Top Sports News Headlines Today, October 17, 2019: India-Pakistan PMs can decide on bilateral series, says Ganguly

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s List A batting average goes over 100 with his maiden double century (File photo)

On Wednesday, 17-year-old Mumbai opener Yashasvi Jaiswal became the youngest batsman in the world to score a double hundred in a 50-overs game with an innings of 203 in 154 balls against Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy at Bengaluru.

Six years ago, at the age of 11, Jaiswal was staying with groundsmen inside the Muslim United Club’s tent in Mumbai’s iconic Azad Maidan after he was thrown out of a dairy shop where he slept earlier. He was also selling pani puri. And chasing his cricket dream. READ MORE

Cheteshwar Pujara made trenchant 81 and a fluent 58. (Source: AP)

Half-centuries fade like mid-risers obscured by high-risers. Only three other Indian batsmen have managed half-centuries in the series so far — Cheteshwar Pujara’s trenchant 81 and a fluent 58, Ravindra Jadeja’s thrilling 91 as India hurtled to the declaration in Pune, and Ajinkya Rahane’s typically fighting 59.

These knocks might not linger in the mind for any longer than the completion of the match (if one is a cricket academic) or the day or a session. They might not have recall value like the hundreds, nor aesthetic value, given the more business-like approaches of Pujara and Rahane, or even standalone value in the retelling of the game. But these knocks, nonetheless, have contextual value, which gets blurred in the bigger picture. READ MORE

The draw for India’s upcoming Davis Cup tie was made back in February. (File)

The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has come down heavily on its Indian counterpart, claiming the their Davis Cup team has ‘no intention’ of travelling to Islamabad to play the Group 1 Asia/Oceania tie scheduled in November.

The draw for the zonal tie was made back in February, and it was originally to be held in September, at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad. READ MORE

El Clasico venue to shift? (Source: Reuters)

The arrest of nine Catalan separatist leaders on Monday and subsequent jail terms announced by the Supreme Court, for their roles in an illegal referendum and subsequent failed independence bid, sparked protests and clashes across the region. And football isn’t untouched.

Spain’s top football division has asked that this month’s El Clasico match between Barcelona and Real Madrid be moved from Barcelona to the capital amid growing protests in Catalonia. It means the reverse fixture, scheduled for March, will take place in Barcelona. READ MORE