A brilliant 2019 done with, 2020 is the year of the World T20. But before that comes the Kiwi challenge for Team India and under the leadership of skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri, this team has made its priorities very clear.
Pakistan's top batsman and T20 skipper Babar Azam says he spent a good part of 2019 correcting the mistakes he made in Test cricket and now has a better understanding of the format's nuances.
Hockey The Indian men's hockey team were quick to leave behind the disappointment of the 2018 World Cup and focus on their lone target for 2019, which was to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Now that the goal has been accomplished, the eyes of the team are set on finishing in the top four in the prestigious quadrennial event.
In the year of biggest sports extravaganza, i.e., the Summer Olympics, there's a lot more to look forward to. Timesofindia.com puts together the month-wise list of international sports events coming up in 2020.
Together, the dominant trio of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer held World No. 1 for 480 weeks this decade (92% of the 2010s), won 33 of the 40 Grand Slams, captured 61 of the 90 Masters 1000s and appeared in 74 Masters 1000 finals.
The board said that it has taken a pragmatic approach and decided to withdraw Shah who has already made an impact in senior men's cricket, having played three Tests with a five-wicket haul also to his name.
Smoke haze could come into play as New Zealand look to salvage some pride from their miserable tour of Australia in the third and final Test in Sydney this week.
Venus Williams has pulled out of the upcoming Brisbane International after suffering a 'setback' in training, the former world number one said on Wednesday.
A veteran on the domestic scene, Test opener Mayank Agarwal talks about his hard-earned first year as an international cricketer and how he will continue his international run in New Zealand where, he says, the focus and the goal will remain the same, to contribute to the team's success.
Tennis' innovative new team championship kicks off the men's 2020 season on Friday, with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic among those looking for a winning start ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year.
City played 381 league games in the past 10 years, collecting 818 points -- 71 points more than their closest challenger Manchester United (747 points from 380 games). They scored 845 goals, 130 more than Chelsea and Liverpool.
Former South Africa pacer Makhaya Ntini feels the seeds of Virat Kohli's stardom were sown at the U-19 World Cup back in 2008 when he captained the Indian team to the title. "If you look at players like Virat Kohli and Kagiso Rabada, they all started playing U-19 cricket and representing their country in the U-19 World Cup, and look where they are today," Ntini wrote in a column for the ICC.
In 2013, Verma, secretary of the unauthorised Cricket Association of Bihar, filed petitions against the BCCI on the spot-fixing scandal, dragging the erstwhile all-powerful president N Srinivasan to the court. Nearly seven years later, Verma, on the last day of 2019, seemed a satisfied man as his son Lakkhan Raja made it to the Bihar Ranji team for their next game against Mizoram in Patna.
At the start of this decade, clashes between Arsenal and Manchester United were still potentially title-deciding affairs, but when the pair meet on New Year's Day at the Emirates they will have more modest goals in mind.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar feels the upcoming decade starting on Wednesday should be about children and allowing them to express freely without fear as they are our future.
The revered cricketers did most things right save for the World Cup heartbreak but 2019 became a 'Year to Remember' in Indian sports for trailblazing performances in Olympic disciplines, raising hopes that Tokyo 2020 might just make up for the disaster that was Rio 2016.
The England and Wales Cricket Board are "cautiously" backing a proposal that would mandate four-day World Test Championship matches from 2023.
Here’s a look at the top five highest Test run-getters of the calendar year 2019.
Bumrah emerged as India's go-to bowler in all the three formats of the game in 2019. He played a crucial role in India's maiden Test series win in Australia and during the tour of West Indies, he became only the third Indian to take a hat-trick in red-ball cricket.
The playing XI, not reserves, for TOI's Indian Test team of the decade was based on at least 30 Tests played in the decade.
The year 2019 also saw wedding bells ring for some of the biggest names in the sporting world.
Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar believes that 2019 was the "worst year" for him as an analyst and commentator, referring to his spat with Ravindra Jadeja during the World Cup and after that the "unprofessional and indecent" comment he made about celebrated commentator Harsha Bhogle.
A hat-trick of losses in the last three rounds ended Koneru Humpy's hopes of a second title at the women's World Rapid and Blitz Championships as the Indian Grandmaster finished 12th overall in the two-day blitz competition in Moscow.
Cricket's biggest spectacle - ICC ODI World Cup - took place in England in the year 2019 and had a first-time winner. This was also the first time when the World Cup final result was decided neither by wickets nor by runs. TimesofIndia.com brings you the top five talking points of the World Cup.
Boxer L Sarita Devi has alleged that her bout against Simranjit Kaur in the recently-concluded selection trials for Olympic qualifiers was "fixed" and that certain people who are part of the Indian boxing set-up had "ganged up" against her to deny her a fair chance.
Ending weeks of tough posturing, which had threatened to rob several Indian athletes of their legitimate right to compete at the upcoming Commonwealth Games (CWG), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday officially took back its threat of "withdrawing" from the 2022 CWG in Birmingham over shooting's exclusion at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) here.
He has unfinished business to tend to. Vikas Krishan, who was considered the country's biggest hope for a medal from boxing in the last two Olympics, had turned pro in November 2018. He recently returned to the amateur fold with the goal to win a medal for India at the Tokyo Olympics.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth might not have racked up the biggest numbers in international cricket, but even to this day, almost three decades after his retirement, he stays one of the eternal crowd favourites.
Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be officially presented as an AC Milan player on January 3, the Italian club confirmed on Monday.
The frail young footballer, desperate for a break, that iconic coach TK Chathunni met sometime in the last decade was indistinguishable from the seasoned veteran that amateur striker Ansar KJ encountered at Perinthalmanna on Sunday night.
"England would not be afraid of taking big decisions," said side's coach Chris Silverwood when asked whether the team can drop pacers Stuart Broad or James Anderson in the ongoing Test series against South Africa.
The decade marked India's rise as a potent Test powerhouse, propelled by their fast bowlers. The year gone by saw the team consolidate its status but fall short in a World Cup semifinal. Inevitably, some questions remained unanswered...
In a question-answer session on micro-blogging site Twitter, Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin said that he will 'Mankad' anyone who goes out of the crease in the coming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Former world number one Maria Sharapova will return to tournament action at the Brisbane International next month after being awarded a wildcard to play in the Australian Open warm-up.
Opener Dominic Sibley has joined the growing list of England players and staff stuck down by illness in South Africa, the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a media release on Monday.
Indian captain Virat Kohli will end the year at the top of the ICC Test ranking chart for batsmen but five-day specialist Cheteshwar Pujara slipped a place to fifth.
South African cricket captain Faf du Plessis believes cricket needs more, not fewer, elite nations. Speaking after South Africa's 107-run win in the first Test against England on Sunday, Du Plessis was asked his opinion about plans for an annual 'Super Series' of one-day games, involving the so-called 'Big Three' of India, Australia and England, with one other country to be invited on a revolving basis.
Star opening batsman Rohit Sharma beat India captain Virat Kohli to become the top run-getter on One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in a calendar year. Rohit, who is known to take the opposition bowling attack to the cleaners with ease, had finished the last two years – 2017 and 2018 – as No. 2 and the Indian opener signed off the year 2019 in his trademark style.
D'Arcy Short was on Monday added to the Australian squad for their upcoming ODI tour of India, with all-rounder Sean Abbott sidelined for up to a month with a side strain.
AS Roma said on Monday its holding company was in talks with a group led by US billionaire Daniel Friedkin about a sale of the Serie A football club, though no formal deal had yet been agreed.
If 2018 was all about missed opportunities, Indian hockey experienced a renewed sense of optimism this year with both the men and women teams qualifying for next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The historic triumphs by India's sports women saw a few more memorable moments in the last 12 months, adding to the legacy that some of the biggest names in the country are going to leave behind for future generations.
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said not much should be made of the "ugly spat" that marred the trial bout between MC Mary Kom and Nikhat Zareen, and the country is proud of both the six-time world champion and her promising challenger.
Had it not been for former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan, Abdul Samad of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) would not be hitting those big sixes. The player-cum-mentor of J&K spotted Samad at the Science College ground in Jammu during a camp organised for the state Ranji Trophy team.
Accomplished comeback-man Vikas Krishan (69kg) claimed a slot in the Indian men's boxing squad for next year's Olympic qualifiers after winning his final trial bout in Bengaluru on Monday.
Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy stayed in the hunt for a second title at the women's World Rapid and Blitz Championships after being placed second along with three others in the blitz competition.
Ponting's Test team of the 2010 doesn't feature any other Indian apart from Kohli, who is currently ranked No.1 in both ICC Test and ODI rankings for batsmen.
Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah are the only two Indians who have been able to make a cut to the T20I team of the decade announced by Wisden. "Kohli's average of 53 was the best in the decade," Wisden said. Talking about Bumrah, Wisden said that despite only making his debut in 2016, the Indian pace spearhead finds a spot in this team thanks to his defensive brilliance.
The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) is expected to elect its next President by January 13 and if all goes as per plan, former India opener Gautam Gambhir could be asked to take over the chair as the association looks to get back to normalcy post Rajat Sharma's resignation.
New Zealand have called up off-spinner Will Somerville to replace injured fast bowler Trent Boult for the third and final Test match against Australia in Sydney that begins on Thursday, the country's cricket board (NZC) said on Monday.