanabara Bay and of course, the inhabitable Olympics Village which has left all the athletes unimpressed.

Moreover, the opening ceremony was marred by a clash between protestors and the police. Protestors were angry because of the presence of acting President Michel Temer at the ceremony. Also, there were protests in Sao Paulo owing to the over-spending on the mega event at a time when the country is facing its worst recession.

But, we hope that things would soon be back on track as the games proceed. More than 200 teams from all over the world are ready to give their best to compete for 306 sets of medals in 28 sports.

As athletes gear up for the mega event, we bring you a list of the stars you would not want to miss. For some, it’s going to be a comeback and for some, it might be the last Olympics.

Usain Bolt

The fastest man on Earth has been the rock star at the games by winning 6 medals so far. With this Olympics, he might become the first to win three consecutive 100m Olympic titles. But this could be the last Olympics for the sprinter who will turn 30 as the games conclude. Usain will put his best foot forward to win the 100m. 200m and 4x100m relay.

Michael Phelps

What happens when a legend returns back to the arena after retiring from the games in 2012? Phelps has been the best success story in the pool and has won the largest number of Olympic medals ever with a total of 22, including 18 golds. The swimmer was suspended by USA Swimming and spent 45 days in rehab. This might be the last Olympic for him too and we can’t wait to see magic happening again.

Neymar

Brazilian fans were left teary eyed as the country’s dream of winning the 2014 World Cup came to an end. So who can bring back joy to the nation at this Olympics? Neymar is the best bet for the Brazilian football team and all eyes would be on him to see if he can get gold for his team at home ground. The star has even skipped the Copa America to try and end the drought for his country.

Simone Biles

The best female gymnast from America in the world championship history, this 19-year-old is going to be the toughest competition for all the gymnasts. She has 14 medals in her kitty so far, with 10 Gold medals in the world championship and another gold for the young lady at this Olympic won’t be much of a surprise.

Novak Djokovic

When the Serbian genius won the French Open title, he sent the message loud and clear that his eyes would be set on the gold at the Rio Olympics. Back in 2012 in London Olympics, he lost to Andy Murray in the semifinals but this time he seems not in the same mood. The Serb won a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics eight years back. So this time, could it be a gold?

And here are the Indian athletes everyone has high hopes from:

Leander Paes and Rohan Boppanna

Despite personal grudges, the two are the best possible pair for India at Rio. Leander Paes is a veteran with six consecutive Olympic Games and one bronze medal. The two are the highest ranked Indians when it comes to men’s doubles. It would be interesting to see if the two could keep their sentiments aside and bag a medal for their country.

Saina Nehwal

The ace badminton player won a Bronze medal for India at the London Olympics in 2012 and her aim this time would be to continue the winning streak. She stands at rank fifth in the world right now, following her win at the Australia Open Super Series. If things go fine for the shuttler, she might be the first female individual Olympic gold medalist from India. Her toughest competitors would be Carolina Marin from Spain and Tai Tzu-ying and Li Xuerui from China.

Dutee Chand

Dutee follows in the footsteps of legendary PT Usha and has qualified for the Women’s 100m. The athlete has been in news of late due to her struggle with hyperandrogenism, which is caused as a result of high testosterone levels. She even went through a gender test conducted by the IAAF and failed. The young sprinter was not even allowed to participate in the Commonwealth and Asian Games since she was classified as a man instead of a woman. But the young talent from Odisha has fought her battle to become the second woman to qualify for the Olympics.

Gagan Narang and Abhinav Bindra

Narang, a three-time Olympian and winner of a bronze medal at the London Olympics would be aiming for a gold medal this time at Rio. The veteran rifle shooter is up for three events and we wish him all the best. In fact, the entire Indian shooting contingent is pretty amazing and includes Abhinav Bindra, who won a Gold medal for the country at the Beijing Olympics.

Dipa Karmakar

Even though artistic gymnastics is game that has long been dominated by China and Russia, Dipa Karmakar has brought India back in the game after 1964. Dipa’s signature move, the Produnova, is one of the toughest in artistic gymnastics.

Yogeshwar Dutt

The freestyle wrestler has made India proud time and again by winning gold medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games in the 65 kg category and a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. The wrestler has motivated a lot of Indians and has been a source of inspiration for all after he participated in the 2006 Asian games just after his father’s death and when he overcame his knee injury to win at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

By Karan Kaushik

Cricket news

Asian Games 2026: India win first gold as women’s cricket team beats Sri Lanka

India won its first gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 after the women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka in the T20I final, taking the country’s medal tally to seven.

Published

5 days ago

September 22, 2026

APNLive Desk

India opened its gold medal account at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya after the women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka in the T20I final on Tuesday.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side produced a dominant performance to win the final and claim India’s first gold medal of the Games. India set Sri Lanka a target of 217 runs before bowling them out for 69.

The victory took India’s medal tally to seven, adding a gold to the six medals secured during the opening days of the competition.

India assure another medal in badminton

India also secured another medal opportunity in men’s team badminton after defeating hosts Japan 3-0 in the quarter-final.

Ayush Shetty completed the victory by beating Japan’s Koki Watanabe 21-10, 21-19, sending India into the semifinals and assuring the country of at least a medal in the event.

Earlier, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi to give India a 2-0 lead in the tie.

Roshibina Devi assures India another medal

India also secured a medal in wushu after Roshibina Devi reached the women’s 60kg semi-finals.

Roshibina defeated Macao’s Man Sin Chu by point difference to book her place in the last four.

However, India’s Aryan was knocked out in the men’s 56kg quarter-final after losing to Uzbekistan’s Saydullo Abdurashitov.

India miss shooting medal

India’s Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished fourth in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team final after earlier qualifying second for the gold medal match.

The pair therefore missed out on a podium finish in the event.

More results from Day 3

Indian boxer Jadumani Singh advanced to the men’s 55kg Round of 16 after defeating Nepal’s Chandra Bahadur Thapa 5-0.

In artistic gymnastics, Pranati Nayak qualified for the women’s vault final with a score of 12.916.

India’s women’s badminton team, meanwhile, exited the competition after losing 1-3 to hosts Japan in the quarter-finals.

Cricket news

Zaheer Khan named CSK head coach ahead of IPL 2027

Chennai Super Kings have appointed former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan as their new head coach ahead of IPL 2027, replacing Stephen Fleming.

Published

6 days ago

September 21, 2026

APNLive Desk

Chennai Super Kings have appointed former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan as their new head coach ahead of the 2027 Indian Premier League season. The five-time IPL champions announced the appointment on Monday, with Zaheer taking over from long-serving coach Stephen Fleming.

Fleming stepped down from his CSK role in July and subsequently took charge as head coach of the England men’s Test team. Zaheer’s appointment marks his first stint as a head coach at any level.

CSK announced the move on social media with the message welcoming Zaheer as the team’s new head coach.

Zaheer Khan’s coaching experience

Zaheer has previously held senior coaching and mentoring roles in the IPL. He served as Mumbai Indians’ Director of Cricket from 2018 to 2022 before taking up a mentoring role with Lucknow Super Giants from August 2024 to September 2025.

He was also initially named India’s bowling coach in 2017 after Anil Kumble became head coach. Following Ravi Shastri’s appointment later that year, Zaheer’s role was changed to bowling consultant.

As a player, Zaheer represented India in 92 Tests, 200 ODIs and 17 T20Is. He was India’s leading wicket-taker in the 2011 ODI World Cup, taking 21 wickets during the tournament.

Stephen Fleming’s CSK exit

Fleming had two coaching stints with Chennai Super Kings, from 2009 to 2015 and again from 2018 to 2026. He left the franchise in July this year to become England’s men’s Test coach, succeeding former New Zealand teammate Brendon McCullum.

Zaheer will now oversee CSK as the franchise prepares for IPL 2027. The appointment brings an Indian former international cricketer into the team’s head coaching role following Fleming’s departure.

Cricket news

Abhishek Sharma smashes fastest T20I century by Indian in India vs Afghanistan 3rd T20I

Abhishek Sharma smashed a 30-ball century against Afghanistan in the third T20I, breaking Rohit Sharma’s record for the fastest T20I hundred by an Indian batter.

Published

1 week ago

September 17, 2026

APNLive Desk

Abhishek Sharma produced a record-breaking batting performance for India against Afghanistan in the third T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday. The left-handed opener smashed a century in just 30 balls, becoming the fastest Indian batter to score a hundred in men’s T20 Internationals.

Abhishek eventually made 108 off 34 balls, with nine fours and 11 sixes. His century came in the ninth over of India’s innings and surpassed the previous Indian record of 35 balls, held by Rohit Sharma.

Abhishek Sharma century breaks Rohit Sharma’s record

Abhishek brought up his hundred from 30 balls, breaking Rohit Sharma’s previous record of a 35-ball T20I century against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017.

The milestone also placed Abhishek third overall on the list of fastest T20I centuries. The two faster centuries in men’s T20I cricket belong to Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan, who scored a 27-ball century, and Turkey’s Muhammad Fahad, who reached his hundred in 29 balls.

Among batters from Full Member nations, Abhishek’s 30-ball century moved him to the top of the list. The previous mark was 33 balls, achieved by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and New Zealand’s Finn Allen.

Abhishek Sharma dominates the powerplay

Abhishek’s attack began from the opening overs. He reached his half-century in only 16 balls before accelerating further.

During the first six overs, Abhishek scored 76 runs from 22 balls while remaining unbeaten at the end of the Powerplay. That became the highest individual score by a batter in the first six overs of a men’s T20I, according to NDTV and ICC.

India also reached 100 without losing a wicket during the Powerplay, with Abhishek and Sanju Samson combining to take India to 100 without loss at the end of the first six overs.

Abhishek dismissed for 108

Abhishek’s record-breaking innings ended at 108 when Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan dismissed him just before the halfway stage of India’s innings.

His final score came from 34 deliveries and included nine fours and 11 sixes, giving him a strike rate of more than 300.

Sanju Samson also contributed to India’s fast start before continuing his innings after Abhishek’s dismissal. The opening pair had put India in a strong position during the early overs.

India’s series position

India entered the third T20I with an unassailable 2-0 lead after winning both of the first two matches against Afghanistan by seven wickets.

Abhishek had already made 82 in the opening match and 39 in the second T20I before producing his record century in the final game.

The third match is being played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, with Afghanistan winning the toss and choosing to field.

What record did Abhishek Sharma break?

Abhishek Sharma broke Rohit Sharma’s record for the fastest T20I century by an Indian batter. Rohit had scored his century in 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017, while Abhishek reached the landmark in 30 deliveries against Afghanistan.