Rome: Italy international defender Davide Astori died in his hotel room during the night of Saturday to Sunday, his club Fiorentina said on Sunday. Fiorentina are profoundly shocked to have to announce the death of captain Davide Astori after a sudden illness, the Serie A club said on Twitter. The 31-year-old, who leaves behind a two-year-old daughter, was in Udine to prepare for Sunday's match against Udinese, who announced the game has been postponed. ... Read More

Jakarta: Indian boxers packed a heavy punch at the Asian Games Test event, signing off with five gold, a silver and four bronze medals here on Thursday. India Open gold-medallist Manish Kaushik -60kg notched up a second successive top finish, continuing his impressive rise to prominence since claiming the national title last year. Pavitra (60kg) was the lone Indian gold-winner in the womens draw, while three-time Kings Cup gold-medallist K Shyam Kumar 49kg, Shaikh Salman Anwar 52kg and Ashish 64kg finished with the yellow metal along with Manish. ... Read More

Chennai: Second-seed India's Yuki Bhambri booked a spot in the semifinal of the Chennai Open ATP Challenger tennis tournament with a come-from-behind win over Japan's Yasutaka Uchiyama. The 25-year-old Delhi player allowed his rival to bounce back when in sight of the first set, before regrouping to take the next two on a hot afternoon to post a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 win. Bhambri failed to convert the chances he had and allowed the sixth-seeded Uchiyama to take the first set. He raised his game in the second with some fluent shots and broke twice to run away to a 5-1 lead before wrapping up set in 2 ... Read More

The Odisha government will sponsor the national mens and womens hockey teams for the next five years, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced on Thursday. The Odisha government will sponsor the national mens and womens hockey teams for the next five years, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced at an event in New Delhi on Thursday. We are delighted with this association with Indian hockey and we thank Hockey India for giving us this platform. Hockey in Odisha is more than a sport. Its a way of life, especially in tribal regions where children learn to walk with hockey sticks. No wonder O ... Read More

Team India on Sunday were accorded a warm welcome on their arrival in Port Elizabeth. Amidst deafening noise of djembe and drums, Virat Kohli's men reached the venue two days ahead of fifth One-Day International (ODI) against South Africa, scheduled to be played on Tuesday. Kohli was seen entering the team hotel alongside coach Ravi Shastri and other teammates. BCCI uploaded a video of Indian cricket team entering the hotel.Sample that for a traditional welcome as TeamIndia arrive at Port Elizabeth for the 5th ODI against South Africa SAvIND,BCCIs post read. ... Read More

Barring the rain-curtailed fourth ODI in Johannesburg that India lost by 5 wickets (D/L), Virat Kohlis mens performance against South Africa in the series has been dominant. After losing the three-match Test series 1-2, Team India left no stone unturned to outclass the South Africans in the ODIs and that too in all departments. India are leading the six match series 3-1 and will face the Proteas in the fifth match at St Georges Park in Port Elizabeth, a venue which has not been lucky for the previous four India captains Mohammad Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Mahendra Singh ... Read More