1. Sourabh Verma Lifts Russian Open Badminton Trophy.

Former national champions Sourabh Verma and Rituparna Das continued their impressive run as they progressed to the quarterfinals of the $75,000 Russia Open BWF Tour Super 100 tournament here on Thursday.

Also making it to the final eight were Mithun Manjunath, Subhankar Dey and Vrushali Gummadi in singles, while the men`s doubles pair of Arun George and Sanyam Shukla and the two mixed doubles combination of Rohan Kapoor and Kuhoo Garg and Saurabh Sharma and Anoushka Parikh also entered the quarterfinals.

Coming back after recovering from an injury, Sourabh, who made the cut for the Asian Games after proving his worth at the selection tournaments, trounced Russia`s Sergey Sirant 21-11, 21-9 in a lop-sided contest. The eighth seeded Indian will face Israel`s Misha Zilberman, seeded third.

Rituparna, who won the India International Series and Polish International in 2016, had to dig deep into her reservoir to eke out a 13-21, 21-17, 21-19 win over second seed Ying Ying Lee of Malaysia.

The 21-year-old from Haldia, who recovered from an injury-laden 2017 to clinch her first title this season at the All India Senior Ranking Badminton tournament in Bangalore, will square off against American qualifier Iris Wang next.

2. Yasar Dogu International, Turkey: Bajrang Punia Wins Gold.

Bajrang Punia continued his fine form, winning a second gold medal of the month when his opponent Andriy Kvyatkovskyy conceded the 71kg freestyle final on Sunday due to injury at the Yasar Dogu International as Indian wrestlers returned with 10 medals, including seven by women, from the ranking event in Istanbul, Turkey.

In the women’s competition, Pinki was the lone gold medallist in the 55kg category with her 6-3 win over Ukraine’s Olga Shnaider in the final but Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik endured a disappointing result as she failed to reach the medal round in the 62kg category.

Bajrang, who earlier this month won a gold at Tbilisi Grand Prix in Gerogia, had earlier exacted revenge for his loss at the World Championship to Mustafa Kaya, by beating the Turkish wrestler by technical superiority (15-4) in the 70kg quarter-finals. He then edged out Iran’s Yones Emamichoghaei 10-10 in a thrilling semi-final.

Sandeep Tomar, meanwhile, finished with a silver medal after losing 2-8 in the 61kg final against Iran’s Mohammadbagher Yakhkeshi. Tomar, who was the last Indian to book a berth for the Asian Games by winning the re-scheduled trials, had overcome some strong opponents en route the final – Belarus’ Andreyeu Uladzislau (7-4), Azerbaijan’s Parviz Ibrahimov (3-1) and Hazanzada Mircalal (6-4).

 1. Tokyo 2020 Committee Officially Launches Olympic Mascots.

apan`s superhero-like mascots for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games made their formal debut at a ceremony in Tokyo on Sunday.

Miraitowa, a big-eyed, blue-checked character, will be the official Olympic mascot. Organizers said the name was a combination of the Japanese words for future and eternity, expressing "hope for a bright future stretching off forever."

The pink, pointy-eared Paralympic counterpart was christened Someity, which comes from the word for Japan`s iconic cherry blossoms and also sounds a bit like the English words "so mighty," officials noted.

2. Lewis Hamilton Wins German Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton took a sensational victory in a thrilling, rain-hit German Grand Prix as Ferrari`s Sebastian Vettel crashed out to gift the Mercedes driver a 17-point lead in their championship battle.

Vettel had been cruising to victory ahead of Hamilton`s team-mate Valtteri Bottas until rain started to fall with about 25 laps to go.

The downpour, affecting only part of the track, turned the race on its head and brought Hamilton into the mix when he had been looking at a fourth-place finish after starting 14th following a hydraulic failure in qualifying.

Hamilton began to carve into the advantage of the three leading drivers - Vettel, his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Bottas - as chaos erupted down the field.

And then, as the rain became heavier, Vettel lost control at the Sachs Kurve hairpin in Hockenheim`s Stadium section in front of tens of thousands of his home fans, bringing out the safety car.

The four-time champion swore over the radio as he took in the potential damage to his title hopes.

Hamilton pulled away at the front following the safety car period, but only after Bottas was told to back off an initial challenge and hold position.

Behind the Mercedes one-two, Raikkonen took third while Max Verstappen was fourth for Red Bull despite making two pit stops to change tyres in three laps amid the confusion caused by the rain.

It was a remarkable result in a remarkable race, which had started as a damage-limitation exercise and ended with Hamilton`s 66th career victory - and one of his best.

"Get in there, Lewis," his engineer Peter Bonnington said as the chequered flag fell. "Miracles do happen."

"Great job by you guys," Hamilton said, but it had been far from smooth sailing for the world champion.

3. Olympic Medalists To Now Receive Rs 20,000 Pension Per Month.

Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore announced that the rate of pension for sportspersons who have won medals in international competitions and have retired from active sports, has been doubled from April 1.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha on Thursday, Rathore said at present the government gives lifelong pension to 588 players under the scheme of ‘Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons.`

According to the revised rates, Olympic and Para Olympic medallists will get a sum of Rs 20,000 per month each, while gold medallists at World Cups and World Championships in Olympic and Asian Games disciplines will receive Rs 16,000 per month.

Silver and bronze medallists at World Cups in Olympic and Asian Games disciplines will receive a sum of Rs 14,000 per month and an equal amount is payable to gold medallists of the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Para Asian Games.

Silver and bronze medallists of the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Para Asian Games will receive Rs 12,000 per month.

1. Angelique Kerber Wins Maiden Wimbledon Title.

Angelique Kerber became the first German woman to win Wimbledon for 22 years as the 11th seed shattered Serena Williams` bid for Grand Slam history with a shock 6-3, 6-3 victory in Saturday`s final. Kerber avenged her defeat against Serena in the 2016 Wimbledon title match, overwhelming the seven-time champion with a stunning 65-minute upset on Centre Court. "I knew I had to play my best tennis against a champion like Serena," Kerber said. "It was my second chance to play in the final. I think I`m the next one after Steffi who won. That`s amazing."

Serena had hoped to equal Margaret Court`s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles by winning her first major prize since becoming a mother in September. The 36-year-old, who last won a Grand Slam at the 2017 Australian Open, went into the final as the title favourite, even though she was playing only the fourth tournament of her post-pregnancy comeback.

But instead world number 10 Kerber sprang a huge surprise, making her Germany`s first female champion at the All England Club since Steffi Graf in 1996. "It`s obviously disappointing but I am just getting started," said an emotional Serena after losing in the Wimbledon final for the first time since 2008.

"For all you mums out there I was playing for you. I really tried."

Graf helped Kerber get her game on track earlier in the her career, so it was an especially sweet moment for the 30-year-old to follow in her footsteps at Wimbledon. Kerber had endured a significant slump last year after wining her previous major titles at the Australian and US Opens in 2016.

But, back to her best on the grass at Wimbledon, she needed only 11 winners and one ace to deny an oddly nervous Serena, who contributed to her own downfall with a whopping 24 unforced errors, compared to only five from Kerber.

In the first Wimbledon final for 41 years to feature two women 30 or older, Serena was cheered on by her friend the Duchess of Sussex, golf legend Tiger Woods and Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton. Left needing several life-saving operations to deal with the threat of blood clots after Olympia`s birth, Serena was unable to walk for six weeks and even now is still haunted by harrowing flashbacks to that period.

2. Wimbledon Championships 2018: Complete List Of Winners.

The 2017 Wimbledon Championships was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The main draw matches commenced on 3 July 2017 and concluded on 16 July 2017. Roger Federer won the Gentlemen`s Singles title for a record eighth time, surpassing Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, who both won the Gentlemen`s Singles title seven times. Garbiñe Muguruza won the Ladies` Singles title.

The 2017 tournament was the 131st edition of the championships, the 50th in the Open Era and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. It is played on grass courts, organised by the All England Lawn Tennis Club and the International Tennis Federation and is part of the ATP World Tour, the WTA Tour, the ITF Junior tour and the NEC Tour.

Andy Murray was the defending champion in the Gentlemen`s singles but lost to Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals. Two-time defending Ladies` singles champion Serena Williams did not defend her title, having ended her season in April due to pregnancy.

3. World Junior Wushu Championships Concludes In Brazil.

Iranian wushu practitioners have continued to deliver fine displays of athletic talents at the seventh edition of the World Junior Wushu Championships in Brazil, and been awarded six more medals to lift the country’s medal count to 14 in the event.

On Saturday, Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini demonstrated a remarkable performance in the Daoshu form of the boys’ 15-18 age group, and got the gold medal.

A Malaysian competitor grabbed silver, and a wushu artist from South Korea sat in the third slot and picked up the bronze medal.

Daoshu is a form of Taolu, where the participant uses a sword as the main element of the routine.

Mehdi Khani also collected a silver medal for Iran in the Nandao form of men’s 12-15 age bracket.

Nandao is a kind of sword that is used mostly in contemporary Chinese wushu exercises and forms.

Mohammad Ali Mojiri finished second in the Nandao form of boys’ 15-18 age group as well.

Moreover, Nazanin Bazdar and Mina Panahi earned two bronze medals in the Nandao form of girls’ 12-15 and 15-18 age brackets respectively.

Zahra Botshekan scooped up a bronze in the Daoshu form of girl’s 9-12 age group.

The seventh edition of the World Junior Wushu Championships opened on July 9, and will run through July 16, 2018.

4. 36th Golden Glove Of Vojvodina Youth Tournament: India Clinches Top Spot.

Indian boxers ruled the ring at the 36th Golden Glove of Vojvodina youth tournament, ending with seven gold medals to claim the overall top spot in the event in Subotica, Serbia. Four men and three women clinched gold medals at the tournament, which featured 17 countries. India finished first with 17 medals, including six silver and four bronze.

Russia fetched 11 medals (3 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze), but ended up third behind Kazakhstan, who had a better gold medal count (5) in their overall haul of seven medals.

The gold medal winners for India were Aman (+91kg), Akash Kumar (56kg), S Barun Singh (49kg), Vijaydeep (69kg), Nitu (48kg), Divya Pawar (54kg), and Lalita (69kg). Aman, who got a direct entry into the final owing to the presence of just two boxers in his draw, defeated his lone challenger in Hungarian Laszlo Felfoldi 5-0 for the top honours.

Barun fetched a split 4-1 triumph over crowd favourite Rade Joksimovic. Akash had to toil harder for his 3-2 win over Argentine Jeheil Mirco Cuello. Vijaydeep, too, endured a tough contest before prevailing 3-2 over Kazakhstan’s Azat Assanov.

In the women’s draw, Nitu sailed past Scotland’s Billie Denholm 5-0. Divya also clinched a 5-0 triumph over Serbian Dajana Grumusa. Lalita, on the other hand, won 4-1 against Russia’s Angelina Kabakova.Reigning youth world champion Jyoti Gulia (51kg) was outwitted by Italian Martina Pianna in a close 2-3 result.

Manisha (64kg) also went down by a similar margin to Russia’s Lanna Maliuganova. Neha Yadav (+81kg), a direct entrant into the final, was beaten 0-5 by Kazakhstan’s Dina Islambekova. In the men’s competition, Ankit lost 1-4 to Scotland’s Reese Lynch, while Akash (64kg) went down 2-3 to Thailand’s Bannaphon Pannon.

Nitin Kumar (75kg) also lost a close bout against Thailand’s Weerapon Jongjoho. Saskhi (51kg), Sakshi Gaidhani (81kg), Bhavesh Kittamani (52kg) and Anamika (51kg) got bronze medals after losing their respective semifinal bouts.

5. FIFA World Cup 2018 Concludes | France Emerged As Champions.

Truly, madly, deeply. We will miss this World Cup like no other. The day after Bastille Day France are champions and deservedly so. But only after the most remarkable, crazy and controversial encounter against a courageous Croatia in which there was a VAR storm, and an actual storm in the skies above Moscow, a first-ever own goal in a World Cup Final, a cool strike from a new global superstar, an horrific goalkeeping blunder by the man who lifted the trophy - and a Pussy Riot pitch invasion.

To secure its status as the best ever World Cup the tournament needed a memorable final. It got it. What a finale it was to this 31-day festival of football, as Gareth Southgate called it, and it was the highest-scoring final since England beat West Germany 4-2 in 1966. Well, they sang football’s coming home. At least the score was the same and while England and their fans will never stop dreaming of what might have been - just 22 minutes from the final, if anyone needed reminding - France have the 18-carat gold, 14-inch, 11lb trophy for the second time ever and the second time in 20 years.

Didier Deschamps was their captain then and he is their coach now and became only the third man - after Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer and Brazil’s Mario Zagallo - to achieve that astonishing feat and for that his place in the pantheon of French football is secured.

6. Marc Marquez Wins German Grand Prix.

Honda rider Marc Marquez cruised to his ninth consecutive win at the German Grand Prix to extend his MotoGP lead at Sachsenring on Sunday (July 15).

The Spaniard has won in the top category for the last six years and before that won three times in the smaller classes.

Starting from pole as he has every year during his streak at the German circuit, Marquez finished in 41 minutes 5.019 seconds, 2.196 seconds ahead of Valentino Rossi with the Italian veteran`s Yamaha teammate Maverick Vinales 2.776 seconds back.

7. Thailand Open 2018: Nozomi Okuhara Beats PV Sindhu Win Maiden Title.

India’s World No 3, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, did not divert from the script one little bit. Her previous five encounters against Japanese World Champion Nozomi Okuhara had ended in alternate victories for the two shuttlers, with the Indian winning their most recent encounter at the All England championships, four months back.

With the head-to-head count at 5-5, it was the fourth-seeded World No 8 Okuhara’s “turn” to win the eleventh match between them and it seemed that second-seeded Sindhu very graciously allowed her Japanese rival to pocket the $26,250 Thailand Open badminton championships.

Sindhu’s docile 50-minute 15-21, 18-21 submission handed Okuhara the title on Sunday at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok.

If this foregoing sounds somewhat cynical, let it be said that the women’s singles final went on entirely expected lines. The dice were really loaded in favour of the Japanese ace, even as Sindhu stoically laboured along in the face of a number of odds stacked against her.

First, albeit least important, was the historical perspective explained above, between these two evenly-matched rivals. Then, there was the key issue of the form of the two gladiators, going into the summit clash.

In the penultimate reckoning, Okuhara, now fully recovered from her recent injury problems, had easily accounted for American Zhang Beiwen, who had narrowly defeated the World No 2 and top seed, Akane Yamaguchi, in the quarter-finals.

Sindhu, on the other hand, had fought over three games to subdue the effervescent Indonesian teenager, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, in the semi-finals on Saturday.

8. Vinesh Phogat Wins Gold At Spanish Grand Prix.

Vinesh Phogat added another gold medal to her rich haul after claiming the top position at the Spain Grand Prix in Madrid on Sunday. Vinesh won the gold medal in the women’s freestyle 50kg category in dominating fashion which saw her give up only one point during her five bouts.

The 24-year-old beat Natasha Fox of Canada in the final bout of the 50kg category, winning 10-0 inside the first period. That victory secured the gold for her. All but one of Vinesh’s victories came with technical superiority, beating her opponent by a difference of 10 points. It began with a 10-0 humbling of Mexico’s Mariana Diaz in the qualification round.

Her next opponent was Erin Golston from the USA and she won the only one who took a point against Vinesh. But the Indian wrestler finished the match 12-1 to enter the quarter-finals.

Valeria Chepsarakova of Russia was waiting for Vinesh in the quarters but she realised that her opponent is too strong. Vinesh did not get a win by technical superiority against Chepsarakova but managed to beat her 5-0 and advance into the semi-finals.

 1. Dipa Karmakar Clinches Gold Medal At Gymnastics World Cup.

India`s premier gymnast Dipa Karmakar clinched a gold medal in the vault event of FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup at Mersin in Turkey on Sunday. 

She returned to action after nearly two years of  lay-off due to injury. The 24-year-old from Tripura, Dipa Karmakar scored 14.150 to win gold on Sunday. This is Dipa`s first medal in a World Challenge Cup. She had topped the qualification also with a score of 13.400. 

Dipa has also qualified in balance beam finals by finishing third in the qualification with a score of 11.850. She has been included in the 10-member Indian gymnastics team for the upcoming Asian Games.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Dipa Karmakar on winning a well-deserved Gold in the vault event at the FIG World Challenge Cup in Mersin, Turkey. 

In a tweet, Mr Modi said, this win is a prime example of her tenacity and never-say-die attitude. He said, India is proud of Dipa Karmakar for her performance. Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has congratulated Dipa Karmakar on winning the Gold Medal in the vault event at the FIG World Challenge Cup in Mersin, Turkey. 

The  Chief Minister called Dipa as an inspiration for daughters of Tripura to excel in life and wished her best for her future endeavours. He reiterated full support of the State Government to Dipa so that she can continue making the nation proud and win a Gold Medal for India in 2020 Olympics. 

On behalf of all 37 lakh people of Tripura, the Chief Minister extended his best wishes to Dipa on this outstanding victory. 

2. India`s Dalabehera Bags Bronze In Junior World Weightlifting.

New Delhi, July 7 (PTI) Indian lifter Jhilli Dalabehera bagged the bronze medal in the 2018 IWF Junior World Weightlifting Championships at Tashkent today.

Jhilli Dalabehera lifted 167 kg (75 kg + 92 kg) in 48 kg to finish third on the podium, according to Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) secretary general Sahdev Yadav.

She is the second woman lifter after Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (in 2013) to win a medal in the Junior World Championships. PTI PDS AH AH.

3. Sreejesh To Lead Indian Hockey Team At Asian Games 2018.

Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was retained captain of the India men`s hockey squad for the 18th Asian Games, scheduled to begin in Jakarta and Palembang from August 18. Hockey India on Monday named the 18-member squad for the tournament. Sreejesh, who was awarded the Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the Champions Trophy in Breda, has once again been named as the captain of the Indian team. At the Asian Games, India will be defending the title that they clinched in 2014 by defeating Pakistan in Incheon, Korea.

Midfielder Chinglensana Singh Kangujam has been named vice-captain for the tournament and he will be joined by the experienced Sardar Singh, Manpreet Singh, Simranjeet Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad in the midfield.

In India`s forward-line, Akashdeep Singh has made a comeback in the squad while experienced SV Sunil, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay and Dilpreet Singh have retained their places in the team.

Drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh who was rested for the Champions Trophy has also been named in the squad to strengthen India`s defence.

The backline which has the experienced Surender Kumar and Birendra Lakra will also see three other drag-flickers Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar and Amit Rohidas.

4. Asia Cup Archery: Korea Topped, India Finished 3rd.

India bagged three silver medals and a bronze to finish joint third with Iran in the Asia Cup World Ranking Tournament Stage 3 in Taipei on Tuesday.

The event concluded in two days to avoid the incoming super typhoon Maria, and on the final day, the recurve men`s team added a second silver before Divya Dhayal clinched a third silver in the compound individual category.

The women`s recurve team defeated Japan 6-2 in the evening session to win the bronze playoff, with India ending their campaign behind Korea and hosts Chinese Taipei. Korea topped the tally with eight golds, three silvers and three bronze medals, followed by hosts Taipei, who won five medals.

Yesterday, in a battle between the two top seeded recurve mixed pairs, Korea maintained their supremacy to defeat the Indian duo of Shukmani Babrekar and Ridhi for the gold. The recurve men`s team of Shukmani Babrekar, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Gora Ho were no match for their Korean counterparts Jaehyeon Bae, Taeyeong Jeong and Kyu-Chan Kim, who led 4-0 before clinching the match-up 5-1 after a tied third end.

Making best use of the small draw of eight, Divya, who got a sixth seeding, pipped Korean third seed Yun Soon Song in the shoot-off. In the second round, she had it easy against Thailand`s Kanyavee Maneesombatkul winning 144-141. Divya however fell at the final hurdle with local favourite Wu Ting-Ting prevailing 144-141.

5. IAAF World U20 Championship: Hima Das Bags Gold, Creates History.

Hima Das created history on Thursday as she won India`s first ever track gold medal at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships in Finland.

Hima recorded a time of 51.46 seconds in the 400m race.

She now joins the illustrious company of star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won a gold in Poland in the last edition in 2016 in a world record effort. In fact, Das is the first Indian track athlete to have won a medal in the history of this competition.

"I am very happy to win the gold in the World Junior championships. I want to thank all the Indians back home and also those, who were here cheering me. It was very encouraging to have this kind of support," she said after the race.

The previous medal winners at the World Junior Championships were Seema Punia (bronze in discus in 2002) and Navjeet Kaur Dhillon (bronze in discus in 2014).

6. Entire Men`s Hockey Team Included In Target Olympic Podium Scheme.

The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) decided to approve the Indian Men`s Hockey team, comprising 18 players selected for the Asian Games, as part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) here in a meeting on Wednesday.

Under this scheme, the hockey team will receive a monthly allowance of Rs.50, 000 per team member. The decision was taken in view of the recent improvement in the performance of the men`s hockey team under the newly appointed coach Harendra Singh.

It was also decided that the women`s Hockey team would be considered for inclusion under the TOPS after review of their performance in the upcoming World Cup and the Asian Games, 2018. The MOC also reviewed the performance of athletes included under the TOPS.

Boxer Sarjubala Devi received an extension in the scheme while four athletes, three from wushu and one from judo, were dropped due to below-par performance and non-inclusion in India`s Asian Games squad. The decision to clear funding proposals regarding training, competition and equipment needs was also taken at the meeting.

In gymnastics, Rs. 7.76 lakhs has been sanctioned for the month-long training program of Pranati Nayak, a member of India`s Asian Games squad, for her training in Uzbekistan. Other two gymnasts, Ashish Kumar and Aruna Budda Reddy, were sanctioned Rs. 14 Lakhs for the training camp in Belgium. Both the gymnasts were selected in the Asian Games squad.

In tennis, Rs. 12.57 lakhs has been sanctioned for Ramkumar Ramanathan for his training, competition and equipment expenses leading up to the Asian Games.

1. ISSF Junior World Cup 2018 Germany- Complete Highlights. 

The ISSF Junior World Cup 2 concluded in Suhl, Germany, where 761 junior shooters gathered and competed in 22 Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun events — both individual and team. They represented 61 countries, piling up the impressive total of 1544 starts: the highest number in the history of the Junior World Cup. Manu Bhaker shot 242.5 points and won the gold medal in 10m air pistol event.  She created a junior world record.

India and the People’s Republic of China battled all along the competition for the top position in the medal board, which was eventually taken by the Indian National Team with 26 total medals: 15 golds, two silvers and nine bronzes. The People`s Republic of China took 2nd place with 21 podiums: six golds, nine silvers and six bronzes.

2. Australia Wins Hockey Champions Trophy Final 2018.

India lost 1-3 to Australia in shootout in the summit clash of Champions Trophy hockey in Breda, the Netherlands. India had managed to play a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in their final round-robin game on Saturday to set-up the Hockey Champions Trophy final against Australia. Mandeep Singh (47th minute) scored for second-placed India, while Thiery Brinkmann (55th) scored for the third-placed Netherlands as the two teams ended the round-robin stage with eight and seven points respectively. The Netherlands will meet Olympic champions Argentina in the bronze-medal playoff on Sunday after the South Americans defeated Australia 3-1 to take their points tally to seven -- same as the European team. But Argentina are in the fourth spot due to an inferior goal difference. Australia topped the table with 10 points. The final will be a repeat of the 2016 edition when Australia got the better of India via a controversial penalty shootout. India needed at least a draw against the Dutch to keep the opponent away from the place in the final. Both teams showed urgency but India created a goal-scoring opportunity first with youngster Dilpreet Singh making the right call to ask for a video referral. The video umpire ruled in India` favour for a dangerous ball in the striking circle, though Harmanpreet Singh`s powerful flick was brilliantly parried away by Dutch goalkeeper Sam van der Ven. Immediately though, the home team launched a quick-fire counter with Seve van Ass taking a shot on goal. But with an in-form PR Sreejesh continuing his outstanding form at the goalpost made it difficult for the Dutch to convert.

3. Lee Chong Wei Wins Malaysian Open Badminton Singles Title.

Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong Wei defeated Japan’s Kento Momota 21-17 23-21 on Sunday to secure a historic 12th Malaysia Open title. Lee, who was dominant from the start, completed the rout in 71 minutes. With this victory, Momota’s 21-match winning streak has also come to an end. In the women’s singles final, top seed Tai Tzu Ying from Taiwan saw off China’s He Bingjiao 22-20, 21-11.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Lee admitted that he was under pressure to dleiver. “There was some pressure for me to win this tournament.”

“Now I have won the Malaysia Open for the 12th time. I hope this will encourage me to do well at the world championships and Asian Games.” The world number six Lee left Momota hapless with his sharp overhead drives to take the opening game 21-17 in 30 minutes backed by a raucous home crowd.

Momota was full of praise for Lee. “Even though he is 12 to 13-years older, he is a strong player and still dominates men’s badminton.”

OTHER RESULTS:

Men’s singles: Lee Chong Wei defeated Kento Momota- 21-17, 23-21.

Mixed doubles: Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong defeated Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping- 21-19, 21-18.

Women’s doubles: Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi defeated Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan- 21-12, 21-12.

Women’s singles: Tai Tzu-ying defeated He Bingjiao  22-20, 21-11

Men’s doubles: Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda defeated Hiroyuki Endo-Yuta Watanabe- 21-8, 21-10.

4. Max Verstappen Won Austrian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton Retires.

Were any further evidence required that this season’s Formula One world championship may come down to the last man standing, the Austrian Grand Prix was surely enough to silence any doubters.

Max Verstappen may have won Red Bull’s home race but with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas both failing to finish for Mercedes it dealt the team a body blow. Hamilton’s title lead has disappeared and the British driver now faces the herculean task of refocusing and bringing his best to the British Grand Prix next weekend.

Nobody could deny Verstappen deserved the victory, the first time Red Bull have won at the Red Bull Ring; he ran the race to perfection. As he showed exemplary control, pace and skill while managing his tyres, others suffered from blistering that severely hampered their races.

But he did so while Mercedes fell to pieces in more ways than one on a day described by the team as cruel and brutal. Bottas, who had started from pole, retired on lap 14 with a hydraulic problem linked to the steering while Hamilton ground to a halt on lap 63 with a drop in pressure in the fuel system. Hamilton saw his lead of 14 points swing to a single-point deficit to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who finished in third, behind his teammate Kimi Räikkönen.

5. Aaron Finch Posts Highest-Ever T20 Individual Score.

AARON Finch shattered the record books with a century against Zimbabwe in Harare.

Finch hammered 172 off 76 balls, continuing his hot form by posting the highest score in T20I history.

At the 125-run mark he had broken Shane Watson’s record for the highest score by a T20I captain but he was far from finished.

The stocky Victorian went on to break his own record for the highest score in a T20I, bettering the 156 he scored against England in 2013 by 16 runs.

Finch fell three runs short of Chris Gayle’s record for the highest score in a T20. Gayle scored an unbeaten 175 for Bangalore against Pune in 2013.

Remarkably, four of the five highest scores in T20I cricket belong to Australians.

Below are the five highest T20I scores

Aaron Finch — 172 off 76 balls — Australia v Zimbabwe, Harare 2018

Aaron Finch — 156 off 63 balls — Australia v England, Southampton 2013

Glenn Maxwell — 145 not out off 65 balls — Australia v Sri Lanka, Pallekele 2016

Evin Lewis — 125 not out off 62 balls — West Indies v India, Kingston 2017

Shane Watson — 124 not out off 71 balls — Australia v India, Sydney 2016

6. ICC Introduces Stricter Sanctions For Ball-Tampering.

Players found guilty of ball tampering could face bans of six Test matches or 12 one-day internationals under new rules approved by the ICC on Monday.

As part of proposals put forward at the governing body`s annual conference in Dublin, changing the condition of the ball has been upgraded to a level three offence.

That would mean heftier punishments for those found guilty, something that had been expected following the incident in South Africa that saw Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft punished by Cricket Australia.

Monday`s decision will see the ICC take a stronger stance on future cases, something chief executive David Richardson welcomed.

"I`d like to thank the Cricket Committee and the chief executives for their commitment to improving player behaviour in the game and supporting the introduction of new offences and great sanctions," he said in a statement.

"There is a clear desire here to reclaim cricket`s unique proposition as a game that people can trust in and for us all to live the spirit of cricket in a way that is relevant in the 21st century."

Anyone found guilty of personal abuse, disobeying an umpire or "audible obscenity" will also be punished after they were added to the list of offences. To deal with the latter, stump microphone guidelines have also been changed, with the audio now allowed to be broadcast at any time.

The ICC also intends to help Zimbabwe Cricket "stabilise its business", while threatening Sri Lanka Cricket`s membership if they do not hold elections within six months.

7. Tbilisi Grand Prix, Georgia: Bajrang Punia Wins Gold, Deepak Bronze.

Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia won the gold medal at Tbilisi Grand Prix of V. Balavadze and G. Kartozia in Georgia with a 9-3 win over Iran’s Mehran Akbar Nasiriafrachali in the 65kg category final.

He reached the summit clash after defeating Yones Aliakbar Emamichoghaei of Iran (3-1) and Russia’s Murshid Mutalimov (6-5) in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively. He overcame Gor Ogannesyan from Ukraine in the pre quarterfinal, winning 14-4 on technical superiority.

Meanwhile, Deepak Punia won the bronze medal in the 86kg category by defeating Turkey’s Osman Gocen 5-3.

Deepak bowed out in the quarter-final stage after losing to Saba Chikhradze of Georgia. However, his opponent’s progress to the final saw Deepak enter the repechage round, where he defeated Uzbekistan’s Umidjon Ismanov 3-1 before his bronze medal playoff.

Earlier, Sushil Kumar lost his first bout in more than four years, when he lost 4-8 to Polish grappler Andrzej Piotr Sokalski in the 74 kg category.