Olympic bronze medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia will not be able to compete in the upcoming wrestling World Championships after being advised a six-week rehabilitation to treat the ligament tear he suffered in his right knee in run up to the Tokyo Games. The World Championships will be held in Oslo, Norway from October 2-10 and Bajrang will not be able to begin his training until the rehabilitation programme is complete.

Bajrang recently underwent an MRI scan to know the extent of the injury he suffered in Russia in June before the Olympics and consulted Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, who heads the Centre for Sports Medicine at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.

“It’s a ligament tear and I have been asked to follow a rehabilitation programme for six weeks by Dr. Dinshaw. I won’t be able to compete at the World Championship,” Bajrang told.

There is no ranking series event lined up in the remainder of the year and Bajrang said his season is over. “The Worlds was the only major championship in the calender for this year. I don’t see myself competing in any other tournament this season,” he added.

Bajrang had suffered the injury in the run up to the Tokyo Games when he competed at a Russian tournament—Ali Aliyev in June. Bajrang had forfeited his semi-finals against Abulmazhid Kudiev, who got hold of the Indian’s right leg and pulled him abruptly in the first period of the bout.

The impact had an effect on Bajrang’s right knee and the limping grappler immediately quit the mat but competed at the Olympics and won a bronze in 65kg category.

“Since it was my first Olympics and I had a dream to win an Olympic medal, I competed through pain in Tokyo. I had to do it.” Bajrang said he was not consulting any specific physiotherapist for his rehabilitation.

CINCINNATI : Riding on an 11-match winning streak after winning the Western & Southern Open, the German tennis star, Alexander Zverev still thinks that Novak Djokovic is the favourite for the next week’s US Open.

Zverev got past Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-3 to lift his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title and become the first German champion in Cincinnati since Boris Becker in 1985. The World No. 5 captured his fourth tour-level trophy of the season having already won gold in Olympic singles in Tokyo. “The US Open is a week that everybody is looking forward to. I think Novak will be back. He’s obviously going to be the favourite. But I think other guys are going to be in great shape,” Zverev said.

Notably, World number one, Novak Djokovic has not played an event since Tokyo where Zverev ended his bid for the Golden Grand Slam this season. “I do think that he’s still the favourite. I do think he’s going to be playing incredible tennis there,” Zverev said. “He’s going to be fresh, and I think there is also other guys that are in very good form. I think Rublev is in very good form, Medvedev, Tsitsipas, all those guys are playing great tennis.

In women’s, world no.1 Ashleigh Barty of Australia continued her stellar season, notching her tour-leading fifth WTA singles title of the year by claiming the Western & Southern Open trophy for the first time. Barty ended the giant-killing run of World No.76 Jil Teichmann of Switzerland, 6-3, 6-1, to collect her 13th career WTA singles title.

India’s three-member water sports delegation, comprising two male swimmers and a female canoe sprint athlete, are confident they will be able to deliver their best performances at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

For Suyash Jadhav, it is his 2nd Paralympic Games while Niranjan Mukundan and Prachi Yadav will be making their bow at the biggest stage for the first time in Tokyo. All three are a part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Suyash Jadhav’s victory in the Men’s 50m Butterfly S7 (32.71 seconds) in the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta assured him an entry to the Tokyo Paralympics. In fact, even his bronze medal there in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM7 (2:51.39) earned him a slot in the event at the Tokyo Paralympics.Now a swim coach in Pune at the Directorate Sports and Youth Affairs, Maharashtra, Suyash has been training at the Balewadi Stadium under the watchful eyes of his coach Tapan Panigrahi.

He has been given assistance from the Government of India in terms of Foreign Exposure, wherein he has participated in more than five International Competitions as well as participation in National Coaching Camps with sports science support along with sports kit. Suyash’s hands had to be amputated after being electrocuted at the age of 11.

Post the 2016 Paralympics, he bagged one gold and two bronze medals at the Asian Para Games in Indonesia in 2018 as well as the Eklavya Award in 2018 and the Arjuna in 2020. While Suyash’s 200m Individual Medley SM7 event is scheduled for August 27, he will be in action again along with Niranjan Mukundan in the Men’s 50m Butterfly S7 events on September 3. For the record, Murlikant Petkar became the first Indian athlete to win a Paralympics medal when he claimed 50m Freestyle gold in Heidelberg, Germany.

Earlier this month, 26-year-old banker Niranjan was allotted a bipartite place in the Games by the International Paralympic Committee. He has over 60 international medals and is the only Para swimmer to cross the 50-medal mark.

After winning both their Group D matches in the AFC Cup 2021 campaign, ATK Mohun Bagan FC are just one point away from securing their place in the Inter Zone Semi-final of the competition.

ATK were Hero Indian Super League champions in ISL-6 while Mohun Bagan won the I-League title in 19-2020, before the two entities merged to form ATK Mohun Bagan FC. ATKMB are placed in Group D along with Bangladesh’s Bashundhara Kings, Maziya Sports & Recreation Club of the Maldives and AFC Cup playoff winners Bengaluru FC.

Keeping the AFC Cup campaign in mind, ATKMB’s experienced Spanish coach Antonio Lopez Habas prompted the club management to undertake major signings that added attacking flair to the side. They signed the prodigiously talented 22-year old Goan forward Liston Colaco from Hyderabad FC. But the masterstroke was to lure away two key players- Hugo Boumous and goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, from Hero ISL-7 champions & League Shield winners Mumbai City FC.

French born Boumous is an attacking midfielder with prolific goal scoring and creative ability. His presence adds more options to the forward line that includes Fiji’s Roy Krishna and Australia’s David Williams, combining with Indian talents like Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco.

They have suffered a setback in terms defensive solidity, due to the move of ace Indian defender Sandesh Jhingan who recently signed a deal with the Croatian club – HNK Sibenik. Jhingan will become the first Indian footballer to play in the Croatian top flight league – Prva HNL.

In his absence, experienced central defensive midfielder Carl McHugh and Pritam Kotal have taken on the centre back responsibilities. It also gives a chance to another young defender Sumit Rathi to get more game time.

ATKMB beat Bengaluru FC 2-0 in their opening group match of the AFC Cup at the National Stadium in Male, in the Maldives. Then after being a goal down, they came from behind to win 3-1 against Maziya Sports & Recreation Club a couple of days ago, to go top of the table with 6 points.

Their last group match is versus Bashundhara Kings and a win or even a draw will see them top the group. Bashundhara Kings have 4 points from two games, and must win the match in order to upset ATKMB’s applecart and qualify ahead of them.

Heat and humidity will be a crucial factor in this match which will be played on Tuesday at 4.30 PM IST.

The top placed team of Group D representing the South Asia Zone will advance to the inter-zone semifinals, which will be played against the top team from the Central Asia Zone.

(The writer is a Sports Broadcaster who has worked on assignments for leading sports networks in India & Abroad. He is also commentating on the AFC Cup matches for a leading Sports Network in India).

Indian vice captain Ajinkya Rahane rejected criticism which he and Cheteshwar Pujara faced for slow batting during the Lord’s Test against England, saying they have played long enough to know what suits the team’s interest.

Rahane even laughed off the flak they faced by saying that only “important people” are talked about. Rahane (61 off 146 balls) and Pujara (45 off 206) took nearly 50 overs to add 100 runs in their partnership.

“I am happy that people are talking about me. I have always believed that people talk about important people, so I am not too concerned about that. It’s all about contribution for the team,” Rahane said ahead of the third Test, starting here on Wednesday.

Asked again if criticism motivates him, he said, “Everything motivates me. playing for the country motivates me. I am not bothered about criticism.” Pujara took 35 balls to get off the mark at Lord’s but his slow innings along with that of Rahane’s eventually did not hurt India, with the visitors winning the match by a whopping 151 runs.

Rahane, in the context of the win, said that he was pleased with the way he played. “I always believed in contribution and that contribution was satisfying.

“You think about your own game but team performance is ultimate. You think about your methods, your good innings and what suits you but ultimately whatever team needs we focus on that.”

Asked about his discussion with Pujara in the middle, Rahane said it was all about hanging in there. “The communication was all about short targets and build it on from there. Cheteshwar, we always talk that he plays slow but that innings was really important for us. He batted for 200 balls. We back each other.

“Cheteshwar and I have been playing since long, we know how to handle pressure, how to handle certain situations. Whatever we can’’t control, we are not thinking about that,” he said.

The Headingley will be an unknown territory for the current Indian team since none of the players have the experience of playing there. But for Rahane, that is not something which is worrying the side.

“When you are playing in the UK, your line and lengths are very important and that’’s a challenge as a bowling unit. 2014 when we came here, we were a young unit, the guys were still learning. Now we are experienced.

“All the bowlers have played all over the world, they know how to bowl in ceratin situation. We focussed on bowling in right areas.”

He said in England it’’s about finding your rhythm as a batsman and as a bowler. “It’’s not challenging really. When you get the rhythm, it’’s about maintaining it and just being confident about yourself. I don’’t see any difficulty playing at Headingley.

“It’’s all in the mind, mentally we are strong. All the players are in good space.”

Day two of the second Test between West Indies and Pakistan on Saturday was washed out due to persistent rain.No action was possible due to the wet outfield and rain forced the umpires to abandoned second day of the second Test. The start was day two was first delayed and early lunch was taken after the first session of day two was washed out due to rain.

The Match official eventually called for the stumps just after 4 pm (local time) here at Sabina Park as rain played a spoilsport. According to ICC, the play on Sunday will now commence half an hour earlier and 98 overs are slated for the third day.

On Friday, Kemar Roach continued up an exemplary bowling form with a telling three-wicket haul but half-centuries from Fawad Alam and captain Babar Azam inspired a strong Pakistan response, on opening day of second Test at Sabina Park.

On a humidity day in Jamaica’s capital, Pakistan ended on 212-4 with Fawad top-scoring with 76 before being forced to retire with heat exhaustion, while Babar stroked 75 before becoming Roach’s third victim midway through the final session.

The pair was instrumental in pulling the innings around from the ruins of two runs for three wickets in the morning’s fourth over, as they put on a magnificent 158 for the fourth wicket.

When Babar departed, West Indies had hoped they could make inroads into the visitors lower-order. However, Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Rizwan calmly added 44 in an unbroken fifth stand to deny West Indies any further success.

Brief scores: Pakistan 212/4 (Babar Azam 75, Fawad Alam 76*; Kemar Roach 3-49) vs West Indies