Sports Highlights

The following are the top/expected stories at 2100 hours:

EXPECTED STORIES: *World Athletics Championships in Doha.

*Report of Pro Kabaddi League. *Report of India women vs South Africa women T20 match in Surat.

STORIES ON THE WIRE:

SPO-IND-LD PREVIEW Rohit begins life as Test opener, Saha in for Pant

By Bharat Sharma Visakhapatnam, Oct 1 (PTI) Limited overs phenomenon Rohit Sharma starts life as a Test opener but the embattled Rishabh Pant will not be there when India begins the experiment with the first match against South Africa here on Wednesday.

SPO-KOHLI-LD ROHIT

Rohit will be given enough space to find his game in red-ball cricket: Kohli By Bharat Sharma

Visakhapatnam, Oct 1 (PTI) India skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday threw his weight behind Rohit Sharma, saying his promotion to the opening slot in Tests could end up making the line-up "more lethal" and the stylish batsman will be given enough "space" to find his game in red-ball cricket.

SPO-IND-LD SAHA Saha to replace Pant for Test series opener against South Africa

By Bharat Sharma Visakhapatnam, Oct 1 (PTI) Wriddhiman Saha will replace the struggling Rishabh Pant in the Indian line-up for the first Test against South Africa, captain Virat Kohli announced here on Tuesday, calling the Bengal player the "best wicketkeeper" in the world.

SPO-IND-DUPLESSIS

I have learnt my lessons from 2015 tour: Du Plessis Visakhapatnam, Oct 1 (PTI) South African captain Faf du Plessis has "learnt" his lessons from the disastrous tour of India four years ago and hopes the team's young members will emerge as improved cricketers after the current Test series, beginning on Wednesday.

SPO-HARDIK-LD INJURY

Lower back injury may keep Hardik out of game for long period (Eds: Updating with more inputs) New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) India's first-choice all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to miss the upcoming T20 International series against Bangladesh since his acute lower-back injury has resurfaced and may force him out of action for a long period.

SPO-TENDULKAR-ASHWIN

Ups and Downs aside, Ashwin remains an integral part of this team: Tendulkar By Kushan Sarkar

New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) Ravichandran Ashwin may have had a roller-coaster ride in international cricket of late but for Sachin Tendulkar, the senior off-spinner remains "an integral part of the national set-up".

SPO-IPL-AUCTION Kolkata to host IPL 2020 auction on December 19

New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) The players' auction for the next Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held at Kolkata for the first time, on December 19.

SPO-SL-THIRIMANNE Batted poorly on pitch where ball was not doing much: Thirimanne

Karachi, Oct 1 (PTI) Sri Lanka's stand-in skipper on the Pakistan tour, Lahiru Thirimanne expressed his disappointment at the way his team collapsed in the second one-day international against the hosts here.

SPO-ICC-BRAHWAITE Brathwaite cleared to bowl in international cricket by ICC

Dubai, Oct 1 (PTI) West Indies' Kraigg Brathwaite has been cleared to bowl in international cricket by the ICC after it found the bowling action of the Caribbean player legal.

SPO-SANGAKKARA-MCC Kumar Sangakkara takes charge as MCC President

London, Oct 1 (PTI) Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara on Tuesday took over as the first non-British President of the historic Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) here.

SPO-HOCK-IND Hockey: India register 4th win in Belgium tour, beat hosts 2-1

Antwerp (Belgium), Oct 1 (PTI) The Indian men's hockey team eked out a fighting 2-1 win over reigning World and European champions Belgium to register their fourth consecutive win of the tour here on Tuesday.

SPO-BAD-DRAW Tough draw awaits Indian shuttlers at French Open

New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) Top Indian shuttlers, including world champion P V Sindhu and former winner Kidambi Srikanth, have been handed tough draws at the French Open World Tour Super 750 tournament, starting in Paris on October 22.

SPO-BAD-RANKING Sindhu drops to world no 6, Kashyap jumps to 25th spot

New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) World champion P V Sindhu slipped a place to the sixth spot after a poor run in the last two weeks but former Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap continued his good run, breaking into the top 25 in the latest BWF ranking on Tuesday.

SPO-BAD-JUNIOR Meiraba, Tasnim take India to its 3rd consecutive win at World Junior Mixed Team C'ships

Kazan (Russia), Oct 1 (PTI) Maisnam Meiraba Luwang and Tasnim Mir on Tuesday led India to an impressive 4-1 victory over Australia in their Group E clash on the second day of the BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships.

SPO-FOOT-AIFF-SESSION AIFF conducts mental conditioning session in Goa

New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) The All India Football Federation, in coordination with Premier League and Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) conducted a mental conditioning session in Goa with the U-17 women's team coaches and players.

SPO-BAD-MALVIKA Need to gain strength and power to break into top 100: Malvika

By Amit Kumar Das New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) Bolstered by a dream debut in the senior circuit, young Indian shuttler Malvika Bansod is working on gaining strength and power as she aims to break into top 100.