Indian Sports Report, February 12: India U-17 men suffer defeat against hosts Turkiye in the second friendly match

FOOTBALL

India U-17 men lose against Turkiye

The India U-17 men’s team lost 1-6 to Turkiye in their second friendly against the hosts at the Manavgat Atatürk Stadyumu in Manavgat, Antalya on Thursday.

India had lost 0-1 in the first friendly match on Tuesday.

The Blue Colts will use these matches to prepare for the 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia, which will take place in May. India will face Uzbekistan, Australia and North Korea in Group D.

In the match played in windy and rainy conditions, Turkiye took an early lead through Efe Seçil, who whipped in a loose ball from a tight angle in the penalty area in the seventh minute. After a period of brief resistance from India, the hosts overpowered Bibiano Fernandes’ side again and took a 5-0 lead by half-time.

Efe Fettahoğlu scored from the penalty spot in the 14th minute before Alaettin Ekici scored a quick brace, converting a first-time shot from 10 yards in the 20th minute and heading in a cross from the right to make it 4–0 in the 28th minute.

Captain Eren Sayar came into action and scored the fifth goal in the 30th minute.

India showed some improvement in the second half and pulled a goal back early after the restart. In the 47th minute, Diamond Singh Thokchom picked out Denny Singh Wangkhem just outside the box. The latter curled a stunning effort into the far corner from 20 yards out to get India on the scoresheet.

Turkiye rounded off the scoring in the 85th minute, when Hasan Tuncel sneaked into the penalty area and smashed a left-footed shot into the bottom corner bvhfgg12.

-PTI

GOLF

Tvesa ends winless streak to take play-off title in WPGT third leg

Tvesa Malik ended a winless streak dating back more than two years on Thursday when she triumphed in a play-off against Anvitha Narender in the third leg of the Women’s Pro Golf Tour.

Tvesa, who started the final day one stroke behind Anvitha, drew level on the fourth hole despite carding a bogey, while Anvitha faltered there with a double bogey. Anvitha then dropped more shots on the sixth and eighth holes before recovering with a birdie on the ninth at the Oxford Golf Resort.

The back nine turned into a see-saw battle with the lead changing hands more than once. Tvesa, who had a one-stroke lead at the turn, extended it to two with a birdie at the 11th. However, a double bogey on the 12th brought the match back to level.

Anvitha showed admirable resilience, recovering from a bogey at the 13th with birdies at the 15th and 16th. Tvesa also birdied the 15th to keep himself in contention as the game went down to the wire.

The two players were once again tied with two holes to go. Tvesa bogeyed the 17th and fell one behind when Anvitha parried. Tvesa needed a birdie on the 18th to force a play-off, and she did, as both players were tied at 1-over-217.

Tvesa’s experience allowed her to hold her nerve in the play-off for a long-awaited win.

Riya Jadon (74) finished third with three birdies against five bogeys, including three in a row from the 14th to the 16th.

Amateur Aradhana Manikandan (72) and seasoned Vani Kapoor (72) were tied for fourth place. They were the only players to score even par on the final day, and there were no under-par scores.

Mannat Brar (74) was sixth, while Ridhima Dilawari (75), Karishma Govind (74) and Shagun Narain (76) were tied for seventh and Vidhatri Urs (74) rounded out the Top-10.

Ridhima Dilawari continues to lead the Hero Order of Merit, while Vani Kapoor comes second and Jasmine Shekar third.

The tour continues in Pune as the fourth leg of the WPG Tour will be held at the Poona Club Golf Course from February 17 to 19, with February 16 reserved for the practice round.

-PTI

Avani, Aditi and Pranavi are part of Riyadh

Indian golfers Aditi Ashok, Avani Prashanth and Pranavi Urs reached the halfway mark of the PIF Saudi Ladies International to be played at the Riyadh Golf Club.

Best of the bunch was youngest star Avani, who added a fighting 1-under 71 to her opening round 3-under 69 to reach a total of 4-under. She was tied for 35th.

Aditi, a five-time winner on LET, shot a solid 33-under 69 to reach a 3-under total and was tied for 43rd, while Pranavi (69) played a bogey-free round.

After paring the entire back nine, which was her front nine, Pranavi had three birdies, which helped her make up for her first-round 73. With a total of 2 under, she was T-51 and secured the weekend action.

Diksha Dagar was unlucky to miss all but one shot when she carded 2-over 74, and her total of 1-under through two rounds saw her make an early exit. Hitaashee Bakshi (74-72) also missed the cut.

Diksha had two bogeys and just couldn’t make her putts fall, leaving her without a single birdie.

An early starter from the tenth tee, Avani bounced back nicely after being 2-over in her first six holes. She dropped shots on the 11th and 15th. She fought back superbly with a birdie at the 18th and added two more at the fifth and seventh to give herself the chance to make up even more ground this weekend.

Aditi, who was in the first group from the first tee, had an early bogey on the second tee but then grabbed four birdies without dropping any more shots for a 69.

England’s Mimi Rhodes, who showed great talent last season, led the field at 11 under as she added 69 to her opening round of 64, and she was chased by South Africa’s Cassandra Alexander (67-67), who was one behind at 10 under. Second place was shared with Cassandra Chizzy Iwai (65-69).

-PTI

Paromita wins BPGC Open Women’s Amateur Golf

Paromita Mukherjee won the 14th WIGA BPGC Open Ladies Amateur Golf Championships after rejecting a stiff challenge from Uma Menon on Thursday.

Local golfer Uma, who trailed Paromita by one stroke overnight, set the tone early with a hat-trick of birdies on the second, third and fourth holes to grab the lead and pile the pressure on the field.

However, she could not maintain the momentum as the experienced Paromita – the current top-ranked player on the AVT Tour – reacted calmly and steadily built up her challenge before ultimately emerging victorious.

Paromita shot one over on both the front and back nines and scored a solitary birdie for a gross score of two over 72, to finish with a total of 233 and lift the Mahindra trophy.

Uma closed with a final round of 75 to reach a total of 237, settling for second place.

-PTI

Gunta’s best Indian tied for 17th

Indian Guntas Kaur Sandhu shot a one-under 71 at the Royal Wellington Golf Club on Thursday to emerge as the top Indian at a tie for 17th after the opening round of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific.

The tournament is organized by The R&A (Royal & Ancient, Scotland), the world’s governing body for the rules of golf, in partnership with the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC).

Guntas was part of the four-member team sent by the Indian Golf Union (IGU) and started on a modest note with a bogey on the first hole before sinking birdies on the third, eighth and twelfth holes. But a bogey on the 15th hole stopped her. She is seven strokes behind the leader, Yunseo Yang of South Korea.

Other Indians in contention, Ananyaa Sood (2-over-74; tied for 42nd), Zara Anand (7-over-79; tied for 66th) and Jia Kataria (9-over-81; tied for 75th) had a disappointing first round.

Speaking about her lap, Guntas said: «Royal Wellington is a challenging parkland course. I attacked the flags from the start but had mixed results today.

«I’ll take inspiration from some of my good performances on the domestic IGU circuit tomorrow. I’m looking forward to a memorable outing here.» The winner of World Amateur Asia-Pacific earns invitations to play in three major championships: the AIG Women’s Open, the Amundi Evian Championship and the Chevron Championship.

-PTI

WEIGHTLIFTING

National Weightlifting Championships: Nipan Bags Men 94kg Gold

Abhishek Nipane overcame a strong challenge from youngster Parv Chaudhary to win the men’s 94kg gold medal by a margin of one kg at the National Weightlifting Championships in Modinagar on Thursday.

In addition to claiming silver in the elite section, Parv set three new records on his way to the junior title with a total weight of 333kg.

-Team Sportstar

ATHLETICS

Delhi to launch ‘Khel Mahakumbh’ from February 13, with over 30,000 athletes expected to participate

The Delhi government will organize “Khelo Delhi – Delhi Khel Mahakumbh” from Friday where more than 30,000 athletes are expected to participate in competitions to be held across 17 stadiums in the national capital.

Education Minister Ashish Sood interacted with over 50 sports influencers, Arjuna Awardees, fitness coaches and media representatives ahead of the event. He said the initiative aims to strengthen the sports ecosystem in Delhi and provide a competitive platform to young athletes.

According to the statement, the first phase will see competitions organized in seven major disciplines including football, basketball, volleyball and kabaddi. Events will take place at major venues such as Chhatrasal Stadium and other stadiums in Bawana, Najafgarh, Vikaspuri and South Delhi.

The formal inauguration will take place at the Chhatrasal Stadium on Friday and will be attended by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. The opening ceremony will include a march past led by para-athletes, the organization said.

Sood said more than 16,000 athletes have already registered and the process is still ongoing. The government aims to reach 30,000 participants during the month-long event and plans to expand participation to over one lakh grassroots athletes annually in the coming years.

He said the event will pay special attention to encouraging women’s participation, with measures to ensure safety and broader inclusion. The minister added that sports play an important role in promoting discipline among youth and keeping them away from substance abuse and other social issues.

The event will also help assess the existing sports infrastructure in the city and identify areas for improvement, he said, adding that the government plans to upgrade the facilities in phases.

According to the statement, cricketer Shikhar Dhawan has been appointed as the brand ambassador of the event to encourage young athletes.

He expressed hope that the initiative would help build a stronger sporting culture in Delhi and improve the capital’s performance in national and international competitions.

-PTI

Published on February 12, 2026