Sports

India’s Victory: India entered the final of the inaugural U-19 Women’s Asia Cup by defeating Sri Lanka in the Super 4 match held on 20 December 2024.

Match Details: India, led by Niki Prasad, chased down the target of 99 runs in 14.5 overs, winning by 4 wickets. G. Trisha was the top scorer with 32 runs.

Sri Lanka’s Innings: Sri Lanka scored 98 runs for the loss of nine wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. For India, Aayushi took four wickets and Parunika took two.

Upcoming Final: India will face Bangladesh in the final on 22 December 2024.

Bangladesh’s Performance: Bangladesh defeated Nepal by nine wickets in another Super 4 match. In a rain-affected 11-over match, Bangladesh restricted Nepal to 54 for 8 and chased down the target in 9.5 overs, scoring 58 runs for the loss of one wicket.

Q.: Which team will India face in the final of the U-19 Women’s Asia Cup 2024?

a) Nepal
b) Pakistan
c) Bangladesh
d) Sri Lanka

Ans: c) Bangladesh
India will face Bangladesh in the final on 22 December 2024.

New Delhi will host the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium from September 26 to October 5, 2025.

• First Time in India: This will be the first time the championships are held in India.
• Edition: New Delhi 2025 will be the 12th edition of the World Para Athletics Championships.
• Previous Asia Hosts: This will be the fourth time the event is hosted in Asia, following Doha 2015, Dubai 2019, and Kobe 2024.
• World Para Athletics Grand Prix: New Delhi will also host a World Para Athletics Grand Prix for the first time from March 11 to 13, 2025, at the same venue.

Q.: Where will the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships be held from September 26 to October 5, 2025?

a) Indira Gandhi Stadium
b) Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
c) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium
d) Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium

Answer: b) Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
New Delhi will host the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium from September 26 to October 5, 2025.

Pranav Venkatesh, an Indian Grandmaster, won both the FIDE World Under-18 Youth Rapid and Blitz titles in Slovenia on 17 December 2024.

• In the Rapid category, Pranav scored 9.5 points to win the gold medal.
• Silver in the Rapid category went to Russia’s Alexander Khripachenko with 9 points, and bronze to Ukraine’s Roman Pyrih with 7.5 points.
• In the Blitz category, Pranav scored 19.5 points and finished with a round to spare.
• Silver in the Blitz category was won by Russia’s Dmitry Mochalov with 15.5 points, and bronze went to Alexander Khripachenko.
• Pranav was the only Grandmaster competing in the event, which included six categories across both Rapid and Blitz formats.

Q.: Who won both the FIDE World Under-18 Youth Rapid and Blitz titles in 2024?

a) Alexander Khripachenko
b) Dmitry Mochalov
c) Roman Pyrih
d) Pranav Venkatesh

Ans: d) Pranav Venkatesh
Pranav Venkatesh, an Indian Grandmaster, won both the FIDE World Under-18 Youth Rapid and Blitz titles in Slovenia on 17 December 2024.

Retirement Announcement: Indian off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket on December 18, 2024.

Age: Ashwin is 38 years old.

Recent Match: He played one match in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, taking 1/53 in Adelaide.

Test Career Highlights:

• Second-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests (537 wickets in 106 matches). Anil Kumble, with 619 wickets is highest wicket taker.
• Only Anil Kumble has more Test wickets (619).
• Scored six centuries and 14 fifties in Tests.

Debut: Made his Test debut against West Indies in Delhi on November 6, 2011.

Limited-Overs Career:

• 116 ODIs: 156 wickets.
• 65 T20Is: 72 wickets.

Future Plans: Will continue playing in T20 tournaments and represent Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025.

Q.: Who is the only Indian bowler with more Test wickets than Ravichandran Ashwin?
a) Kapil Dev
b) Harbhajan Singh
c) Anil Kumble
d) Zaheer Khan

Answer: c) Anil Kumble
Indian off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket on December 18, 2024. He took 537 wickets in 106 Tests. Only Anil Kumble, with 619 wickets, has dismissed more batters for India.

Men’s Player of the Year: In Football Vinicius Jr. (Brazil and Real Madrid) won the FIFA Best Award 2024.

Previous Winner (Men): Lionel Messi held the title for the past two years.

Ballon d’Or 2024: Vinicius Jr. lost to Rodrigo Hernández Cascante (Manchester City and Spain).

Women’s Player of the Year: Aitana Bonmati (Spain and Barcelona) won for the second consecutive year.

Mumbai won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024, defeating Madhya Pradesh by five wickets in the final on 15 December 2024 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

After opting to bowl first, Mumbai restricted Madhya Pradesh to 174/8 in 20 overs and chased down the target in 17.5 overs. Suryakumar Yadav scored a crucial 48 runs off 35 balls for Mumbai, while Rajat Patidar was the top-scorer for Madhya Pradesh with 81 runs.

Suryansh Shedge was awarded the Player of the Match, and Ajinkya Rahane was named the Man of the Series. This marked Mumbai’s second title, having won their maiden trophy in 2022 against Himachal Pradesh.

India won the Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2024 Hockey Championship in Muscat, Oman on 15 December 2024, defeating China 3-2 in a penalty shootout to defend their title.

Indian goalkeeper Nidhi made three crucial saves, while Sakshi Rana, Ishika, and Sunelita Toppo scored in the shootout. Earlier, Jinzhuang Tan scored for China, with Kanika Siwach equalizing for India, leading to a 1-1 draw in regulation time.

Hockey India announced rewards of ₹2 lakh for each player and ₹1 lakh for each support staff. Deepika Sehrawat, with 12 goals, was the tournament’s top scorer. India had won their maiden title last year by defeating the Republic of Korea.

Indian Grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh made history on 12 December 2024 by becoming the youngest World Chess Champion at the age of 18. Gukesh defeated defending champion Ding Liren of China in the 14th and final match of the 18th FIDE World Chess Championship held in Singapore. The decisive moment came in the fifth hour of the endgame when Ding blundered on the 55th move, securing Gukesh’s victory with a score of 7.5 to 6.5.

Gukesh won three matches, while Ding won two, and the remaining nine were draws. Gukesh’s achievement broke Garry Kasparov’s record of becoming World Chess Champion at 22 and made him the second Indian to win the title after Viswanathan Anand, a four-time champion.

In the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship, India’s 18-year-old D Gukesh leads defending champion Ding Liren 6-5 after their 11th game on December 8, 2024, at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore. Gukesh secured a decisive victory in just 29 moves after Ding blundered under time pressure on his 28th move.

The championship, a best-of-14 games format, requires 7.5 points to win. If tied after 14 games, a tie-break will occur on December 13, 2024. Gukesh, on the verge of becoming the youngest classical chess champion, is poised to break Garry Kasparov’s record. The chess world is closely following this historic moment.

In the Men’s Asia Cup Under-19 Cricket final on December 8, 2024, Bangladesh defeated India by 59 runs at the Dubai International Stadium to win the title. Bangladesh, batting first, were bowled out for 198 in 49.1 overs, with Mohammad Rizan Hossan top-scoring with 47 runs. Indian bowlers Yudhjit Guha, Chetan Sharma, and Hardik Raj each took two wickets.

In response, India were all out for 139 in 35.2 overs while chasing a target of 199 runs. Indian captain Mohammad Amaan scored the highest with 26 runs, followed by Hardik Raj’s quick 24 off 21 balls. Bangladesh emerged victorious to lift the cup.

In the Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup ODI Cricket, India advanced to the final by defeating Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the semi-final on December 6, 2024. Chasing a target of 174, India achieved it in just 21.4 overs, with Vaibhav Suryavanshi top-scoring 67 runs off 36 balls. Sri Lanka had elected to bat first after winning the toss.

In the other semi-final, Bangladesh beat Pakistan by seven wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Bangladesh chose to field first after winning the toss.

India will now face Bangladesh in the final, scheduled to be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on December 8, 2024.

Jay Shah became the Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on December 1, 2024, marking him as the fifth Indian to head the global cricket body. Shah, was unanimously elected by the ICC Board of Directors, succeeding New Zealand’s Greg Barclay. 36-year-old Jay Shah, has been the secretary of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the last five years

In his inaugural statement, Shah highlighted his vision to use cricket’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as a transformative opportunity and emphasized the growth of women’s cricket as a key priority.

At the Syed Modi International Tournament 2024 in Lucknow, PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen emerged as Singles champions. Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, won the Women’s Singles title by defeating China’s Wu Luo Yu 21-14, 21-16. Lakshya Sen claimed the Men’s Singles title with a commanding victory over Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh 21-6, 21-7.

In Women’s Doubles, the Indian duo Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand won the title, beating China’s Bao Li Jing and Li Qian 21-18, 21-11. However, Indian teams in Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles finished as runner-ups. Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K lost a close Men’s Doubles final to China’s Huang Di and Liu Yang (14-21, 21-19, 17-21), while Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto were defeated by Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran (21-18, 14-21, 8-21) in the Mixed Doubles final.