Rajesh Pansare

Saina needs to handle pressure to strike gold at Rio

Saina Nehwal is among those to have failed to rise in crunch situations. While skills are not an issue, on occasions the world no 5 seems to have suffered from a mental roadblock.

Shuttling in Rio Games won’t be easy, not even for the iron-gripped Chinese

While it will be difficult to ignore the Chinese when the Rio Olympics kicks off on August 5, it won’t be an easy ride for them either.

Time for Gunners to press the buy button

Lack of proven goalscorer, a midfield enforcer and a defensive lynchpin were for long considered as weak spots but were never truly strengthened.

France, Spain shedding image of clay-court bullies

Sarah loses but receives praise

‘Women’s tennis has become a slugfest’

Actions speak louder than words for Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma

The respect he commands in the dressing room means he doesn’t have to shove decisions down the throat of the players. Being the leader with the bat has added to his stature.

Rohit reels in Rising Pune with another unbeaten half-century for Mumbai

Mumbai moved to second in the standings with an impressive display led by skipper Rohit Sharma while Pune’s chances of reaching the knockouts were further dented. Only a miracle can see them reach that stage.

Toothless bowling hurting Pune Supergiants’s chances in IPL 2016

Rising Pune Supergiants may have come close to an unlikely win against Gujarat Lions on Friday, but the weaknesses in their bowling were again exposed.

IPL: Back at the top, Rohit Sharma leads by example for Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma’s approach may seem casual, and at times he may look the most disinterested cricketer on the field.

Smith plays Virat tune, shows classical shots work in T20 format

The Australian is not a big hitter, but his orthodox approach with a touch of aggression helped the Pune side put on a decent total and also made him the third batsmen to score a century in this edition of the IPL.

Former CSK men spell Dhoni’s doom as Gujarat beat Pune by 3 wickets

Nothing seems to be going right for MS Dhoni since he has donned the multi-coloured jersey of the Rising Pune Supergiants.

Pune look to the finisher in Dhoni to step forward ahead of Gujarat tie

While Dhoni has so far straight-batted questions thrown at him, voices are growing about his ability to do it day-in, day-out.

Mumbai Indians fluffing their opening lines once again in IPL 2016

Getting their opening pair right has always been tricky for Mumbai Indians. It has been no different in the ninth edition of the IPL.

No way we can do this: BCCI official on moving Maharashtra IPL matches

The BCCI and IPL stakeholders sweat over a logistical nightmare if the Bombay high court orders matches to be shifted out of Maharashtra.

WT20: Different edition, but same ending for star-studded South Africa

The Proteas have always had a strong build-up to a tournament but lacked killer instinct when it mattered

WT20: Windies in semis after narrow win, leave Proteas on verge of exit

The Caribbean outfit, though, handled the pressure better in a low-scoring encounter to record a thrilling three-wicket win and secure their semi-final spot. For South Africa, it might be curtains if England beat Sri Lanka in New Delhi on Saturday.

Fireworks expected from Gayle, De Villiers as West Indies and Proteas lock horns

The Proteas will be hoping AB de Villiers comes to the party in the crucial matches in WT20

De Villiers drops down the order to maximise impact for SA in World T20

After dabbling as an opener since the start of last year, it seems De Villiers and the Proteas think-tank have zeroed in on No 4 being the best position for the dynamic batsman.

India defeat Afghanistan 2-1 to clinch SAFF Cup title

India clinched their seventh SAFF Cup title after defeating Afghanistan 2-1 in the final of the tournament in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

SAFF Cup: India hold nerve to beat Maldives 3-2, enter finals

The missed opportunities could have easily come back to haunt India but it didn’t as the Blue Tigers held on to record a 3-2 win over Maldives and enter their 10th SAFF Cup final at the Greenfield Stadium on Thursday.

Almost ambushed, Afghan football’s foreign coach remains undeterred

December 11, 2015 will remain etched in Petar Segrt’s memory. It was the day when Afghanistan’s national football team almost got ambushed in Kabul.

Sporting way to better tyres

From the rear-view mirror to the state-of-the-art transmission, racing technology has influenced production of cars. Motorsport plays a crucial role when it comes to research and development of the tyres you buy.

'Forceful' Ponnappa ready for new innings with Jwala Gutta

There's frenetic activity inside the Shiv Chhatraparti Sports Complex with the Pune Pistons' players hard at practice. Rajesh Pansare reports.

Upbeat Kashyap says wins have helped him focus

When P Kashyap was taking baby steps in the world of badminton, he was a skinny, sickly kid suffering from asthma. Looking at his frail physique no one would have bet on him to make it big. Rajesh Pansare reports.