1. Saurashtra beat Bengal by 9 wickets to bag second Ranji Trophy title
Tags: Sports Sports News
Saurashtra won the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 title by defeating Bengal by 9 wickets in the final match played on February 19, thanks to the superb bowling of team captain and left arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat.
An overview of the news
Saurashtra won their second Ranji Trophy title at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Saurashtra won the Ranji Trophy title for the first time in 2019-20.
Saurashtra needed 14 runs to win, which they achieved at the loss of 1 wicket in 2.4 overs.
This is the second title win of the Saurashtra team in the last three seasons.
Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya, who were the heroes of Saurashtra's victory, together broke the back of Bengal's batting, and the team could only manage 241 runs in the second innings.
Unadkat took 9 wickets, while Chetan Sakaria took 6 wickets.
Saurashtra won the toss in the match and decided to bowl first.
Bengal could score only 174 runs in the first innings while batting.
Unadkat took three wickets while Chetan Sakaria also took three wickets. Chirag Jani and DA Jadeja got two wickets each.
Saurashtra then took a huge lead over Bengal by scoring 404 runs in the first innings.
The second innings was also poor for Bengal and the team could only manage 241 runs. In such a situation, he could get a slight lead of 11 runs over Saurashtra.
Saurashtra captain Unadkat was adjudged man of the match for his nine-wicket haul in the match, while teammate Arpit Vasavada was adjudged player of the Ranji season.
Brief Scores
Bengal - 174 and 241 in 70.4 overs (Manoj Tiwary 68, Anustup Majumdar 61; Jaydev Unadkat 6/85, Chetan Sakariya 3/76).
Saurashtra - 404 and 14/1 in 2.4 overs.
Ranji Trophy Tournament
The Ranji Trophy tournament has been played since 1934.
The first match was played between Madras and Mysore at the Chepauk Ground from 4 November 1934.
Mumbai has won this tournament 41 times.
For the first time in 86 years, the 2020/21 season Ranji Trophy had to be cancelled due to Corona.
Ranji Trophy is named after Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Number of teams- 37
Most runs - Wasim Jaffer (10665)
Most wickets - Rajinder Goyal (640)
2. Ben Stokes breaks world record for smashing most sixes in Test cricket history
Tags: Sports Sports News
England Test captain Ben Stokes on 18 February became the player to hit the most number of sixes in the history of Test cricket, surpassing England coach and former New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum in the match against New Zealand.
An overview of the news
Stokes holds the world record for hitting two sixes in the second innings of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Mount Maunganui (New Zealand).
Stokes played an innings of 31 runs in 33 balls, which included three fours and two sixes.
Wicket-keeper Tom Blundell stumped him off the bowling of all-rounder Michael Bracewell.
In 90 Test matches, Stokes scored a total of 5,652 runs at an average of 36.00 with 109 sixes and 12 centuries and 28 fifties.
His individual best score in Tests is 258.
McCullum has 107 sixes in 101 Tests. He scored 6,453 runs at an average of 38.64. He has 12 centuries and 31 fifties in Tests with a best score of 302.
Batsman who hit most sixes in test cricket
Australia's Adam Gilchrist is third after Stokes (109) and McCullum (107) to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket.
Chris Gayle of West Indies is fourth in the list with 98 sixes and Jacques Kallis of South Africa is fifth with 97 sixes.
India's Virender Sehwag is in sixth place, he has hit 91 sixes. Sehwag is the Indian to hit the most sixes in Tests.
3. Akshdeep Singh and Priyanka Goswami won National Race Walking Championships
Tags: Sports Sports News
Akshdeep Singh and Priyanka Goswami have won the National Race Walking Championships in Morabadi, Jharkhand, on 14 February.
An overview of the news
With this, both have qualified for the World Championships to be held this year and the Olympics to be held in Paris next year.
Akshdeep Singh clinched the men's 20km event gold with a stunning national record.
Women's 20km event national record holder Priyanka Goswami also won a gold qualification for both the World Championships and 2024 Olympics.
In the men's 20 km walk event, Akshdeep Singh won the gold medal by clocking 1 hour 19 minutes 55 seconds, which is a new national record.
He beat the previous national record of 1h 20m 16s clocked by Sandeep Kumar at the 2021 National Race Walking Championships in Ranchi.
4. WPL 2023: Smriti Mandhana created history, became the most expensive player
Tags: Sports Sports News
India's star opener Smriti Mandhana has become the costliest player in the ongoing player auction for the Women's Premier League (WPL).
An overview of the news
She joined Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 3.4 crore after winning the highest bid in the ongoing Women's Premier League 2023 auction in Mumbai.
A total of 448 players were included in the auction, out of which 87 players were bought by the franchises. 30 foreign players were also involved in this.
Ashley Gardner (Australia) was at number two in the list of expensive players. He was bought by Gujarat Giants for Rs 3.20 crore.
Natalie Sciver is at number three. She was bought by Mumbai Indians for 3.20 crores.
India's all-rounder Deepti Sharma is at number four. Deepti is included in UP Warriors for 2.60 crores.
Jemima Rodrigues was at number five. He was included in their team by Delhi Capitals for 2.20 crores.
About Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana is a young and talented left-handed Indian batsman and former captain of the Indian women's cricket team.
Mandhana is known for her attacking batting style and has been a consistent performer in the T20I format.
Mandhana made her T20I debut in April 2013 against Bangladesh.
In the T20 International format, he has played 65 matches and scored 1743 runs at an average of 27.61.
His highest score in T20 International format is 83 and he has 9 fifties to his name.
In June 2018, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) awarded her as the Best Female International Cricketer.
In December 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded her the Rachael Hayhoe-Flint Award for the best female cricketer of the year.
5. Former England captain Eoin Morgan retires from all forms of cricket
Tags: Sports Sports News
Former England captain Eoin Morgan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 13 February.
An overview of the news
Morgan had said goodbye to international cricket on 28 June 2022. He announced his retirement from all three formats of cricket.
Eoin Morgan captained the ODI World Cup played in England in the year 2019 and won his team the title. He also became the first captain to win the ODI World Cup for England.
Morgan has scored 2458 runs playing a total of 115 T20 matches. While playing 248 ODIs, he scored 7701 runs.
Morgan captained England in 126 ODIs and 72 T20Is, registering 118 wins as captain in both formats.
Apart from this, he scored 700 runs in 16 Test matches.
Born in Dublin, Morgan made his ODI debut for England in 2009 at the age of 16 against Ireland.
6. Jean-Eric Vergne wins Hyderabad E-Prix
Tags: Sports Sports News
The seasoned Jean Eric Vergne of DS Penske automobiles won an action-packed Formula E Prix in Hyderabad on 11 February.
An overview of the news
The fourth leg of the Formula E season of the year 2022-23 was held in Hyderabad.
This is the first Formula E race held in India.
The Formula E race marked the successful return of top-level motorsport competition to India.
Vergne faced a tough challenge from Envision Racing's Nick Cassidy in the 33-lap electrifying race but was able to hold him off in the end.
The Hyderabad E-Prix was held on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake and India's first street circuit built near NTR Garden.
The winner's trophy was presented by the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Thakur.
Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) and Antonio Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) finished second and third respectively.
7. Khelo India Youth Games- 2022: Maharashtra finishes in first position, host Madhya Pradesh 3rd
Tags: Sports Sports News
The fifth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games culminated on February 11.
An overview of the news
Maharashtra topped the medal tally by winning 161 medals including 56 gold. While Haryana stood second with 128 medals including 41 gold.
Host Madhya Pradesh finished third with 96 medals including 39 gold.
5 thousand 812 players from 36 states and union territories participated in these games organised in nine cities.
The participation of girls in these games was about 40 percent.
Khelo India Youth Games
The Games were hosted in Madhya Pradesh from 31 January 2023 to 11 February 2023.
For the first time water sports namely Kayaking Canoeing, Canoe Salam and Fencing were part of this edition of Khelo India Games.
It was organized in eight different cities of the state.
These eight host cities are Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, Maheshwar, Mandla and Balaghat.
The 4th Khelo India Youth Games was held at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula (Haryana) from June 4 to 13, 2022, while some matches were also played in Chandigarh.
Khelo India Youth Games winners list
Edition | Host City | Winner | Runner-up |
2018 | New Delhi | Haryana | Maharashtra |
2019 | Pune | Maharashtra | Haryana |
2020 | Guwahati | Maharashtra | Haryana |
2021 | Panchkula | Haryana | Maharashtra |
2022 | Bhopal | Maharashtra | Haryana |
8. President Murmu attends 2nd Indian Rice Congress at ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack
Tags: Sports News
President Draupadi Murmu attended the 2nd Indian Rice Congress at the National Institute of Rice Research (ICAR) in Cuttack, Odisha on February 11.
An overview of the news
President Draupadi has called for reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers to save soil health.
She underlined the importance of bio-fortified rice as rice is the only source of nutrition for a large number of poor people.
She called upon the scientists to develop more and more eco-friendly varieties of rice to address the challenges of drought, water scarcity, soil health and climate change.
The government has started a pilot project to distribute bio-fortified rice through the PDS and provision has been made in the budget for the same.
Under Aatmanirbhar package, the government has approved Rs 1.5 lakh crore for the development of the agriculture sector.
About Rice
Rice is a staple food for most of the population in India. It is a Kharif crop.
It requires high temperature (above 25 °C) and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.
West Bengal is the major rice producing state where three crops of rice are grown, called 'Aus', 'Aman' and 'Boro'.
Rice is cultivated in about one-fourth of the total cropped area in India.
Major producing states: West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
India is the second largest producer of rice after China.
9. Third Khelo India Winter Games begins in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir
Tags: Sports News
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur inaugurated the Khelo India Winter Games at Gulmarg in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir.
An overview of the news:
The competition will be organised from 10 - 14 February 2023.
In this, 1500 players from 29 states of the country will participate.
The Khelo India Winter Games is supported by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and is being organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council as well as the Winter Games Association, Jammu and Kashmir.
This is the third edition of Khelo India Winter Games. It was started in the year 2020.
Sports like snow shoe race, ice skating, ice hockey, skiing, snowboarding will be organised in the five-day competition.
Jammu and Kashmir had topped the previous two editions of the Khelo India Winter Games.
10. Australia's Aaron Finch announces retirement from International Cricket
Tags: Sports Sports News
Australia's T20 World Cup-winning captain Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from the T20 Internationals, this brings an end to his international cricket career for Australia spanning 12 years.
An overview of the news
Earlier, the opener had announced his retirement from the 50-over format in September last year. He also played five Test matches for Australia.
Finch captained Australia to their maiden ICC World T20 title in 2021.
Australia's most successful captain in the history of T20 International cricket, Finch will continue to play for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League (BBL).
Host Australia had failed to make it to the knockout stage of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
International Cricket Career
Finch made his international debut in 2011 in a T20 International match against England. He made his ODI debut in 2013 against Sri Lanka.
He made his Test debut against Pakistan in 2018.
Finch played 146 ODIs at an average of around 39 and 103 T20 Internationals at an average of 34.28 and a strike-rate of 142.53.
Finch holds the record for the highest score in T20 Internationals twice, scoring 156 against England in 2013 and 172 against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2018.
Aaron Finch has captained the Australian team in 76 T20s and 55 ODIs.
