Indian Sports Highlights, December 23: Australia leading by 46 runs with 5 wickets in hand at Stumps day-3

AITA loses appeal in ITF tribunal, Indian team will have to travel to Pakistan

All India Tennis Association has lost the case in the ITF tribunal that its Davis Cup team could face security concerns during the World Group I Play-off tie in Islamabad, paving the way for an Indian tennis team's visit to Pakistan for the first time in 60 years.

If the Indian team fails to travel to Pakistan, the tie will be awarded to the host country and the Indian team will be relegated to World Group II.

The last time an Indian Davis Cup team travelled to Pakistan was way back in 1964 when it beat the hosts 4-0. All India Tennis Association (AITA) Secretary General Anil Dhupar confirmed to PTI that ITF has rejected their appeal.

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Senior National Championships: Chirag Sen, Tanvi Sharma storm into final

Chirag Sen fought off a strong challenge from the second-seeded Kiran George, securing a 21-18, 21-18 victory as he advanced into the men’s singles final of the Yonex-Sunrise 85th Senior National Badminton Championships 2023 held at the R. G. Baruah Sports Complex in Guwahati on Saturday. This prestigious national tournament, organized by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) in Assam after four years, is taking place from December 18 to 24.

In the 38-minute semi-final encounter, the 2020 Iran international bronze medallist Chirag maintained his focus, refusing to succumb to the pressure mounted by George. He will now face fourth-seeded Tharun M, who defeated Bharat Raghav 21-11, 16-21, 21-19 in a closely contested match.

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WFI elections: Brazen show of power and arrogance

Wrestling is at the centre of the limelight, again for an undesirable reason. The much-awaited and delayed elections of the federation, banned by United World Wrestling, are over. In the face of it, free and fair elections were held.

You cannot raise the validity of the results. The elections will pave the way for WFI's reaffiliation to the UWW, but does this mean the end of the tussle between strangled wrestlers and the WFI? Will normalcy be restored in Indian wrestling?

Whose sport it is? Is administration for sports, or sports are meant to be ruled by anybody hungry for power?

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Ultimate Kho Kho Season 2 kicks off on Sunday as Odisha Juggernauts take on Rajasthan Warriors

Ultimate Kho Kho is poised to captivate enthusiasts of athletic endeavours with a thrilling second season of the high-energy league. The inaugural match will commence as the reigning champions and local favourites, Odisha Juggernauts engage in spirited competition against Rajasthan Warriors at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack.

Conceived by Amit Burman in collaboration with the Kho Kho Federation of India, Ultimate Kho Kho garnered prodigious interest among enthusiasts and corporate entities during its inaugural edition. This was largely attributable to the sport’s innovative manifestation, replete with an ambitious objective of revivifying and propelling it onto the global stage.

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Goonga Pahalwan Virender Singh to return Padma Shri award

Wrestler Virender Singh, who identifies himself as the 'Goonga Pahalwan', pledged to return his Padma Shri award to express his solidiraity with wrestler Sakshi Malik, who announced her retirement after Sanjay Singh, an aide of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, was elected as the president of the federation.

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ISL: Kerala Blasters' Adrian Luna ruled out for remainder of the season

Kerala Blasters midfielder Adrian Luna has been ruled of the remainder of the Indian Super Legaue (ISL) 2023-2024 season. Coach Ivan Vukomanovic on Saturday said Luna will only be back in the team next season. Vukomanovic also said the club will find a replacement for Luna in January.

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Stumps Day-3: India Vs Australia - Australia leading by 46 runs with 5 wickets in hand

Australia has taken a slender lead of 46 runs in the second innings with 5 wickets in hand.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur takes Indian team back on track after departing both set batters Tahlia McGrath and Alyssa Healy.

The match is tightly poised with the final day's play left both team are still in contention. India wanted few quick wickets early in the morning tomorrow.

Score: AUS- 233 for 5 wickets in 90 overs. (Annabel Sutherland (12)67, Ashleigh Gardner (7)23)

Key players:- Tahlia McGrath (73/177), Ellyse Perry (32/101), Harmanpreet Kaur (2-23)

Women’s National C'ships: World champion Saweety Boora, Pooja Rani advance

The reigning world champion Saweety Boora and two-time Asian Championships gold medallist Pooja Rani entered the round-of-16 at the 7th Elite Women’s National Boxing Championships with contrasting victories on the second day at the GBU Indoor Stadium in Greater Noida.

While Saweety faced a tough challenge from Alfiya of Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) before securing a 4-1 win in the 81kg match, Tokyo Olympian Pooja dominated the proceedings against Renu of Nagaland in 75kg bout as she completed a commanding 5-0 victory.

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I-League: Lajong takes a comfortable 3-0 win over Namdhari FC

Shillong Lajong back to winning ways after losing two back to back matches. They takes a comfortable 3-0 win over Namdhari FC in a home match against Namdhari FC at Jawaharlal nehru stadium, Meghalaya.

Shillong is back to top five of the league table after the win with 19 points after 11 matches whereas Namdhari lying on 11th position with just 8 points out of 11 matches.

Indian Women's League: Sethu FC takes a 4-2 win over East Bengal FC

East Bengal women's team suffers back-to-back lose at the Indian Women's League. They lost 2-4 in a high scoring match against Sethu FC in their first home match at East Bengal ground, Kolkata.

Sethu FC jumps back to the top three position on the league table after this win with 4 points after 2 matches. This was the final match of the year for IWL before going into 10 days long winter break.