India wins T20I series, LeBron suffers ankle injury, and more…5 min read
Reading Time: 4 minutesAdithya G
Here’s a round-up of all the action from the world of sports last week.
The Top Two
India Clinch Hard-Fought Series Win
India 224/2 (Virat Kohli 80, Rohit Sharma 64; Ben Stokes 1-26) beat England 188/8 (Dawid Malan 68, Jos Buttler 52; Shardul Thakur 3-45, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-15) by 36 runs
The five-match T20I series was level at 2-2 going into the final game. Hosts India completely outplayed England in the fifth T20I to win the series.
India were asked to bat first and half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma helped them post a massive total off 224.
England started the chase quite well with David Malan and Jos Buttler stringing a 130-run partnership for the second wicket in 12 overs. However, once Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Shradul Thakur struck in quick succession, the wheels came off. England could only manage 188 as India claimed the win by 36 runs and sealed the series.
Foreign Spectators Banned At Tokyo Olympics
The Tokyo Olympics Committee conceded that the risk was far too great to admit ticket holders from overseas during a pandemic and hence, will not have spectators from abroad for the event.
However, this decision has been severely criticised by the locals as they argue that Japan has controlled the virus better than most countries, attributing to about 8,800 deaths due to COVID-19.
NBA
Chris Paul Collects 10,000th Career Assist
Chris Paul celebrated his 10,000th assist with a game-winning triple-double for the Phoenix Suns against Los Angeles Lakers.
With this win, the Suns leapfrogged over the defending NBA champions in the Western Conference and clinched the three-game season series.
LeBron Suffers Ankle Injury
Lakers superstar LeBron James suffered a high right ankle sprain during his team’s 99-94 loss to Atlanta Hawks.
Hawks forward Soloman Hill was on his way to grab the ball, only to fall on James’ right ankle. The four-time NBA champion fell onto the court in pain and didn’t participate in the final two quarters.
James will be out indefinitely and this puts the Lakers’ title defence in jeopardy as they’ve already lost Anthony Davis to injury.
The win over Lakers saw the Hawks extend their unbeaten run to eight, the longest active streak currently in the NBA.
NCAA: Women’s Basketball Finally Get What They Need
Stanford University sports performance coach Ali Kershner’s post comparing the weight room set-up for the NCAA women’s and men’s basketball tournaments went viral last week.
While the set-up for the men’s teams included a number of power racks with Olympic bars and weights, the women were provided with a small rack of dumbbells and yoga mats for the three weeks they will be in the tournament bubble.
It even caught the attention of NBA heavyweights such as Steph Curry who tweeted his disgust at the lack of facilities for the women’s team.
The NCAA upgraded the facilities overnight and revealed an upgraded weight room Saturday for players participating in the women’s college basketball tournament in San Antonio. Now there is a larger space with more equipment, including a variety of bars, racks, stands and of course, dumbells.
Cricket
South Africa Clinch T20I Series in Women’s Cricket
South Africa 159/ 4 (Lee 70, Wolvaardt 53*) beat India 158/4 (Verma 47, Ghosh 44*) by six wickets
South Africa followed up their terrific ODI performances with their first ever T20I series win against Indi
South Africa completed their third-highest successful chase in the second match, reaching the target in the final ball of the innings.
Earlier, two 17-year old batters, Shafali Verma and Richa Gosh played superbly to help India to the good total.
Shooting
India’s Shooters Strike Gold
India’s Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhasker won gold medals while Abhishek Verma and Yashaswini Singh Deswal bagged bronze at the ISSF World Cup Air Pistol Mixed Team event. The ‘India 1’ team of Chaudhary and Bhasker beat Iran 16-12 to win the gold match at the ISSF World Cup, held in New Delhi.
India’s medal rush didn’t stop there as Divyansh Singh Panwar and Elavenil Valarivan claimed the gold medal in the 10m mixed air rifle event.
In the second day of the tournament, Yashaswini won gold in women’s air pistol with a 2.1 point margin over compatriot Manu Bhasker.
India now have a total of 12 medals, with three silver and four bronze so far and lead the medal tally.
Well, that’s all for this week, folks. Let the games continue, until next week!
Author’s Note: Adithya G is a freelance writer who is passionate about sports.
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