Sports

Hemanth Muddappa secured his 15th National Title on December 29, 2024 at the fourth and final round of the MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship 2024 at the Madras International Circuit (MIC).

Triple Crown Victory: Muddappa triumphed in three different classes, winning two and securing second place in the third.

Unbeatable Lead: Before the final race, Muddappa had already secured his 13th title with an unbeatable lead of 29 points in the 4-stroke 1051 to 1650cc Super Sport class.

Career Milestone: With this win, Muddappa became the first athlete in Indian motorsports to achieve 15 National titles.

Nickname: He is nicknamed ‘LightningR1’ for his exceptional speed.

Team: Muddappa credited his success to his team at Mantra Racing and the dedicated mechanics.

On 30 December 2024, In Border-Gavaskar Trophy Cricket, Australia registered a 184 run victory over India on the fifth and final day of the fourth test in Melbourne.

Border-Gavaskar Trophy

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is a prestigious Test cricket series played between India and Australia. Named after legendary cricketers Sunil Gavaskar of India and Allan Border of Australia, the series has been a thrilling showcase of cricketing prowess since its inception in 1996.

Key Highlights:

1. Format: The series typically consists of a 5-match Test series.
2. Historical Significance: India and Australia have faced off 28 times in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with India winning 10 series, Australia winning 8, and 10 ending in a draw.
3. Notable Players: Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most runs in the series, while Nathan Lyon leads in the number of wickets taken.
4. Recent Matches: The latest series in 2024 saw Australia leading 2-1 after four matches, with the final match scheduled in Sydney.
5. Memorable Moments: The series has witnessed numerous memorable performances, including epic battles between batsmen and bowlers, and dramatic finishes.

On December 29, 2024, the World Rapid and Blitz Championship was held in New York.

Winner in Women’s Category: India’s Koneru Humpy won her second women’s title by defeating Indonesia’s Irene Sukander. Humpy finished the tournament with 8.5 points from 11 rounds.

Age and Achievement: At 37, she became the second player after China’s Ju Wenjun to win the title more than once. Humpy first won the championship in 2019 at Georgia.

Winner in Men’s Category: Russia’s Volodar Murzin, aged 18, won the men’s championship.

Record: Murzin became the second-youngest FIDE World Rapid Champion, following Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who won at age 17.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the torch procession of the 38th National Games from Haldwani in Nainital district on December 26, 2024.

Route and Duration: The torch will travel through 99 locations across 13 districts over 33 days, covering a distance of 3,823 kilometers.

Culmination: The relay will conclude in Dehradun on January 25, 2025, just before the National Games’ inauguration on January 28.

Purpose: The rally aims to raise awareness about the National Games and engage the public in sports activities.

Significance: Hosting the National Games is seen as a historic opportunity for Uttarakhand to foster a sports culture and contribute to the state’s development.

About the National Games

1. History: The National Games are a multi-sport event held in India, showcasing the country’s athletic talent.
2. Frequency: Held every four years, the event brings together athletes from across the nation to compete in various sports.
3. Purpose: The Games aim to promote sportsmanship, unity, and excellence in sports among Indian athletes.
4. Inclusion of Traditional Sports: For the first time, yoga and mallakhamb will be included as demonstration sports in the National Games.
5. Infrastructure Development: Significant investments have been made in sports infrastructure, including new playgrounds, upgraded stadiums, and facilities for various sports.

Jasprit Bumrah has reached 904 rating points in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings, equaling the highest rating ever achieved by an Indian bowler, previously held by Ravichandran Ashwin.

Upcoming Opportunity: Bumrah has the chance to surpass this record during the Melbourne Test beginning on 26 December 2024 between India and Australia in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Outstanding Performance: Bumrah’s stellar performance in Brisbane, where he took 9 wickets for 94 runs, earned him 14 rating points and solidified his top position in the Test Bowling Rankings.

86th Senior National Badminton Tournament held in Bengaluru from 18 to 24 December 2024.

• Men’s Singles Champion: Karnataka’s M. Raghu defeated Mithun Manjunath (14-21, 21-14, 24-22), saving three match points in the decider.
• Women’s Singles Champion: Haryana’s Devika Sihag secured a comfortable win over Shriyanshi Valishetty (21-15, 21-16).
• Men’s Doubles Winners: Sanskar Saraswat and Arsh Mohammad.
• Women’s Doubles Winners: Arathi Sara Sunil and Varshini VS.
• Mixed Doubles Winners: Ayush Agarwal and Shruti Mishra.

The ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 in Cricket will take place from 19th February to 9th March 2025.

Host: Pakistan will host its first global cricket tournament since 1996, alongside the UAE as a neutral venue.

Group A Teams: India, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Pakistan.

Group B Teams: Afghanistan, Australia, England, and South Africa.

Opening Match: The tournament begins with Pakistan facing New Zealand on 19th February in Karachi.

India’s Matches: India’s first match is against Bangladesh on 20th February in Dubai, followed by a match against Pakistan on 23rd February in Dubai.

Venues: Matches will be held in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi in Pakistan, and Dubai in the UAE.

Semi-finals and Final: The first semi-final will be on 4th March in Dubai, the second semi-final and final on 5th March and 9th March in Lahore. If India qualifies, these matches will be in Dubai.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has designated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the neutral venue for India’s matches in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

Reason: This decision follows India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns.

Confirmation: The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on December 19 that all India’s matches, including potential semifinals and the final, will be played at a neutral venue under a hybrid hosting model.

Likely Location: While the PCB did not specify the exact location, Dubai is widely expected to host the matches.

Group Stage: India has three group-stage games, including a highly anticipated clash with Pakistan.

Further Matches: Should India advance, the UAE will also host one of the semifinals and the final.

Resolution: The decision resolves a standoff between the two cricketing rivals and clears the way for the ICC to announce the schedule for the eight-team, 50-over tournament.

Historical Context: India and Pakistan have not toured each other’s countries since 2012 due to ongoing political tensions, with their cricketing interactions limited to neutral venues and ICC events.

India won the inaugural Under-19 ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup on 22nd December 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, defeating Bangladesh by 41 runs.

India’s Performance: Scored 117/7, with Gongadi Trisha top-scoring with 52 runs.

Bowling Highlights: Aayyushi Shukla took 3 wickets, while Parunika Sisodia and Sonam Yadav claimed 2 wickets each.

Bangladesh’s Performance: Bowled out for 76 runs in 18.3 overs; Farjana Easmin took 4 wickets for Bangladesh.

Tournament: Started on 15th December 2024, featuring 6 teams. India, led by Niki Prasad, remained unbeaten.

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.