1. India Win Third T20 vs Sri Lanka
India gave themselves a boost before next month’s Twenty20 World Cup at home as Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed four wickets in their series-clinching nine-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the third and final Twenty20 international on Sunday.
The off-spinner claimed three wickets in his first seven deliveries and finished with 4-8, best by an Indian bowler in this format, as Sri Lanka folded for 82, their lowest total in Twenty20 Internationals.
Chasing the small target, India romped home with 6.1 overs to spare to seal the series 2-1 at Visakhapatnam’s ACA-VDCA Stadium.
2. “Consistency Will Give Us Confidence,” Says Dhoni
Barely few days ahead of the Asia Cup and the ICC World Twenty20, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said “consistent” performances will give his side confidence going into big-ticket tournaments.
Following the 9-wicket win against Sri Lanka, Dhoni said he feels his boys need to be expressive going into upcoming important assignments.
I feel it was a very good game, important we restricted them to a decent total. Ashwin was the pick but he was well supported by the others. In between you will lose one or two games. We want to keep playing the way we’re playing. Consistency will give us the confidence.MS Dhoni
3. West Indies Thrash India to Win Maiden U-19 WC
West Indies produced an outstanding bowling performance to outclass India by five wickets in the final match to win their maiden U-19 World Cup cricket tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday.
Batting first, India were bundled out for a meagre 145 runs in 45.1 overs, thanks to Ryan John (3-38) and Alzarri Joseph (3-39).
In reply, Keacy Carty scored a match-winning knock of unbeaten 52 alongside Keemo Paul (40 not out) as the Windies chased down the total, reaching the target in 49.3 overs.
4. Sania-Hingis Extend Winning Run to 40
Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis triumphed in the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy to extend their winning streak to 40 matches on Sunday.
The top seeded Indo-Swiss pair registered a comfortable 6-3 6-1 victory over the Russian-Czech team of Vera Dushevina and Barbora Krejcikova in the women’s doubles final that lasted for an hour.
This is the fourth title that Sania and Hingis have won this year. Their overall trophy count stands at 13. They started the year with wins in Brisbane and Sydney before completing a hat-trick of Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open.
5. MC Mary Kom in SAF Games Finals
India’s star woman boxer MC Mary Kom stormed into the final of the 12th South Asian Games (SAG) beating Bangladesh’s Akter Shamina on Sunday.
The 2012 Olympics bronze medallist was adjudged the winner via a technical knockout in the 51-kg category.
The five-time world champion will be in the ring against Sri Lanka’s K. Anusha Dilrukshi in the final on Tuesday. The Sri Lankan boxer outboxed Nepal’s Gurung Minu 3-0 in the other semi-final match.
6. Boycott Averted as West Indies Players Sign up for World T20
The threat of West Indies being forced to field a second string side at the World Twenty20 was averted on Sunday when 12 of 13 players in the squad signed the contracts which had caused a standoff with the board.
West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) had given the players a deadline of Sunday to agree to the financial terms, which represented a sharp drop in pay compared to previous tournaments, or they would be replaced.
After a week of claim and counterclaim with plenty of recriminations on both sides of the dispute, only batsman Darren Bravo declined to take up the deal.
“The West Indies Cricket Board is in receipt of 12 signed contracts from players who were selected for the upcoming 2016 ICC World Twenty20 tournament,” the WICB said in a news release.