Indian sports wrap, March 22: India edges closer to FIBA Asia Cup 2025 after Iraq victory

BASKETBALL

India moves closer to Asia Cup 2025 with romp of Iraq

India put one foot in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 following a 97-77 victory over Iraq as the Qualifying Tournament for Third-Place Teams continued on Friday night at the Khalifa Sports City in Manama, Bahrain.

The team from South Asia took the lead for good in the second quarter after a 30-all tie in the game’s first 10 minutes before pulling away in the third canto toward a rousing start to its campaign.

With the convincing triumph, India needs a win its final game against Bahrain on Saturday night to complete a sweep of Group H and, more importantly, to formally advance to the tournament proper.

The No. 3 team of Group E from the Qualifiers’ First Round is shooting for its 11th consecutive appearance in FIBA’s flagship event in Asia, which is set to hold its 31st edition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on August 5-17.

“I’m pleased with the outcome, but even more so with how we played. Some strong points: we had 22 assists and only eight turnovers. That was a big goal of ours. We need to rebound the ball a little better but overall, I thought we played a great game. And, we played well in every quarter,” said India Head Coach Scott Flemming.

– Team Sportstar

National under-23 Basketball Championships: Karnataka advances to quarterfinal

Karnataka men and women won their respective quarterfinal matches to reach the semifinals of the National under-23 basketball championships at the Sarusajai Indoor Stadium, Guwahati, on Saturday.

– Team Sportstar

FENCING

Bhubaneswar to host National Para Fencing Championship from March 28-31

Top para fencers from across the country will compete for honours at the National Championship, scheduled to be held from March 28 to 31 in Bhubaneswar.

The event, organised by the Para Sports Association of Odisha (PSAO) under the aegis of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), will take place at the Biju Patnaik Indoor Stadium and Kalinga Sports Complex.

Supported by the Sports and Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha, the championship is expected to witness participation from over 25 states and 20 additional teams, with approximately 200 para fencers vying for top honours.

“We are thrilled to host the National Para Fencing Championship in Bhubaneswar,” said Kamala Kanta Rath, President of PSAO. “We look forward to creating an inspiring atmosphere for these remarkable athletes to compete at the highest level.”

-PTI

GOLF

Diksha, Pranavi in top-10 at Women’s NSW Open in Australia

Impressive Pranavi Urs joined Diksha Dagar in the top-10 list after carding fine rounds on the penultimate day of the Ford Women’s NSW Open here.

Diksha added 2-under 69 to her earlier rounds of 67-68 and at 9-under for 54 holes she was tied-eighth in windy conditions.

Pranavi after 71-68 shot a superb 5-under 66 to rise to T-10, while rookie Avani Prashanth did her reputation a lot of good with a 1-under 70 that included an eagle on the Par-13th.

This was the third cut in as many starts for Avani, who has won pro titles on her home tour, the Hero WPGT and on the LET Access.

– PTI

Delhi Challenge golf tournament: Quim Vidal of Spain scored a six-under 66

Quim Vidal of Spain scored a six-under 66 to open up a three-shot lead with 17-under 199 after the third round of the $300,000 Delhi Challenge golf tournament at the Classic Golf and Country Club on Saturday.

After being tied with three others in the lead overnight, Vidal struck six birdies, including four on the last five holes to jump into the sole lead.

Joshua Berry of England, the champion of the Kolkata Challenge last week, scored five-under 67 for an overall 14-under 202 in the second place.

Kshitij Kaul was the best Indian on view as he was tied sixth with Will Hopkins with a 12-under 204. “It was a windy day, but I managed to land the ball in the right spots. Scoring on the par 5s will be crucial on the final day,” said Vidal.

– Team Sportstar

Sharma finishes with an eagle but lies 38th in Singapore

Shubhankar Sharma finished with an eagle to lie tied 38th, while fellow Indian Veer Ahlawat missed the cut after the second round of the Porsche Singapore Classic, which was reduced to a three-day event due to inclement weather.

Sharma, who shot 68 in the first round, added a one-over 72 in the second round, which saw him drop three bogeys, a double bogey, and record three birdies, finishing with an eagle on the 18th hole. He lies four-under for 36 holes at the Laguna National Resort.

Ahlawat, who is aiming for a better finish at next week’s Hero Indian Open after securing second place last year, had a tough day, carding a 79 after his first-round 73.

– PTI

TENNIS

Sehaj, Diya clinch ITF Junior titles

Sehaj Singh Pawar and Diya Ramesh emerged the champions in the ITF Junior Tennis Tournament at the Shanti Academy on Saturday.

Top seed Sehaj beat Shanker Heisnam 6-1, 6-4 in the boys final.

Second seed Diya Ramesh beat Jaya Kapoor 6-4, 6-4 for the girls title. It was a double crown for Diya, as she had won the doubles title earlier with Sohini Mohanty.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

Clarke to face Binda in final of ITF Men’s Tennis Tournament; Rishi, Maan clinch doubles title

Aryan Shah allowed top seed Jay Clarke to escape the clutches of defeat and pull through to a 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 victory in the semifinals of the USD 15,000 ITF Men’s Tennis Tournament at the Gujarat University Tennis Academy on Saturday.

In the final, Jay Clarke, who had won the title last week in Chandigarh, will face second seed Alexandr Binda of Italy.

Binda beat Prajwal Dev 7-6(2), 6-3 in the other semifinal.

Prajwal had a double blow, as he was beaten in the doubles final in partnership with Nitin Kumar Sinha by Maan Kesharwani and Rishi Reddy.

It was the third doubles title in the professional circuit for Rishi, who had incidentally won his earlier two titles with Prajwal Dev.

For Maan, it was his maiden title in the professional circuit.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

Ankita Raina wins doubles title in China

Doubles champions, Ankita Raina and Priska Nugroho, at the ITF women’s tennis tournament in China on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Ankita Raina in partnership with Priska Nugroho of Indonesia outplayed Kristina Dmitruk and Kira Pavlova 6-0, 6-3 in the doubles final of the $60,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Luan, China, on Saturday.

It was the second title of the season for the 32-year-old Ankita, who had won the earlier title this season with Naiktha Bains of Britain in Delhi.

It was the 31st doubles title in the international circuit for Ankita, and the second with Priska. Ankita also has 11 singles titles to her credit in the professional circuit.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

KABADDI

Yuva All Stars Championship: Warriorz K.C., Jaipur Pink Cubs seal spots in next round

Warriorz K.C. and Jaipur Pink Cubs registered victories against their respective opponents on Day 17 to qualify for the next round in the Yuva All Stars Championship 2025. Meanwhile, the Junior Steelers and UP Falcons match ended in a tie.

Chandigarh Chargers defeated Kurukshetra Warriors 56-36 in a Pool B encounter. The Junior Steelers played a thrilling 44-44 tie against the UP Falcons in a Pool-A encounter.

Later in the day, Warriorz K.C. defeated Palani Tuskers by the barest of margins, while Jaipur Pink Cubs defeated Yuva Paltan 49-27 in a one-sided contest.

– Team Sportstar

KHELO INDIA PARA GAMES 2025

Debutants Alphia James, Mandeep steal badminton spotlight as Paralympians dominate

India’s Paralympians and international stars played true to form but the Khelo India Para Games 2025 also saw some standout gold medallists as the badminton competition came to a close at the Indira Gandhi Stadium on Saturday.

At the time of writing, 75 gold medals in athletics, badminton and shooting had been decided. Overnight leader Tamil Nadu led the medal tally with 15 golds while Haryana stood second with 14 golds. Maharashtra was third with 8 while Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh had seven golds each.

In the first half of Saturday, the focus was on badminton. India’s top para badminton players did not disappoint in their respective categories. Paris 2024 gold medallist Nitesh Kumar, Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Krishna Nagar, Paris 2024 bronze medallist Manisha Ramdass and 13-time national champion Sanjeev Kumar emerged champions.

But it was Kerala’s 21-year-old wheel-chair bound Alphia James and Uttarakhand’s Mandeep Kaur who stole the show on the badminton courts as they won a gold each in their respective categories. A B. Com student, Alphia lost her father in 2010 and have been supported by her brother and mother ever since.

Having started as a basketball player, Alphia suffered a spinal cord injury in 2017. After almost five years, she resumed her sporting journey and started playing para badminton. She made a golden debut at Khelo India Para Games 2025 here in Delhi after winning an event in Spain recently.

A three-time arm-wrestling national champion, Mandeep, switched to badminton due to her love for the game and faced immense success in the sport. Winning gold in her first-ever international tournament in Uganda, the 29-year old has now made a dream Khelo India Para Games debut.

“It’s a great feeling to win the gold and I’m really thankful to SAI and the government for organising KIPG. The key was to keep calm and that’s what I did. I lost the first game and was trailing in the second at one stage but I pushed myself to make a comeback and eventually win the game,” said Mandeep after her victory. 

Star attraction Nitesh Kumar said, “I’m feeling really good that I won the gold. This is the first time that I have played KIPG and to win the tournament is nice. Moreover, it’s a positive start to the season for me and I hope to do well.”

Day 3 of the Khelo India Para Games also saw the start of the archery competition at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The 2024 Paris Paralympics bronze medallist Sheetal Devi and promising newcomer Payal Nag were in action. One wonder archer without arms (Sheetal) met another without arms and legs (Payal) to make for some stunning visuals. Both qualified for the finals on Sunday.

Shooting action also began at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. Paralympic Gold medallist Avani Lekhara continued her control in the women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 category, securing the top position. The Rajasthan shooter narrowly edged out her state teammate Mona Agarwal, who claimed silver, while Aakansha from Uttar Pradesh rounded off the podium with a score of 221.5.

This success came amid strong performances across other shooting events, with Maharashtra’s Swaroop Mahavir Unhalkar and Kavin Vinod Kengnalkar claiming gold and silver, respectively, in the men’s 10m air rifle standing SH1, separated by just 0.1 points. Meanwhile, Haryana’s Simran Sharma topped the podium in the mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2 category.

– Team Sportstar