Indian sports wrap, March 27: India qualifies for main draw at FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup

BASKETBALL

FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup: Harsh Dagar sparkles as India qualifies for main draw

Harsh Dagar led the scoring with 10 points as India defeated the Philippines 21-11 on Thursday for its third straight win and qualified for the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup basketball’s main draw here.

India had beaten Korea 21-11 and Macau 21-6 in its two earlier matches to top the qualification round’s Group ‘B’. Dagar had scored 12 points in both these matches.

India is now in the main draw’s Group ‘B’ which includes China and Chinese Taipei and the top two teams will progress to the knockout stage. The main draw, which begins on Friday, features 12 teams divided into four groups with the top two from each qualifying to the knockout phase.

Meanwhile the Indian women’s team, led by Sreekala Rani who scored 13 points, defeated Guam 21-12 for its first win. India had lost its two previous qualifying-round matches, against Chinese Taipei (13-17) and Hong Kong (6-17).

– Stan Rayan

TENNIS

Yuki-Borges pair loses quarterfinals at Miami Open

Sixth seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool of Britain beat Yuki Bhambri and Nuno Borges of Portugal 7-6(1), 3-6, [10-8] in the doubles quarterfinals of the $9,193,540 ATP tennis tournament in Miami, USA. Yuki and parter collected 180 ATP points and $65,000.

– Team Sportstar

Siddharth Vishwakarma knocked out in pre-quarterfinals

Siddharth Vishwakarma knocked out the second seed Moerani Bouzige of Australia 7-6(5), 6-4 in the pre-quarterfinals of the $30,000 ITF men’s tennis tournament at the Altevol Academy on Thursday.

In the quarterfinals, the two-time national champion Siddharth will play fellow Davis Cupper Aryan Shah.

– Kamesh Srinivasan

PARA SPORTS

Svayam launches Sports Accessibility handbook at Khelo India Para Games 2025

The Union Minister of State for Sports, Raksha Khadse along with the Founder Chairperson of Svayam, Sminu Jindal, launched the Sports Accessibility Handbook during the closing ceremony of the Khelo India Para Games on Thursday.

The handbook offers practical guidelines for designing, retrofitting, and implementing inclusive sports facilities. It integrates insights from accessibility standards established for healthcare facilities, the nation building code and guidelines.

“We are delighted to launch the Accessible Sports Handbook. It is our contribution to building a sporting ecosystem where accessibility is not an afterthought, but a foundation,” said Sminu Jindal.

HOCKEY

National Women’s Hockey League 2024-25: Table-topper Haryana to take on Odisha in Friday’s final

Players vie for the ball during a National Women’s Hockey League match.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand secured wins in their last league match on Thursday in Pool A of the Final Phase of the National Women’s Hockey League 2024-25 held at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi.

Haryana, which finished as the table-topper, will play against Odisha in the final on Friday. Also, Jharkhand finished the league stage on third position and will fight against Mizoram for the podium finish.

In the first match, Bengal defeated Manipur 2-1 in Pool A. Kangjam Silvia Chanu (26’) opened the account on the scoreboard for Manipur. In reply, Bulbul Kumari Shaw (53’) and Sibiya Nag (59’) scored one goal each to take the lead for Bengal in the last quarter.

In the next match, Madhya Pradesh won 2-1 against Haryana. Sneha Patel (13’) and Khushi Katariya (36’) scored one goal each for MP. On the other side, skipper Pooja Malik (24’) scored the consolation goal for Haryana.

In the other match, Maharashtra defeated Mizoram 2-1. Sanika Chandrakant Mane (25’) and Tanushree Dinesh Kadu (27’) scored two back-to-back goals before the half-time whistle for Maharashtra, whereas Vanlalrinhui (54’) could only score one goal towards the final minutes in the game for Mizoram.

Jharkhand also edged past Odisha 2-0. Shanti Kumari (3’) and Hemrom Leoni (42’) scored.

-Team Sportstar

SQUASH

Indian Open: Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh storm into finals

Abhay in Action JSW indian open 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

India Women’s No 1 Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh put in memorable performances in the semi-finals of the JSW Indian Open and booked their berth in the final at the Bombay Gymkhana on Thursday.

India’s newest squash sensation, Anahat was up against the veteran Joshna Chinappa in the first semi-final of the day, and along expected lines it was a tightly contested game. While Anahat started off brightly, winning the first set at a canter, the experienced Chinappa then took control after that. The 38-year-old used all her experience to bring things to level pegging at 1-1, but after that Anahat went through the gears. She used the angles on court to her advantage and rattled off the next two sets to win the game in 32 minutes. Anahat won with a scoreline of 3-1 (11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6), and sealed her spot in the final.

In the second semi-final of the day, the first in the men’s draw, India’s Abhay had to dig deep against his Egyptian opponent Karim El Hammamy. Abhay started off with a flurry of quick points and the momentum on his side, as he went onto win the first two sets with relative ease. However, Karim took the next set in what was turning out to be a fiery contest. After that though, Abhay stormed through the fourth set, and registered a comfortable win in 55 minutes. Abhay won the contest 3-1 (11-4, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6).

– Team Sportstar