Sport

IM Dhruva Thota, rated 2411, won the under-19 Telangana State Chess Championship in Wanaparthy. He will represent Telangana at the under-19 National Chess Championship in Jamshedpur from December 16 to 24. Top performers were felicitated by Dr Murali

Former India captain Shabbir Ali met his ‘Guru’, Olympian Arun Ghosh, in Kolkata. Ali recalled the 1974 Indian Youth Team’s unbeaten run under Ghosh, which made them Asian-level champions. He said the reunion was nostalgic and truly special

Sri Saanvi of SPARS Academy bagged a double, winning the under-14 and under-17 girls titles at the 12th Stag Telangana State and Inter-district Table Tennis Championship in Moinabad. Varun Shanker and Varuni Jaiswal won the men’s and women’s titles

The 68th National Shooting Championship began at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in Hyderabad with over 16,000 shooters qualifying across rifle, pistol and shotgun events. The scores will help select India’s team for the 2026 international season

Overcoming early health complications through water therapy, 23-year-old Pratyasa Ray has become one of India’s top swimmers, winning multiple KIUG medals. Despite a shoulder fracture, she returned strong and now aims for the 2026 Asian Games after continued national and international success

Abhishek Sharma smashed a 12-ball fifty, equalling Yuvraj Singh’s record, during Punjab’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy clash against Bengal in Hyderabad. He scored an unbeaten 148 with 16 sixes, joining an elite list of fastest T20 half-centuries

Rohit Sharma broke Shahid Afridi’s record to become the batter with most sixes in ODI history. He smashed his 352nd six during the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi, achieving the feat in his 270th innings

Belgium defeated India 1-0 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final in Malaysia. Thibeau Stockbroekx scored the decisive goal in the 34th minute as India failed to convert penalty corners and settled for silver in the prestigious hockey tournament

India defeated South Africa by 17 runs in the first ODI at Ranchi. Virat Kohli’s century, Rohit Sharma’s record-breaking knock, and Kuldeep Yadav’s four wickets powered India to a 1-0 lead in the three-match series

Chirec International School (Kondapur), representing Telangana, finished runner-up in the GDCA Inter-States Schools under-13 cricket tournament at Gulbarga, Karnataka. Captain K Srivanth was named Best Fielder, while teammate Akshat Goyal won the Best Wicketkeeper-Batter award

St Anthony’s Church (Venkatapuram) defeated St Anthony’s (Mettuguda) 4-0 in the United Christmas Celebrating Committee Twin Cities Parish football tournament at Government Bolarum High School Ground, Hyderabad. The event was inaugurated by Rev Fr Dion Issac and former India captain Victor Amalraj

World champion archer Aditi Gopichand Swami credited the Khelo India Games for her rise in the sport, saying they strengthened her growth and stability. She won gold at the KIUG 2025 and now aims for Olympic success in Los Angeles 2028

Delhi Public School Kollur won the All India Inter-DPS National Archery Championship in Hyderabad, with DPS Miyapur finishing second and DPS Nadergul third. The event featured competitions across age categories and divisions, with winners felicitated by Pro Vice Chairman T Bhimasen

Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly retained their Syed Modi International women’s doubles title with a comeback win over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mai Tanabe in Lucknow. Kidambi Srikanth, however, lost a close men’s singles final to Hong Kong’s Jason Gunawan

Sunil Gavaskar termed South Africa coach Shukri Conrad’s use of the word ‘grovel’ as ill-advised. He highlighted India’s role in South Africa’s cricket re-entry, stressed the positive ties between the two nations, and urged Conrad to clarify his remark

AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey met Odisha officials in Bhubaneswar to discuss the renewal of the AIFF–FIFA Talent Academy and strategies for grassroots football development. Plans include a structured feeder system, training Physical Education Teachers, and appointing former footballers as coaches

M Vihaan of ITTA and Yashashree Sil of SGUTTA won the boys and girls under-11 singles titles in the Stag Telangana State and inter-district table tennis tournament held at Firefox Sports and Resorts, Moinabad, Hyderabad, on Sunday

Hyderabad’s Naveen Puligilla and co-driver Musa Sherif made history by becoming the first all-Indian team to secure a podium finish in a World Rally Championship event, finishing second in WRC3 at the Saudi Arabia Rally 2025 in Jeddah

The 10th Vedanta Pink City Half Marathon in Jaipur saw 15,000 runners support the #RunForZeroHunger movement, raising 1 lakh Poshan Packs for children at Nand Ghars. Flagged off by Priya Agarwal Hebbar and Harmanpreet Kaur, the event celebrated grit and community spirit

Hyderabad’s Naveen Puligilla and veteran co-driver Musa Sherif created history by becoming the first all-Indian team to secure a podium finish in a World Rally Championship event, taking second place in the WRC3 category at the Saudi Arabia Rally 2025.

Andre Russell announced his retirement from the IPL, saying he will continue playing in global leagues. Preferring to leave on a high, he thanked KKR for their support and confirmed he will return in 2026 as the franchise’s new “Power Coach”

India thrashed Oman 17-0 in the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in Chennai. Hat-tricks from Manmeet Singh, Arshdeep Singh and Dilraj Singh powered the win, taking India to the top of Pool B with 24 goals

India B (Manipur) defeated Colombia 8-5 to win the 15th Manipur International Polo Tournament at Imphal Polo Ground. The event, part of the Sangai Festival, marked polo’s return after a two-year pause due to ethnic violence

Karnataka’s Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha qualified for the men’s doubles main draw of the 2026 Australian Open after winning the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff in Chengdu with Thailand’s Pruchya Isaro. KSLTA announced a Rs 1 lakh reward for his achievement