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The following are the top/expected stories at 2115 hours:

EXPECTED STORIES: * Updated Indian Boxing League report.

STORIES ON THE WIRE:

SPO-CRI-IND-LD PREVIEW India fret on bowling combination on batting belter, West Indies aim to lock series

By Kushan Sarkar Visakhapatnam, Dec 17 (PTI) India will have to get their bowling combination right after failing to stop the West Indies from executing a perfect chase in Chennai when they take on the buoyant visitors in the second ODI here on Wednesday, aiming to keep the three-match series alive.

SPO-CRI-IND-BUMRAH

Bumrah bowls full tilt, Prithvi spends time with trainer Webb By Kushan Sarkar

Visakhapatnam, Dec 17 (PTI) Jasprit Bumrah showed no signs of rustiness as he went full tilt at Rishabh Pant but the resurgent Prithvi Shaw looked far from being fit for international cricket during his session with trainer Nick Webb at India's optional practice here on Tuesday.

SPO-CRI-IND-CHAHAR Shifted focus from red to white ball as IPL was easier route to India colours: Chahar

By Kushan Sarkar Visakhapatnam, Dec 17 (PTI) A remarkably candid Deepak Chahar on Tuesday said he understood early in his career that switching his focus to white ball cricket and IPL was the fastest and easiest route to the India dressing room.

SPO-CRI-IND-HOPE

IPL auction "secondary" but Shai 'Hope'ful of pipping Kohli, Rohit By Kushan Sarkar

Visakhapatnam, Dec 17 (PTI) West Indies opener Shai Hope is quite "sure" that some of his teammates will have Thursday's IPL auction on their minds during the second ODI against India but for him it will be "secondary" to beating Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the 2019 top run-getters' list.

SPO-CRI-FAF-DEVILLIERS AB de Villiers exploring comeback before T20 World Cup: Du Plessis

Johannesburg, Dec 17 (PTI) Widely-followed South African swashbuckler AB de Villiers is exploring the possibility of coming out of retirement for next year's T20 World Cup, Proteas captain Faf du Plessis has revealed.

SPO-CRI-WOM-LD AWARDS Mandhana in ICC women's ODI and T20 teams of the year

Dubai, Dec 17 (PTI) India opener Smriti Mandhana was on Tuesday named in both the International Cricket Council's ODI and T20 teams of the year, capping off a memorable season.

SPO-CRI-CONFLICT-NOTICE Not part of CAC anymore but Kapil, Gaekwad asked to appear before BCCI ethics officer

New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) BCCI ethics officer D K Jain has asked Kapil Dev and Anshuman Gaekwad to appear in Mumbai later this month to explain conflict of interest allegations against them even though they have already resigned from the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC).

SPO-CRI-IRELAND-FTP Cash crunch forces Cricket Ireland to rework FTP, cancel series against Afghanistan

Dublin, Dec 17 (PTI) Financial constraints have forced Cricket Ireland to rework its team's Future Tours Programme for 2020, converting a Test against Bangladesh into a T20 while scrapping the five-match home T20 series against Afghanistan.

SPO-BOX-NIKHAT I want fair Olympic trials, which should be televised live: Nikhat Zareen

New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Nikhat Zareen on Tuesday demanded a fair Olympic selection trials and asked the national federation (BFI) to telecast live the fight after her much-anticipated showdown against MC Mary Kom in the Indian Boxing League was cancelled.

SPO-OLY-HOCK-IND-SCHEDULE 2020 Olympics: India men to face NZ, women to play Netherlands in opening games of hockey

Tokyo, Dec 17 (PTI) The Indian men's and women's hockey teams will open their campaigns against New Zealand and the Netherlands respectively at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on July 25, the world body (FIH) said here on Tuesday.

SPO-FOOT-WOM-U17-IND U17 football: India beat Thailand 1-0, to play Sweden in final

Mumbai, Dec 17 (PTI) India edged out Thailand 1-0 an enthralling last round-robin game of the U-17 three-nation football tournament here on Tuesday to book a place in the final.

SPO-CRI-YUVRAJ-HARBHAJAN India's squad should be ready 4 months before T20 World Cup: Yuvraj, Harbhajan

New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Former India stars Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh on Tuesday said Virat Kohli's T20 World Cup team should be finalised four months prior to the marquee event.

SPO-CRI-YUVRAJ-WC Yuvraj blasts Indian team management for WC ouster

New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Yuvraj Singh on Tuesday slammed the Indian team management for the country's World Cup ouster in the semifinals, saying its planning for the 50 over tournament was "completely wrong".

SPO-BAD-RANKINGS Lakshya jumps nine spots to career-best 32nd in badminton rankings

New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Rising Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen has climbed up nine places to a career-best 32nd spot among men's singles players in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings issued on Tuesday.

SPO-ISL-NE-LD PREVIEW Crowds back as NEUFC gear up to host Bengaluru FC

Guwahati, Dec 17 (PTI) NorthEast United FC will host Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Wednesday, as both sides look to regain their momentum.

SPO-ISL-AIFF-RACISM AIFF disciplinary committee to investigate Saudi referee's allegedly racist remark

New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Tuesday tasked its disciplinary committee to investigate the allegedly racist remarks made against Mumbai City FC's Serge Kevyn Angoue by Saudi Arabian referee Turki Mohammed Al Khudayr in an Indian Super League match.