The sports wrap: Kohli prefers Rahane over Karun Nair for Bangladesh Test, and other top stories

The big story: ‘Cannot ignore what Ajinkya has done over the past two years’

Karun Nair might have scored a triple century in his last Test for India, but skipper Virat Kohli has clarified that comeback man Ajinkya Rahane will get preference over the former in India’s playing XI for the one-off Test against Bangladesh starting in Hyderabad from Thursday.

“Karun did well but we cannot ignore what Jinx (Ajinkya Rahane) has done over the past two years,” Kohli said. “He has put in lots of hard work and has performed,” Kohli added.

“The big challenge is to ensure that we back players making a comeback and keep the youngsters in the squad and groom them.”

“We are lucky that we have a bench strength. We have a pool of 20-30 players from which we can choose,” added Kohli.

Rahane had to miss the last two Tests against England after picking up a finger injury while training. He was replaced by Nair, who went on to score a triple century during the series.

Cricket

The fifth and final youth ODI between India Under-19 and England ended in a tie after a dramatic last-over at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.
India’s Under-19 team and their support staff which includes coach Rahul Dravid, are yet to get their daily allowance for their ongoing home series against England from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, reported Indian Express on Wednesday.
The Indian women’s team beat Thailand by nine wickets in the second match of their Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Colombo on Wednesday.
India’s registered their sixth straight win in the World Twenty20 for the blind with a comprehensive 152-run win over Nepal in their final round-robin game at the Mulapadu cricket ground at Vijayawada on Wednesday.
Faf du Plessis smashed 185 as South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 40 runs in the fourth one-day game in Cape Town. The Proteas made 367 before Sri Lanka were bowled out for 327.

Football

Qatar is spending a whopping $500 million (Rs. 3352cr) a week on infrastructure projects as it prepares for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the country’s finance minister Ali Shareef Al-Emadi has said, the Guardian reported. In fact, Al-Emadi expects more than $200bn (Rs. 13,40,954cr) to be spent in total in the lead up to the mega event.
Bayern Munich skipper Philipp Lahm will hang up his boots at the end of the season, The Guardian reported.
Barcelona were held to a thrilling 1-1 draw by Atletico Madrid in the return leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals at Nou Camp on Tuesday. However, the Catalan giants progressed to the final with a 3-2 aggregate win.
Barcelona have appealed Luis Suarez’s suspension from the King’s Cup final. The Uruguayan was sent off in Tuesday’s semi-final second leg with Atletico Madrid.
A British Sikh footballer of an amateur team in England was asked by the referee to remove his bandana, which he wears in lieu of a turban, PTI reported.
Rising Student’s Club became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the inaugural edition of the Indian Women’s League on Wednesday. RSC romped to a 7-0 win against Jeppiaar IT FC at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi, finishing their league campaign with 12 points.
FC Pune City beat Aizawl FC 4-0 on Wednesday in Delhi to finish fourth in the group stage and qualify for the semi-finals of the Indian Women’s League.
I-League club Chennai City FC have parted ways with chief coach Robin Charles Raja, reported Sportstar on Wednesday.

Tennis

Former world No.1 Maria Sharapova has been invited to play at the Madrid Open in May, which takes place less than two weeks after her 15-month doping ban expires.

Cycling

Indians failed to win any medal on day three of the Asian Track Cycling Championships in New Delhi on Wednesday. Top cyclist Deborah Herold crashed out at the pre-quarterfinal stage of the Elite sprint event.

Badminton

Indian women’s doubles shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa on Wednesday credited former coaches Tom John and Indonesian Yusuf Jauhari for played a major role in improving her net play.
Lee Chong Wei on Wednesday threatening to cut ties with the Badminton Association of Malaysia after slipping and injuring himself at the sport’s body’s new academy. Chong Wei had earlier complained about the slippery courts at the venue. The injury means the Rio Olympics silver medallist will miss the prestigious All-England Championships next month.

Hockey

Striker Mandeep Singh scored a brace as Delhi Waveriders thumped Uttar Pradesh Wizards 8-1 to open their account in the fifth edition of the Hockey India League on Wednesday.