Delhi lifts Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in style

Mumbai :Delhi lifted its maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after trouncing Rajasthan by 41 runs as comeback man Unmukt Chand hit a half-century and bowlers put up a united show in the final, in Kolkata.
Chand, playing his second match of the tournament, produced the timey knock after in-form Rishabh Pant (13) and veteran Gautam Gambhir (27) got out cheaply as Delhi put on board 153 for six.
In reply, Rajasthan were bundled out for 112 in 19.1 overs as their batting crumbled after opener Aditya Garhwal departed for 52 in 36 balls in the 12th over.
Left-arm pacer Sangwan bowled a tidy 2 for 14, while Kulwant Khejoriya (2/24) and Pawan Negi (2/21) also chipped in with two wickets each.
Earlier, openers Gambhir and Pant gave the team brisk start as Rajasthan sorely missed their ace pacer Deepak Chahar who’s missed the final with a hamstring injury.
Gambhir, who had a miserable tournament so far, showed glimpses of his vintage form with four elegant boundaries and a six before being foxed by leg-spinner Rahul Chahar.
Delhi 153 for 6 in 20 overs (Unmukt Chand 53, Gautam Gambhir 27; Khaleel Ahmed 2/23, Rahul Chahar 2/31) beat Rajasthan 112 in 19.1 overs (Aditya Garhwal 52; Pradeep Sangwan 2/14, Pawan Negi 2/21, Kulwant Khejroliya 2/24) by 41 runs.
Veteran Leander Paes and his American partner James Cerretani did not have to move a sinew in reaching the semi-finals of the Newport Beach Challenger even as Vishnu Vardhan and N Sriram Babalji were ousted from the Rennes event in France.
Paes and Cerretani, seeded second, advanced in the $ 150,000 event after receiving a walkover from the local pair of Frances Tiafoe and Michael Mmoh, who encountered a shoulder problem.
They are now up against Marcelo Arevalo and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela, who knocked out Aliaksandr Bury and Hsien-Yin Peng 7-5, 7-5 in their quarter-final.
Meanwhile at the Euro 64,000 USA tournament in France, unseeded Vardhan and Balaji suffered a close 4-6, 4-6 semi-final defeat at the hands of second seeded Sander Arends and Antonio Sancic.
Tiger Woods made a respectable return to the PGA Tour , shooting even-par 72 in the first round at the Farmers Insurance Open.
In his first official start since this time last year, Woods took a while to dust off the rust, but the quality of his shotmaking improved as the round progressed on the South course at Torrey Pines.
He trails American leader Tony Finau by seven strokes and expressed mild satisfaction with his performance, while at the same time adding that there was plenty of room for improvement.
“I still feel the same excitement, the same nerves,” said the 42-year-old, who underwent spinal fusion surgery on his lower back last April. “It was fun to feel the competitive rush again.
“I didn’t hit anything close, didn’t give myself a lot of looks (for) and consequently didn’t have a lot of chances for birdies.”