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India Vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test: Ashwin fastest to bag 300 wickets as host secure mammoth win

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India vs England 4th test

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Selecting to bat first, Sri Lanka could only put up a target of 205 runs – in reply of which India racked up a massive 610/6 (dec).

With India clinching a dominant victory over the visitors – Sri Lanka – on the fourth day of the series’ second Test match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, the Men in Blue on Monday went on breaking a slew of records one after another – the biggest among which is Ravichandran Ashwin being the fastest bowler to take 300 Test wickets.

Claiming the wickets of Dasun Shanaka, Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath and Lahiru Gamage on the fourth day of the Test, Ashwin achieved the feat in his 54th test – breaking the record of Australian pacer Dennis Lillee, who took his 300th Test wicket in his 56th match. Earlier, the Indian spinner broke Lillee’s record of taking 250 Test wickets in 48 matches – as Ashwin reached the milestone in 45 Test matches.

Though the Sri Lankan squad led by skipper Dinesh Chandimal managed to escape defeat in the final day of the first Test match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the visitors displayed even more disappointing batting attack in the second match of the series – as India snatched a massive victory by an innings and 239 runs.

Winning the toss and selecting to bat first the Sri Lankans could only put up a target of 205 runs for the Men in Blue – in reply of which Virat Kohli and teammates racked up a massive 610/6 (dec). And with a woeful display of batting, Sri Lankan batsmen crumbled and lost seven wickets in the first session, heading towards their biggest defeat in Test cricket.

With key pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami being rested for the second test, Ashwin’s four wicket haul and the team’s aggressive bowling attack is certainly a morale booster for the Indian side.

However, with the inclusion of ace spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, Ashwin and left armed all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja had been out of the India’s playing XI for the ODI matches. Ahead of the Nagpur Test, Indian skipper Virat Kohli clearly stated that there still isn’t a complete surety on the inclusion of Jadeja and Ashwin in the squad, when the team travels to South Africa.

“I can’t commit to that 100 per cent when we play abroad that we will be playing with two spinners, to be honest. It is because we need to have a look at the balance of the side as well. Obviously, those two guys with their batting abilities are both contenders to start a Test match depending upon the batsmen we are up against in the opposition,” said Virat Kohli.

Here is a look at the other feat achieved by the Men in Blue during the Nagpur Test:

  • This was the biggest innings defeat for the Sri Lankans and the biggest innings win for India.
  • India now has the second highest (30) 600+ scores in Test cricket – only after Australia (32).
  • Among the captains, Virat Kohli has the third highest international centuries (22) – after Graeme Smith (33) and Ricky Ponting (41).
  • Ravichandran Ashwin became the 6th Indian bowler – after Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Kapil Dev, Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath – to take 500 wickets in international cricket.
  • Virat Kohli’s score in the first innings of the match was more than what the Sri Lankans scored in each of the two innings.
  • Having completed 31 Test matches Virat Kohli is the third captain to achieve most number of wins (20) – after Steve Waugh (21) and Ricky Ponting (23).
  • Kohli has not yet lost any Test series as the skipper of the squad since 2015.
  • Kohli is also the fourth Indian batsman to score double centuries in Test against five different opponents.
  • Other than Virat Kohli – Sachin Tendulkar too scored his fifth Test double century against Sri Lanka.

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Rafael Nadal announces retirement from tennis

“It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life everything has a beginning and an end,” Nadal said in the video in Spanish.

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Rafael Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion and widely regarded as one of the most exceptional players in the history of tennis, has announced his retirement from professional tennis.

Nadal’s forthcoming participation in the Davis Cup final 8 for Spain in November will mark his final appearance as a professional tennis player. His illustrious career includes 22 Grand Slam titles, with an unprecedented 14 victories at the French Open, solidifying his status as one of the most accomplished sportspersons of all time.

The champion, in an emotional video posted on X on Thursday, said, “I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially.”   

“It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life everything has a beginning and an end,” Nadal said in the video in Spanish.

The 38-year-old mentioned that he has been dealing with numerous injuries over the past few years, leading to significant time away from the sport. This year, the left-handed player has only participated in seven tournaments, experiencing an early exit in the first round of the French Open – an event he has historically won 14 times.

His most recent performance was at the Paris Olympics, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic in straight sets during the second round.

Nadal boasts an impressive total of 92 ATP singles titles, which includes 36 Masters titles and an Olympic gold medal. Notably, he is one of three men in tennis history to achieve the Career Golden Slam in singles. The announcement of his retirement came through an emotional video shared on social media.

In the lead-up to his retirement, Nadal withdrew from the 2024 Laver Cup, which was intended to be his final professional event on the court. Following the Paris 2024 Olympics, Nadal confirmed that the Laver Cup would be his next appearance for the year. This would have marked his fourth participation in the Laver Cup, after competing in Prague in 2017, Geneva in 2019, and partnering with long-time rival Roger Federer in doubles for the latter’s final match at The O2 in London in 2022.

The 22-time Grand Slam Champion had previously hinted that 2024 might be his last year on the tour. With a season match record of 12-7, his latest competitive outing was at the Paris Olympics, where he was eliminated in the second round by Novak Djokovic.

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Vinesh Phogat returns to India after Paris Olympics heartbreak, says fight not over yet

The Indian wrestler was disqualified from the 50kg final in the Paris Olympics due to exceeding the weight limit by 100 grams.

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Wrestler Vinesh Phogat who arrived in the national capital to a rousing reception at the Delhi Airport on Saturday thanked the people of the country for their support during Paris Olympics and said the fight is not over yet.

She was received by her fellow athletes Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik as well as Congress leader Deepender Hooda, and Panchayat leaders. The Indian wrestler was disqualified from the 50kg final in the Paris Olympics due to exceeding the weight limit by 100 grams.

During the roadshow after her arrival, the 29-year-old said she was grateful for the love and respect that she received from her country.

Addressing a gathering, Phogat said: “Although they didn’t give me the Gold medal, people here have given me that. The love and the respect that I have received is more than 1,000 Gold medals.”

The fellow wrestler Punia said that the love and respect she has received now is more than what she could’ve received after winning a Gold medal. He thanked the people of the entire nation for their support.

Premlata, mother of wrestler Vinesh Phogat said that everyone from her village and nearby areas have come here to welcome her. “We will felicitate her. She is a champion for me. The country has given her more honour than a gold medal”, she said.

Sharing pictures with the fighter on X, the Congress MP Hooda said: “Today, our sister Vinesh Phogat, the daughter of the country, who returned home like a brave warrior, was given a rousing welcome at the Delhi airport. In our eyes, you have been a winner in the past and will remain so in the future too. Your courage, struggle, and determination have not only won the hearts of crores of countrymen but you are an inspiration to crores of youth of the country.”

The Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also took to X and wrote in Hindi, “Everything is stacked ahead of it, this girl is a lion; Welcome Home Phogat.”

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CAS verdict on Vinesh Phogat: CAS says verdict before August 11, the day the Olympics ends

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The Court of Arbitration For Sport (CAS) accepted Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s plea for a joint silver medal in the women’s 50kg wrestling at the Paris Olympics.

Hearing on her appeal started around 9:30 am Paris time, or 1 pm IST on August 9, though an interim verdict was expected, the CAS put out a statement that the order will come before the Olympics end on August 11.

The development has come as a big shot in the arm for both Vinesh Phogat and the Indian Olympic Association. The CAS, in its prima facie views on Thursday, found merit in Vinesh’s plea for a joint silver medal after she was disqualified from the final for being 100 grams overweight.

Vinesh was disqualified just hours before her gold-medal bout against Sarah Ann Hildebrandt of the USA. Although she had guaranteed at least a silver medal by making it to the final, she lost the podium finish following a failed weigh-in. Attempts to shed some kg came to naught as she was disqualified anyway. The ruling of the United World Wrestling – that a wrestler must be within the weight category on each day of competition – saw Vinesh lose the chance at winning a medal.

Though Vinesh’s opponent in the semi-finals, Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, made it to the final, the script ended there as she was beaten by America’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt who became the fourth woman from her country to win a gold medal in wrestling.

Following her disqualification, Vinesh and the IOA filed two appeals with CAS. While the first one seeking permission for Vinesh to participate in the final was dismissed, the second appeal seeking a joint silver medal was allowed. Vinesh had won her first three bouts on August 6 but could not make her weight for the second-day weigh-in, which resulted in the disqualification.

The IOA has engaged Senior Advocate Harish Salve to argue its case before the CAS on behalf of Vinesh. The IOA argued that the 100 grams excess weight was insignificant and due to various factors such as bloating or recovery after intense competition and not for any gain.

This comes at a time when Vinesh has just declared her retirement from wrestling.

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