Daniil Medvedev faced a hostile crowd and a full array of Nick Kyrgios's outbursts and tricks, and still remained calm for long enough to reach the third round at the Australian Open.

The 115th-ranked Kyrgios worked up the crowd, hit 'tweeners and drop shots, mixed up the pace of his groundstrokes and tossed in an under-arm serve in a bid to ruffle the second-ranked Russian.

Medvedev kept his composure, taking a quick trip to the locker room after losing the third set and recovering to win 7-6 (1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 Thursday on a rowdy Rod Laver Arena.

In an on-court TV interview with former champion Jim Courier, Medvedev was asked how he managed to stay so composed.

"That's the only choice when you get booed between first and second serve, he said, triggering some boos from the crowd.

Kyrgios usually likes to play on John Cain Arena, known locally as the People's Court because fans with ground passes can get in and the singing and chanting is always less restrained than the two main show courts.

He managed to turn the all-ticketed stadium court into something more akin to a soccer stadium.

In the seventh game of the third set, Kyrgios got two break-point chances when he bunted away a backhand from Medvedev directed at his body and then took off on a circular run behind the baseline to celebrate like he had scored a goal.

When he converted the break, he danced in the change-over and worked up the crowd. Medvedev managed to lower the volume with two service breaks in the fourth set.

It was Medvedev's first win over Kyrgios following two losses in 2019.

And there were cheers later when Courier suggested a new crowd favourite for the rest of the tournament.

Medvedev was the runner-up last year but avenged that loss by beating Novak Djokovic in the US Open final.

He's the quasi No. 1 now, anyway, because Djokovic was deported on the eve of the tournament for failing to meet Australia's strict Covid-19 vaccination regulations.

Another contender in his half of the draw had a more routine run to the third round, with fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas beating Sebastian Baez 7-6 (1), 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 in a match featuring two former top-ranked junior players.

Five-time runner-up Andy Murray only lasted two rounds. Two days after winning his first match at the Australian Open in five years, the former No. 1 lost to 120th-ranked Taro Daniel 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Other winners among the men included No. 5 Andrey Rublev, No. 15 Roberto Bautista Agut, No. 20 Taylor Fritz, 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic and No. 32 Alex de Minaur. No. 24 Dan Evans moved on when the player he was supposed to face in the second round, Arthur Rinderknech, pulled out with an injured wrist.

Australian wild-card entry Chris O'Connell upset 13th-seeded Diego Schwartzman 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-4.

There were surprises in the women's draw on Day 4, with No. 3 Garbie Muguruza becoming the highest-seeded player to exit only minutes after No. 6 Anett Kontaveit lost.

US Open champion Emma Raducanu lost to Danka Kovinic 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka served a nine double-faults in her first two service games, 12 in the first set and appeared to be on the brink of a second-round defeat before recovering to hold off 100th-ranked Wang Xinyu 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.

She will next face 31st-seeded Marketa Vondrousova, the 2019 runner-up at Roland Garros who beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 7-5.

Kontaveit, the runner-up at the WTA Finals, lost to 19-year-old Clara Tauson 6-2, 6-3. Tauson will make her debut in the third round at a major against 2019 Australian Open semifinalist Danielle Collins.

No. 7 Iga Swiatek, the 2020 French Open champion, No. 19 Elise Mertens and Sorana Cirstea were among the other women advancing. Zhang Shuai of China moved into the third round when No. 12 Elena Rybakina retired from their match while trailing 6-4, 1-0.

Sam Stosur's 6-2, 6-2 loss to No. 10 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ended the 2011 US Open champion's 20th, and last, singles campaign at the Australian Open.

Muguruza never managed to earn a single break point and made 33 unforced errors, more than twice her opponent's total, in a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Alize Cornet.

Veteran batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane's position in group A of the BCCI central contracts could be up for deliberation when the board finalises its fresh list of contracted players for the upcoming season in a few days' time.

Another big question is whether the BCCI top brass is in a mood to upgrade two future captaincy contenders – K.L. Rahul and Rishabh Pant - alongside Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah in the elite A+ category.

The BCCI has four categories - A+, A, B and C - which carry annual retainership of Rs 7 crore, Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively.

Normally, it is the three office-bearers, five selectors and the national head coach, who decide retainerships.

As of now, there won't be massive changes to the 28 names that featured in the last list but there could be some serious discussions about the composition of the current groups which were in place last year.

"Obviously, Rohit, Kohli and Bumrah being the three indispensable players across formats would be in A plus category beyond doubt. But now Rahul and Pant are slowly establishing themselves as all-format regulars, so it needs to be seen whether the duo gets promotion or not," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

But what could be a more debatable issue is Pujara and Rahane's status after a year of consistent non-performance.

"The central contract is a performance indicator of where you stand as per your performance during the last season. If the BCCI and head coach (Rahul) Dravid decide to honour the duo and keep them in group A, then it's a different issue but under normal circumstances, they ideally won't feature in group A," the source said.

Ditto for Ishant Sharma and Hardik Pandya, who have both struggled due to injuries and lack of form throughout the season and could feature in group B.

Similarly, among the group B players of last season, only Shardul Thakur, who has had some impactful performances in Test matches, can be hopeful of a promotion to group A.

In current group C, Mohammed Siraj is one man, who has shown tremendous improvement while Shubman Gill is one for the future along with Hanuma Vihari, who would also be expecting an upgrade.

Among newcomers, the likes of Venkatesh Iyer and Harshal Patel could make their maiden cut.

Last season's (2021) contract list

Grade A+: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah

Grade A: Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Mohd. Shami, Ishant Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya

Grade B: Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Agarwal

Grade C: Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj.

The Indian Super League match between Jamshedpur FC and Mumbai City FC, scheduled for Friday, has been postponed as several players representing the teams are down with the Covid-19 virus.

"Hero Indian Super League (ISL) Match No. 67 between Jamshedpur FC and Mumbai City FC scheduled for Friday, January 21, 2022, at Athletic Stadium, Bambolim, stands postponed," the league organisers said in a statement.

"The decision was taken considering advice from the League's medical team on Jamshedpur FC's inability to safely field a team and prepare for the match," the ISL added in its statement.

On Monday, the ISL match between Hyderabad FC and Jamshedpur FC was also postponed due to COVID-19, and so was Thursday's game between Kerala Blasters FC and ATK Mohun Bagan due to unavailability of enough players in the former's ranks after being hit by Covid-19 inside the bio-bubble.

Three days back, Jamshedpur FC's match against Hyderabad FC was postponed hours before kick-off after the Jharkhand-based club failed to field a team due to Covid-19 cases in its ranks.

A match between Kerala Blasters FC and Mumbai City FC in Vasco was also postponed on Sunday, hours before kickoff as the southern outfit did not have the requisite number of players to field.

Prior to that, two more matches had been postponed this season after the coronavirus breached the ISL's bio-bubble.

K.L. Rahul will have to show drastically improved leadership acumen when he leads India against a buoyant South African side in the second ODI on Friday, with the three-match series and his long-term Test captaincy ambitions both at stake.

Rahul was at best mediocre in terms of "on-your-feet-thinking", something that's basic to art of captaincy, and also didn't look the part with the bat in a deflating 31-run defeat in the opening ODI where India were outplayed for the better part of the game.

The middle-order, which had been a problem since Virat Kohli's heady days as captain, is still sticking out like a sore thumb and no one knows what exactly the solution is.

Once again, it was a case of one opener—Shikhar Dhawan on this occasion—and the indomitable Kohli holding fort before the middle-order caved in on a slower pitch where there was turn and the ball gripped, making a run-of-the-mill seamer Andile Phehlukwayo look formidable.

South Africa crushed India both strategically as well as on skills and therein lay serious questions about Rahul's wares as captain.

The most dominant query was what exactly was Venkatesh Iyer doing in the team if he was not bowling at least four to five overs as the sixth bowler when Yuzvendra Chahal and Shardul Thakur were being taken to the cleaners by Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma?

If Venkatesh is playing as a specialist batter at No 6 then why not use Suryakumar Yadav, who is more experienced with a better range of strokes under pressure?

The next question that arose was whether Rahul spoke to Chahal or Ashwin when Van der Dussen and Bavuma started playing the sweep shots—both conventional and reverse sweep on a good batting strip.

There wasn't a singular inspired bowling change unlike Proteas who introduced Aiden Markram's off-breaks first-up and bottled up the Indian skipper.

When India batted, the game was lost at the halfway stage once Dhawan and Kohli were out in quick succession following their 90-plus stand. Suddenly, the strip where batting looked easy became difficult.

Shreyas Iyer's well-documented struggles against the short ball were again exposed on the day and the Mumbaikar would know that a place in the Indian playing XI comes at a premium and he can't go on wasting chances like a millionaire.

But going by Rahul Dravid's template, he would get his share of chances.

On a slow track, where rotating the strike is a must, the likes of Rishabh Pant and the two Iyers will have to play a bigger role.

Similarly, Shardul Thakur, despite his fifty which came when the match as a contest was over and there was no pressure of a target, will have to measure up as a bowler which is his primary skill.

Going for 70 plus runs in his 10-over spell with too many loose balls didn't help the team's cause and even Bhuvneshwar Kumar looked insipid on his return to the national playing eleven after the tour of Sri Lanka.

The difference between the two sides was how the spinners fared -- Ashwin and Chahal in their combined 20 overs gave away 106 runs for a single wicket while Markram, Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj bowled 26 overs between them for 124 runs and snared four wickets between them.

"It was a sort of wicket that we get back home. It was not a typical South African wicket. There was turn (on offer) in the wicket, and the ball was also keeping straight, so it wasn't easy for the new batsmen to score runs," senior batter Dhawan had said after the match.

"The plan of the set batsmen was to take it deep, but unfortunately I got out on the ball which turned a lot and I didn't expect that, but yes that happens," he said.

Test captaincy is a different ball-game compared to white ball but Rahul only knows too well that when it comes to decision-making, the top brass will fall back on references they have.

And a series defeat against South Africa isn't going to do his case any good unless the head coach is bent on trying to make a leader out of him.

Squads

India: KL Rahul (captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj, Jayant Yadav, Navdeep Saini.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Zubayr Hamza, Marco Jansen, Janneman Malan, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne.

The match starts 2pm IST on Jan 21. 

Novak Djokovic might be the world's most loathed anti-vaxxer but, as it turns out, the world number one tennis player is not anti-treatment.

Days after Djokovic was deported from Australia for failing to meet the country's vaccine mandate, the CEO of a Danish biotech firm has revealed that the Serb holds a majority stake in his company, which is working on developing a treatment for Covid-19.

Ivan Loncarevic, CEO of QuantBioRes, told Reuters that Djokovic and his wife have held 80 per cent stake in the country since June 2020.

Loncarevic told the news agency that the company is developing a peptide, which inhibits the coronavirus from infecting the human cell, and expects to launch clinical trials in Britain this summer.

Record four-time champions and title contenders India stormed into the Super League quarterfinals of the U-19 World Cup after thrashing minnows Ireland by 174 runs in a league game here, in which they barely managed to field a playing XI.

India started their campaign on a winning note, beating South Africa by 45 runs on last Saturday and the win on Wednesday by such a huge margin is significant as the team fielded only available 11 players after six members of the side were forced into isolation after testing COVID positive.

Put into bat at the Brian Lara stadium, India first rode on Harnoor Singh's brisk 88 and his opening partner Angkrish Raghuvanshi's run-a-ball 79 to post a challenging 307 for five.

The Hrishikesh Kanitkar-coached side then bundled out the opposition for 133 in 39 overs to register a comfortable win.

Skipper Yash Dhull and his deputy Sheikh Rasheed were among those isolated after testing positive as Nishant Sindhu led the side.

Left-handed Harnoor and Angriksh stitched a 164-run stand at the top to ensure Indian bowlers had a decent total to defend.

Harnoor hit 12 fours in his 101-ball knock while Angriksh found 10 boundaries and two sixes.  

Stand-in skipper Nishant Sindhu (36 off 34; 5x4s) and Raj Bawa (42 off 64; 2x4s; 1x6) then shared a 64-run stand for the third wicket.  

As big hits dried up towards the end, Rajvardhan Hangargekar struck five sixes, including a hat-trick of maximums in the last over, in his fiery 17-ball 39-run unbeaten cameo that took India past the 300-run mark.

Harnoor, who has been in sparkling form, drove the ball elegantly. If it was pitched up on the middle and leg, the left-hander from Jalandhar flicked it exquisitely.  The ones pitched up on the off-side were driven in the cover region as Harnoor ticked the board nicely.  

In contrast, Angriksh chose to muscle the ball around. He cut, pulled and also drove in an aggressive manner as none of the Ireland bowlers could trouble the Indian openers.  

Harnoor pulled left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys (1/69) over deep mid-wicket for a six to raise his half-century. It was the same bowler who trapped him leg before later. 

Angkrish was dismissed by spinner Jamie Forbes (1/38).  

Chasing 308, Ireland were teetering at 17 for three after losing both openers Liam Doherty (7), David Vincent (8) and Jack Dickson (0) cheaply inside seven overs. Ireland never recovered from the early blows as right-arm medium pacer Garv Sangwan (2/23) sent back skipper Tim Tector (15) in the 15th over.  

Wicket-keeper Joshua Cox (28 off 46 balls) tried to take the game deep, but it was too little and too late.

Sangwan struck again, this time removing Cox in the 21st over as Ireland lost half of its side for 66.

Scott Macbeth (32) only delayed the inevitable before India bowled out Ireland for 133. Left-arm orthodox spinner Aneeshwar Gautam (2/11 ) and off-spinner Kaushal Tambe (2/8) cleaned up the lower middle order and tail-enders.

For India, Sangwan, Gautam and Tambe picked two wickets each while Rajvardhan Hangargekar (1/17), Ravi Kumar (1/11) and spinner Vicky Ostwal (1/22) also did their job.  

India now need to have enough players for their last Group B game against Uganda on Saturday as besides Dhull and Rasheed, batter Aaradhya Yadav, Vasu Vats, Manav Parakh, and Siddharth Yadav also tested positive for the virus.

Australia beat Scotland in Basseterre in Group D

In a Group D match in Basseterre, Australia defeated Scotland by seven wickets. 

Put into bat, Scotland rode on Charlie Tear (54), Thomas Mackintosh (54) and Oliver Davidson's (33) to post a respectable 236 for eight.

Australia sent Scotland in to bat first at the Conaree Cricket Centre, a decision that looked like it might backfire when Scotland's openers made a positive start with Tear and Davidson sharing 88 runs for the first wicket. 

For Australia, Aiden Cahill (2/33) and William Salzmann (2/38) picked up two wickets apiece. 

Chasing, Australia started well,  Teague Wyllie (101 not out), Cahill (72) and Campbell Kellaway (47) sparkled with the bat cantered home in 39.5 overs  

Brief Scores: India U19 307/5 (Harnoor Singh 88, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 79; Muzamil Sherzad 3/79, Jamie Forbes 1/38) beat Ireland U19 133 (Scott MacBeth 32, Joshua Cox 28; Kaushal Tambe 2/8, Aneeshwar Gautam 2/11) by 174 runs.

India's inexplicable middle-order collapse ensured that fine half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli did not count for much as the team was handed a 31-run defeat by a resolute South Africa in the opening ODI in Paarl on Wednesday.

Chasing a challenging 297, India were cruising at 138 for one before wickets fell in a heap dashing the hopes of the visitors who trail 0-1 in the three-match series. India's innings ended at 265 for eight.

South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma (110 off 143) and Rassie van der Dussen (129 not out off 96) had scored contrasting hundreds en route to their 204-run stand to take South Africa to 296 for four after opting to bat.

India were comfortably placed to get home when Kohli (51 off 63) and Dhawan (79 off 84) were in the middle but it all came crashing down with the end of their 92-run stand.

India have been guilty of relying too much on their top three in the past and once again, the middle-order could not capitalise on the platform provided by Kohli and Dhawan after they lost skipper K.L. Rahul (12) cheaply.

Chase master Kohli, playing his first game since his captaincy tenure ended across formats last week, hardly broke a sweat in reaching his half-century before a sweep shot off Tabraiz Shami, a stroke he doesn't play regularly, led to his downfall leaving him in disbelief.

Dhawan looked in sublime touch during his stay and played the Test series' rising star Marco Jansen rather comfortably, collecting five of his 10 fours off the tall left-arm pacer.

The stage was set for the likes of Rishabh Pant (16), Shreyas Iyer (17) and debutant Venkatesh Iyer (2) to get the job done but they fell in quick succession, leaving India at 188 for six from a strong 138 for one.

While Pant was stumped by a lightening quick Quinton de Kock, the shot selection of Shreyas and Venkatesh could have been better.

Shardul Thakur (50 not out off 43) tried his best towards the end but the damage had already been done.

Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah (2/48) was the stand out bowler for India in an otherwise ordinary bowling effort.

After a sluggish start, van der Dussen and Bavuma shared the second highest partnership ever against India in ODIs to ensure a competitive total for the home team.

India Under-19 skipper Yash Dhull, his deputy Sheikh Rasheed and four of their teammates have tested positive for Covid-19, forcing them out of the Group B World Cup game against Ireland on Wednesday.

Apart from Dhull and Rasheed, batter Aaradhya Yadav, Vasu Vats, Manav Parakh, and Siddharth Yadav were also found infected with the virus, because of which India barely managed to field an XI against Ireland.

"Three Indian players had tested positive yesterday and were already isolated. In the morning before the match, our captain and vice captain also tested positive in Rapid Antigen Test which is not conclusive," a BCCI official told PTI.

"So they, as precautionary measure, were pulled out. The players included skipper Yash Dhull and his deputy Shaikh Rasheed. We only had 11 available players and six isolated," the official added.

While skipper Dhull and Rasheed featured in the opening game against South Africa, Aardhya was not part of that game.

Nishant Sindhu led the team in the absence of Dhull.

Meanwhile, Ireland skipper Tim Tector won the toss and opted to bowl against India.

India won their first match against South Africa by 45 runs.

Teams:

India U-19: Nishant Sindhu (C) Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Harnoor Singh, Raj Bawa, Kaushal Tambe, Dinesh Bana, Garv Sangwan, Vicky Ostwal, Aneeshwar Gautam, Rajvardhan Hangargekar and Ravi Kumar.

Ireland U19: Tim Tector (C), Liam Doherty, David Vincent, Jack Dickson, Joshua Cox, Philippus le Roux, Scott MacBeth, Nathan McGuire, Matthew Humphreys, Jamie Forbes and Muzamil Sherzad.

Robert Lewandowski was voted the best men's player in the world, retaining the FIFA award he won last year despite being left off the ballot paper filed by runner-up Lionel Messi.

The Bayern Munich forward on Monday overturned the result last month of the Ballon d'Or prize where he placed second behind Messi, who finally led Argentina to a senior title at the 2021 Copa Amrica. Mohamed Salah of Liverpool placed third.

"I am very honoured to win this trophy," Lewandowski said on a video link from Munich. The trophy was presented by club officials during the online ceremony hosted at FIFA headquarters in Zurich on Monday.

Lewandowski was the overwhelming choice of national team captains and coaches plus selected media in more than 200 countries, yet was almost caught by Messi, who got more than double the number of votes from fans worldwide than the Poland captain.

All three candidates voted as captains of their national teams, and Lewandowski ranked Messi second of his three choices. Salah had Lewandowski and Messi in his top three.

Messi did not pick either of his closest rivals in the voting. His top two choices were Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, now his teammates since joining Paris Saint-Germain in August.

Lewandowski broke two Bundesliga records by scoring 41 goals for Bayern in its title-winning 2020-21 season and 43 in the calendar year of 2021. Both marks were held since 1972 by another Bayern great, Gerd Muller. 

"If you ask me that a few years ago if it was possible, I would have told you, no, it's impossible to score so many goals in the Bundesliga," said Lewandowski, who has scored four more in two games this year.

In the women's award, Alexia Putellas added the FIFA trophy to her Ballon d'Or victory. Putellas captained Barcelona to its first Women's Champions League title and teammate Jennifer Hermoso placed third in the FIFA vote. The runner-up was Sam Kerr of beaten finalist Chelsea.

Chelsea swept the coaching awards in a year when its men's and women's teams led by Thomas Tuchel and Emma Hayes reached their Champions League finals.

Tuchel again finished ahead of Manchester City's Pep Guardiola to repeat the result of their European title game. Guardiola placed third having led City to the English Premier League title, and into a runaway lead this season after beating Chelsea on Saturday.

Roberto Mancini was second in the FIFA voting after leading Italy to win the European Championship.

Hayes seemed surprised to win the coaching award for women's soccer ahead of Lluis Cortes. His Barcelona team beat Chelsea 4-0 in the Champions League final. 

Sarina Wiegman, who moved from 2017 European champion Netherlands to take over at England, was third.

On an evening of surprises and quirky choices, a global vote of players to choose their World XI lineups were curious.

None of the three candidates for the women's individual prize was voted on to the best women's team, which also lacked any players from Barcelona.

Salah was also missing from the men's team lineup which had an unusual 3-3-4 formation that allowed a forward line of Messi, Lewandowski, Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo was also the star guest with FIFA in Zurich. The Portugal star appeared in person to close the show and collect a special award for breaking the all-time scoring record in men's national team soccer. 

A long-established tradition at FIFA awards was extended for another year. Six-time winner Messi and five-time winner Ronaldo both ignored each other on the ballots they submitted. Ronaldo did vote for Lewandowski as his No. 1.

The record scorer in women's national teams, Christine Sinclair of Olympic champion Canada, also got a special award from FIFA earlier in the show.

Two awards went to Denmark for the reaction in the stadium to national team star Christian Eriksen collapsing due to cardiac arrest at a European Championship game in Copenhagen.

FIFA's fair play prize went to the Denmark players and medical staff who protected and treated Eriksen. The award for best fans was shared by Denmark and Finland whose supporters chanted Eriksen's name as he was treated on the field before it was clear he would recover.

The Puskas Award for best goal went to Erik Lamela for the rabona flick he scored for Tottenham against Arsenal in the Premier League in March.

The best goalkeeper prizes were won by Edouard Mendy of Chelsea and Chile's Christiane Endler, who moved from PSG to Lyon in the offseason.

Jamshedpur FC's Indian Super League match against Hyderabad FC was postponed hours before kick-off in Bambolim on Monday after the Jharkhand-based club failed to field a team due to COVID-19 cases in its ranks.

The ISL said it will reschedule the match to a later date.

"Hero Indian Super League (ISL) announces the postponement of Match No. 63 between Hyderabad FC and Jamshedpur FC scheduled to be played today, Monday, January 17, 2022, at Athletic Stadium, Bambolim," the ISL said in a statement.

"The decision has been taken in consultation with the League's medical team taking into account the inability of Jamshedpur FC to field a team. The League will look to rearrange the fixture to a later date."

According to sources, several Jamshedpur FC players have been kept under isolation as close contacts after at least a couple of teammates tested positive for COVID-19 and that is the reason why they did not have the requisite numbers to field an XI.

"To my knowledge, at least a couple of Jamshedpur players have tested positive in the past few days. Several other players have to be isolated because of that," a source privy to the development said.

The source also said that there is no plan of immediate suspension of ISL unless drastic escalation in COVID-19 cases happen.

Jamshedpur FC played their last match on January 11 when they beat SC East Bengal 1-0 here. They have not been allowed to train since then due to COVID-19 cases.

According to FSDL, the ISL organisers, at least 15 should be available per team for a match to happen. Otherwise, it would be rescheduled to a later date.

A match between Kerala Blasters FC and Mumbai City FC in Vasco was also postponed on Sunday, hours before kickoff as the southern outfit did not have the requisite number of players to field.

Prior to this, two more matches had been postponed this season after the coronavirus breached the ISL's bio-bubble.

Besides players from Jamshedpur FC, members of ATK Mohun Bagan, FC Goa, Bengaluru FC and Odisha FC have also contracted the virus, while SC East Bengal too isolated themselves after their hotel staff inside the bio bubble was found positive.

On Saturday, the ISL fixture between ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC was also postponed due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Earlier, ATK Mohun Bagan's match against Odisha FC had to be postponed after an unnamed player reported positive for the virus.

As many as four ATKMB players in the bio-secure bubble were found positive and the Juan Ferrando-coached side was locked in respective rooms for one week without a single training session.

Novak Djokovic returned home on Monday after being thwarted from defending his Australian Open title only to face a new predicament: He could be barred from the French Open this year, too, if he's still not vaccinated against COVID-19.

A plane carrying the No. 1-ranked player touched down in his native Serbia, closing at least the first chapter in a dizzying drama that has resonance in the world of elite sports, Australia's pandemic politics and the polarized debate over the coronavirus shots.

A handful of fans waving the Serbian flag greeted him at Belgrade's airport. Djokovic has an almost iconic status in Serbia, and many there felt he was poorly treated by Australia.

But his troubles may not be over yet: He could be barred from the French Open this year, under a new law intended to exclude the unvaccinated from stadiums and other public places.

Much could change between now and the start of the Grand Slam tournament in late May, but that raised the specter that the recent saga in Australia would be not just a blip but an ongoing challenge for the athlete, who is increasingly being held up as a hero by the anti-vaccine movement.

A member of the French Parliament, Christophe Castaner, said that the new law will apply anyone who wants to play in the French Open a reversal of earlier plans to create a bubble around the tournament.

But some details of the law are still being hashed out including how it will deal with people who have recently recovered from COVID-19, as Djokovic has.

The question is how recent the infection has to be to qualify for an exemption to vaccination rules. France's sports ministry said Monday once the law is in place, there will be no exceptions until further notice.

Djokovic is also the defending champion at Wimbledon, which begins in late June. But so far, England has allowed exemptions from various coronavirus regulations for visiting athletes, if they remain at their accommodation when not competing or training. The US Tennis Association, which runs the US Open, has said it will follow government rules on vaccination status.

It's also not clear when Djokovic could head back to Australia. Deportation can lead to a three-year ban on returning to the country, although that can be waived, depending on the circumstances.

A warm welcome awaited Djokovic, who has overwhelming support in his native Serbia where his closest family lives. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has accused the Australian government of harassing the top-ranked tennis star and urged him to return home.

“God bless you Novak," read one of the banners held by the fans at the airport as he was whisked through the passport control and customs and then driven by his brother Djordje to his apartment in Belgrade.

The official Tanjug news agency reported that Djokovic's mother, Dijana, said her son will remain in Belgrade in the coming days and won't make statements for the media.

Djokovic's Australian saga began when he was granted an exemption to strict vaccination rules by two medical panels and the tournament organiser in order to play in the Australian Open because he had recently recovered from COVID-19. He received a visa to enter the country through an automated process. But upon arrival, border officials said the exemption was not valid and moved to deport him.

The initial news that the star had been granted the exemption sparked anger in Australia, where strict lockdowns in cities and curbs on international travel have been employed to try to control the spread of the coronavirus since the pandemic began.

More than 95 per cent of all top 100 men and women tennis players in their tours' respective rankings are vaccinated. At least two other men - American Tennys Sandgren and Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert - skipped the Australian Open due to vaccine requirements.

In the end, Australian authorities revoked Djokovic's visa, saying his presence could stir up anti-vaccine sentiment and that kicking him out was necessary to keep Australians safe. He was deported on Sunday, a day before the tournament got underway in Melbourne.

Djokovic has won nine titles there previously. He had hoped this year to secure his 21st Grand Slam singles trophy, breaking the record he shares with rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most in the history of men's tennis. Federer is not playing while recovering from injury, but Nadal is competing.

As the legal battle played out in Australia, Djokovic acknowledged that he had attended an interview in Belgrade in December with journalists from L'Equipe newspaper after testing positive for the coronavirus. He later described this an error of judgement.

Asked if Djokovic would face any penalties for flouting his isolation while being infected when he returns to Serbia, Serbian officials said he would not because the country is not in a state of emergency.

Djokovic is a national hero in Serbia, whose president had called the court hearing in Australia a farce with a lot of lies.

“Novak, welcome home, you know that we all support you here, said Snezana Jankovic,” a Belgrade resident.

“They can take away your visa, but they cannot take away your Serbian pride.”

India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah on Monday said he is not averse to leading the national team if an opportunity comes knocking at his door in the near future.

With Virat Kohli's captaincy tenure in all formats coming to an end following his resignation from Test leadership, there are questions about who could be his long-term successor considering that Rohit Sharma will be 35 next year.

"If given an opportunity, it will be an honour and I don't see any player would say no and I am no different. Be it any leadership group, I always look to contribute however I can, to the best of my abilities," Bumrah replied to a query in a press conference ahead of the ODI series against South Africa starting Wednesday.

Bumrah would be the vice-captain during the series and said taking responsibility and helping teammates comes naturally to him.

"I look at this situation in the same manner... taking responsibility and talking to players and helping them out has always been my approach and it will always be my approach going further keeping any situation in mind."

Bumrah also that the team respects Kohli's decision to give up Test captaincy and was duly informed by the star batter.

Wiping out Manchester City's 11-point lead at the top of the Premier League looks an onerous task. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is at least gaining hope from a season with so many sudden variables.

Squads are being stretched by coronavirus cases, African Cup of Nations absentees, injuries and postponements that can overload schedules.

Liverpool did manage to end a three-match winless run in the league by beating Brentford 3-0 on Sunday, even with its attacking options depleted by Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane being on international duty in Cameroon.

Midfielder Fabinho headed in a corner just before halftime, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first league goal at Anfield since July 2020 and Takumi Minamino completed the win after coming off the bench.

Having surrendered the trophy to City last season, Liverpool does at least have a game in hand on the leaders which could cut the deficit to eight points for Klopp's side.

"We don't have to convince anyone outside to believe," Klopp said. 

"If you are with us, you will enjoy the ride and we will go for everything. We are ready to go as much as we can.

"In a normal world nothing happens anymore (with the title) but what is normal nowadays? We try to do our part, there is nothing else to do."

A blow for Klopp was Oxlade-Chamberlain going off injured with Liverpool going to Arsenal in the semifinals of the League Cup after a goalless first leg.

"We don't know yet but he rolled his ankle and now we hope it is nothing serious," Klopp said. 

WEST HAM SETBACK

West Ham twice came back against Leeds through Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals but Jack Harrison's third goal sealed a 3-2 win for the visitors in east London. West Ham remains in fourth place but only by two points and having played more games than the teams below them chasing the final Champions League spot.

Arsenal in fifth place has two games in hand after getting Sunday's match at Tottenham postponed due to lack of players caused by coronavirus cases, injuries and the African Cup. Tottenham has now played four games fewer than West Ham and has only four points to eradicate.

Playing three games in a week has taken its toll on West Ham, including a 2-0 win over Norwich on Wednesday.

"I think it was a huge factor today," West Ham manager David Moyes said. 

"The people who are putting in the games in place do not understand the importance of recovery.

"Today was really tough for us to get back out. We didn't feel the Norwich game should have been put in, we let them know that but they refused our request. They wanted it played but it's had an effect on today's game. Maybe we're not being tough enough, maybe we should have fought harder for it. Maybe I'm going to do that in the future."

Leeds travelled to West Ham without nine first-team players—and two others went off injured before halftime—and had seven teenagers, including 15-year-old Archie Gray, on the bench.

But unlike Arsenal, which got Sunday's game at Tottenham postponed due to a player shortage, Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa didn't seek a postponement. 

"There's rules to ask for that type of thing and we didn't meet the criteria to ask for a suspension of the game," Bielsa said. 

"I think it was a triumph for the players. Each of them did things which indicated a very big desire to win.

"I clearly observed this was a game for each of the players, there was a determination in the search for the victory that was very visible today. I think the biggest factor in the game is when a footballer puts so much effort into what they do the virtues they possess come out."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday hinted tennis star Novak Djokovic could return to Australia before the expiry of a three-year visa ban.

Djokovic was deported from Australia on Sunday after a federal court overturned his appeal to stay and compete in the Australian Open. As a result, Djokovic missed out on this year's Australian Open. Under Australia's immigration rules, Djokovic cannot be granted another visa for three years.

On Monday morning, Morrison told 2GB, an Australian radio station, that Djokovic could get an exemption. “I'm not going to pre-condition any of that or say anything that would not enable the [Immigration] minister to make the various calls he has to make. [The ban] does go over a three-year period, but there is the opportunity to return in the right circumstances, and that will be considered at the time,” Morrison was quoted as saying by BBC.

BBC reported, “Australian law provides for compelling or compassionate reasons for the three-year visa ban to be waived. If the exemption is granted, it means Djokovic could compete in the next Australian Open.”

Djokovic was the defending champion at the Australian Open and was eyeing a record 21st Grand Slam title.

The Djokovic saga had also triggered a diplomatic row between Australia and Djokovic's native Serbia. “Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Monday that she and Morrison had been in touch with [Serbian Prime Minister Ana] Brnabic during the legal process last week,” Reuters reported. Payne said, “I am absolutely confident that the very positive relationship, bilateral relationship between Australia and Serbia will continue on the strong footing that it currently enjoys.”

India's Lakshya Sen secured his maiden Super 500 title by winning the Yonex-Sunrise India Open with a stunning straight-game victory over reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the men's singles final here on Sunday. 

 It was after Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty became the first team from the country to win India's flagship tournament after toppling three-time world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.

 The 20-year-old Sen, who had claimed his maiden world championships medal with a bronze in Spain last month, produced a fine performance to outshine the fifth-seeded shuttler 24-22 21-17 in the summit clash that lasted 54 minutes.

 Satwik and Chirag showed nerves of steel as the duo saved five game points to overcome the world No. 2 Indonesian pair 21-16 26-24 in 43 minutes.

 Going into this match, the two had a 2-2 head-to-head record with Sen losing two of the last three meetings, but the Indian was the better man on show on Sunday as he showed great athleticism, used his attacking shots to good effect and came up with his punched winners from the back at the right moments.

 It is Sen's biggest title of his career. He had won two Super 100 titles -- Dutch Open and SaarLorLux Open -- besides three international challenge at Belgium, Scotland and Bangladesh in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic came in the way of his progress.

 Last year, the youngster made it to the semifinals at Hylo, reached the knockout stage at World Tour Finals on debut before sizzling at the World Championships with a bronze.

 Satwik and Chirag came into the match with a 1-3 head-to-head record against their opponents but they dished out a brave effort to stave off a fightback from the Indonesians and reign supreme in the final.

 From almost missing the tournament following false COVID positive results to winning the title, it turned out to be an incredible start to 2022 for the Indian pair, which accumulated valuable ranking points ahead of a busy season, which comprises big-ticket events such as the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.

 The Indian pair started on a positive note and even though the Indonesian combination fought back, Satwik and Chirag ensured they were two points ahead at the first interval.

 The Indians tried to engage their rivals in rallies and led 18-13 but the Indonesians reduced the deficit to 16-18 before Satwik and Chirag prevailed in the opening game.

 Fast-paced but short rallies were the norm in the second game as well, as Ahsan and Satiawan grabbed a three-point lead at 9-6 early in the second game.

 But the Indian pair again ensured they have the advantage at the break, grabbing a slender 11-10 lead. Sawtik and Chirag maintained the intensity in the rallies after the break to lead 15-13.

 The world number two again drew parity at 17-17 but Satwik and Chirag moved to 19-17 when Ahsan erred at net. Chirag went long next and it was 19-19. The Indonesians managed to move to a game point with a tap by Ahsan.

 What followed was a frequent exchange of points as both India and Indonesia earned and squandered their advantageous positions in equal measure.

 After a fierce battle, it was the Indian pair that emerged winners with the Indonesia squandering five game points.

 Satwik and Chirag had won the Thailand Open Super 500 title in 2019, besides reaching the final at French Open Super 750 the same year.

 The duo also claimed the silver medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, besides winning the Hyderabad Open Super 100 and finishing runners-up at Syed Modi International in 2018.

 Satwik and Chirag played a crucial role in India earning the historic mixed team gold medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

 The Indian pair also had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics last year but couldn't cross the group stage despite winning two out of their three matches. PTI ATK AH AH 01161902

Sunday’s ISL match between Kerala Blasters FC and Mumbai City FC has been postponed over safety concerns, amid a growing surge of COVID-19 infections.

“Keeping in mind the safety of all parties involved, the League has reached a decision to postpone tonight's clash against Mumbai City FC to a later date,” Kerala Blasters tweeted.

The club said it was working with the League to ensure the well-being of all involved, with more details to follow.

The match, which was due to be played at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco, was postponed after consultation with the League's medical team, which assessed that the Kerala Blasters did not have the requisite number of players available for the match. 

Kerala Blasters have yet to announce any outbreak amongst its players.

On Saturday, the match between ATK Mohun Bagun against Bengaluru FC was also postponed. Players from FC Goa, Bengaluru FC and Odisha FC have tested positive so far.

Four-time champions India dished out a clinical show to start their U-19 World Cup campaign on a winning note, thrashing South Africa by 45 runs in Georgetown.

Put in to bat at the Providence stadium on Saturday, India rode on skipper Yash Dhull's responsible 82 to post a fighting 232 all out and then bundled out the opposition for 187, with left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal (5/28) and pacer Raj Bawa (4/47) doing bulk of the damage.

Chasing 233, South Africa colts lost opener Ethan John Cunningham (0) in the first over as he was trapped in front by pacer Rajvardhan Hangargekar (1/38).

But Valintine Kitime (25) and Dewald Brevis (65), who idolises A.B. de Villiers, then rallied the innings with a 58-run stand.

The duo played patiently and hit the loose balls away as South Africa reached 38 for 1 after 10 overs.

Kitime then took on left-arm medium pacer Ravi Kumar (0/30) in the 10th over, hitting him for a boundary and a six as South Africa amassed 10 runs off it.

Brevis and Kitime then hammered Bawa, amassing 17 runs of the 11th over. But Ostwal broke the stand after removing Kitime, who edged to stumper Dinesh Bana in the 12th over.

It soon became 83 for 3 as Ostwal struck again, this time dismissing G.J. Maree (8), who was caught by Bana in the 21st over.

Thereafter, India did not allow any other South African batter to settle down. Bawa sent back a well-set Brevis, who was caught by rival skipper Dhull in the 36th over and that triggered a collapse for the rainbow nation.

Skipper George Van Heerden (36) tried to take the game deep, but he was devoid of partners as Bawa and Ostwal wrecked havoc on the middle and lower order.

The South African innings eventually folded in 45.4 overs.

Earlier, Dhull helped India recover from a poor start and his knock laid the cornerstone of India's fighting total.

The start of play was delayed by around 40 minutes due to rain and amid the prevailing conditions, South Africa decided to put India in to bat.

Left-arm pacer Aphiwe Mnyanda rocked the Indian top order by trapping in-form opener Harnoor Singh (1) and his partner Angriksh Raghuvanshi (5) in front of the stumps.

Left-handed Harnoor, who was India's leading run getter in the Asia Cup and scored a century in the warm-up game against Australia in Georgetown, fell to a ball that nipped back in. Raghuvanshi played around Mnyanda's in-swinger and was plumb in front, leaving India 11 for two.

With India in trouble, skipper Dhull and Shaik Rasheed (31) got together to resurrect the innings. They shared a 71-run stand before Rasheed missed a sweep shot off left-arm spinner Liam Alder to be adjudged LBW.

Rasheed, who was dropped on 17 at second slip off Andile Simelane, played some impressive strokes in his 54-ball knock, including an aerial pull and an on-drive off pacer Matthew Boast to break the shackles.

Delhi batter Dhull then shared a 44-run stand with Nishant Sindhu (25) to take the innings forward. The skipper ended up with 11 fours and it took a brilliant direct hit from Simelane to dismiss him.

Kaushal Tamble added 35 valuable runs towards the end of the innings to take the team past 200.

Boast was quick to clean up the lower-order, removing Tambe and Rajvardhan Hangargekar in successive deliveries as India were all out in 46.5 overs.

The Dhull-led side, who have also won the Asia Cup, will now take on Ireland on Wednesday.

Brief Scores

India U19: 232 allout in 46.5 overs (Yash Dhull 82, Kaushal Tambe 35; Matthew Boast 3/40) beat South Africa U19 187 allout in 45.4 overs (Dewald Brevis 65, George Van Heerden 36; Vicky Ostwal 5/28) by 45 runs.